Horse-riding program provides therapeutic benefits

A child with special needs can’t take part in all the ways other kids can.

That’s why advocates for special kids (ASK), a group of Jasper parents with special needs children who support each other, came up with the idea of organizing therapeutic horse-riding sessions.

Instructor Helen Van Tongeren, who’s been teaching for about 25 years, said the biggest thing the kids take away from the program is communication skills. “They learn what they do will change what the horse does,” she said. “They’re communicating with an animal that doesn’t judge. It doesn’t do anything except what they want it to do.”

As well, the rhythm of the horse’s movement is good physically and emotionally for children with special needs. “It’s relaxing, and mimics the way we walk,” Van Tongeren said, adding the walking motion is great for kids who are wheelchair-bound or who are disabled.

It’s a unique relationship, as the kids connect with the animals which seem especially intuitive. “The horses, most we use, understand the kids are not as able-bodied,” she said. The program runs twice yearly, one in the spring and one in the summer, with anywhere from eight to 16 children taking part.
Carla Gallop, who’s involved with ASK as part of her role as a community outreach worker in Jasper for elementary-aged children and their parents, said it feels like the children know the horses. “It puts them on par with their peers and they’re not always on par,” Gallop said.

ASK is funded through grants and fundraising, and the horse-riding program is made possible by donations by Parks Canada, the Cottonwood Coral Riding Association, as well as individual horse owners. Other initiatives put on by the group are cross-country skiing outings and swim groups, for instance.

Though the horse riding initiative isn’t new, this is just the second summer Connie Tiesenhausen’s daughter Isabella, of Jasper, has taken part. The three-and-a-half-year-old has a form of cerebral palsy, which Tiesenhausen said causes her to have low muscle tone.

While Isabella’s on the horse, her confidence and ease are unmistakable. “I can see that she gets so excited she just vibrates,” Tiesenhausen said. “From a therapy perspective it’s amazing for balance and coordination.”
The most important thing for the children Van Tongeren works with is fun, she said. “All the other stuff comes as a bonus,” she said. “People go to physiotherapy, speech therapy, but if it’s fun, the rest goes along anyways.”