Therapeutic riding facility helps those with special needs

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AVIS - It was a rather dreary October afternoon, not one of those warm sunny autumn days that make people remark that fall is their favorite time of the year. There were gray clouds hovering above and you could smell rain building in the air.

But nothing could dampen the excitement of the day for Laurie Flanagan.

Laurie's dream to open a therapeutic horse riding facility to help those with special needs was coming true ... and there was a special glow at Horses of Hope along Sulphur Run Road in Pine Creek Township.

Laurie's heart pounded a little faster as her first participant - 11 year-old Michael Bowes - arrived. But her anxiousness was quickly put to rest. Michael was smiling broadly as his grandfather, Rusty Eisenhower, pushed him in a wheelchair into the horse barn. Grandmother Val followed close behind and she, too, was smiling.

And then Michael saw her. Waiting patiently was the real star of this show - a 14-year-old, champagne colored quarter horse named Pumpkin. Laurie introduced Pumpkin to Michael and his family as head instructor Marsha Mantzoros held the reins.

"She has the perfect personality for a therapy horse," Laurie said of the gentle gal whose eyes beckoned bystanders to move a little closer and stroke her coat. The horse didn't move a muscle, obviously enjoying the attention she was getting before she calmly moved out into the open field to take on her very special passenger from a custom-built ramp.

This isn't Pumpkin's first job as a therapy horse. She comes highly recommended from a therapeutic riding stable at DuBois, Laurie explained. And it certainly won't be her last. Laurie has big plans for Pumpkin as her therapy riding program grows.

Michael is a perfect example of the kind of people Laurie wants to help through her Horses of Hope program.

At just 3 months of age, Michael had a reaction to his DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) shot ... it caused swelling in his spinal cord that has affected his legs and left him unable to walk without crutches or a walker, his grandmother explained.

"But there's been progress... and there's hope for more progress. He needs therapy, continuous therapy," Val said with a smile. She said Michael undergoes extensive physical therapy every day at home, but programs like Horses of Hope are very beneficial, too.

Michael was involved in horse therapy at Sunny Brook Meadows in Montgomery from age 3 until he started school.

"It was excellent therapy ... but they aren't open on Saturdays ... and it's too far to travel after school," Val said, grateful that Horses of Hope has opened very close to Michael's school and home. Michael is a sixth-grade student at Walnut Street Christian School in Avis, and the family lives in Mill Hall.

For Michael, horseback riding mostly provides physical therapy, building up and stretching his leg muscles and promoting balance.

"The trot of a horse is like a human gait. Riding stretches the legs and the gait works the muscles," Laurie explained.

Therapeutic riding also promotes independence, helps the riders overcome fears, builds better relationships, builds confidence and even results in riders performing in horse shows, she said.

And it's not all about riding, either, Laurie was quick to point out.

"Some won't even ride at all. They may benefit from being able to say, 'I can take care of horses, or I work with horses, or I feed, brush or groom horses.'"

For others, Laurie said, horseback riding may be the only sport they can be involved in ... because they don't need their legs to participate.

"There's just something about horses, and it's that special something that just brings out the best in a person. Horses seem to know how you feel and what you want," Laurie said, watching Michael sitting tall in the saddle as Pumpkin carried him through an obstacle course of sorts and into a play area for a game of basketball.

The games in the field keep children interested in riding and build up their muscles and balance, Laurie said. "It's all part of the therapy."

Getting the Horses of Hope facility up and running didn't come quickly or easily.

Laurie said she got the idea of opening her own therapeutic horse riding facility while reading an advertisement in a magazine and became curious about it.

"I have my own horse and I started thinking about the benefits that come with a horse. I thought maybe I could take my past experience working with people with special needs and start my own program right here. I spent a year looking into it and getting things done," Laurie said.

It took a lot of help from other people, too.

"A friend of mine, Ellie Benna, offered her farm to me to start the program," Laurie said. "We outfitted the farm for horses. I found Pumpkin who was already trained and used as a therapeutic riding horse. Marsha, who has ridden horses since she was 3 years old got involved. Jason Marconi built wheel-chair accessible ramps. Other volunteers with horse experience started coming in, collaborating and working together. Garman Evangelical Church offered their parking lot for our participants ... I've had a lot of support ...

"And here we are ... isn't it wonderful. It's going to make life changes for so many people," she said, looking out over the facility after Michael's first ride was over and he had gone home.

She didn't know then that her dream was already changing lives.

Michael's grandmother called the next morning. She was ecstatic, reporting that Michael had taken a couple of steps with the ease of a child who walks normally after just one visit, and he was more confident now that he would walk some day.

"This is just the best news. This is what it's all about," Laurie said, emotion in her voice as she realized that her prayers had been answered.

And "Horses of Hope" is indeed the perfect name for her new endeavor.