It soon became obvious that inclusion and integration could not happen without including people without disabilities. It was a “reverse inclusion” though, where it was the riders without disabilities who were a minority. Those without disabilities learn how to interact with people with disabilities, and learn that kindness, helping others, especially those less fortunate, adds an element of personal growth, compassion and empathy that gives a new perception of fairness and challenges.

A year or so after we first opened, Westfield Academy & Central School brought a group of their elementary students to Centaur Stride. They were studying a unit on health and disabilities and wanted to learn what we did at Centaur Stride.

We had two riders who attended WACS who both were advancing nicely in their riding skills. Both had Cerebral Palsy affecting both legs and had difficulty walking. Those two students beamed as they demonstrated on the horse what they could do, in front of the younger school students. It may have looked easy, but only people who have ridden horses really know how difficult it is to make the horse do what you want them to do, and to stay on with balance as the horse moves through various gaits. And that ability is so much harder for someone with Cerebral Palsy. After the demonstration, the other students got a chance to ride the horses, try to balance, and try to get the horses to follow some simple directions. They learned first-hand that it was not so easy!

The horse is a natural equalizer for someone who cannot walk. When they are on the horse, walking isn’t important for mobility. The horse becomes their legs but at the same time, it allows them to experience movement with the same muscle activation as “normal” human walking. It also gives them practice accommodating to changes in speed and direction without exacerbating the disability of their legs, which would then negatively impact the rest of their body. That physical exercise and practice transfers over to function off the horse. Both participants made significant gains in their mobility.

Krissie Auffhammer, one of the students with Cerebral Palsy, demonstrating balance at a slow trot on a lunge line.

We set out to provide services that would improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. What we soon realized was that those who helped to provide the services benefited in ways that we had not anticipated. We are a by-product of our conditions, experiences, and emotions. The joy was contagious!

Centaur Stride is now a Co-Ser partner with BOCES. Our hope is that more schools can engage in the “healing with horses” experiences.

Kudos to WACS for their unit on health and disabilities!

Please help us to continue to help others. Send donations to: Centaur Stride, Inc., PO Box 174, Westfield, NY 14787; call to volunteer (716) 326-4318. Visit our website at: www.centaurstride.org and please like and follow our Facebook page: Centaur Stride Therapeutic Horseback Riding facility. Comments can be emailed to: claudiamonroe@centaurstride.org

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