EVERY little kid wants to walk up to a horse and ride it.
But what if you need to ride a horse to be able to walk?
That's where the Manitoba Riding for the Disabled Association comes in.
Volunteer side walkers from the Manitoba Riding for the Disabled Association help jared McGregor, 8, ride a horse at Meadow Green Stables.
The MRDA -- celebrating its 30th anniversary this year -- helps special-needs children walk and build self-esteem through an unusual combination of therapy and social benefits. Its sessions run four times a week during fall and spring months at Meadow Green Stables on Loudoun Road.
Debbie Slobogian-Jones says her 11-year-old son, Sebastian, greatly benefited from the four years he was in the MRDA's program before graduating last year. Sebastian has an undiagnosed disability that has kept him from learning to talk, and made learning to walk nearly impossible.
"At the beginning, they would carry him from his wheelchair to the horse, but in the end he could walk with assistance," Slobogian-Jones said.
"It was absolutely fantastic for Sebastian and he looked forward to it every week. No matter what type of day he was having, as soon as we hit that gravel road to the stable, he knew where he was going.
"He would just get on the horse and he never stopped smiling."
One volunteer leads a horse around the indoor barn while two volunteers flank the animal, ensuring the child doesn't fall off.
Horse riding therapy is done across North America and around the world. All MRDA instructors are certified by the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association.
Jennifer Nychek, a volunteer occupational therapist with the MRDA, said horseback riding helps the special-needs children in several ways.
Nychek said the children work on increasing trunk control, range of motion, strengthening muscles and reducing spasticity.
"The warmth of the horse is good at relaxing the children," she said.
"And the walking motion of the horse, which is similar to our walking, helps the children by moving their joints."
Nychek said riders get a boost in self-confidence, too, by being able to ride a horse.
"It's a great place for kids to come and have fun," she said.
Graham Curnew, the MRDA's chairman, thinks the biggest benefit is the social aspect.
"All too often these little children are just looked at, not given the time of day and don't get the opportunity to develop friendships with other kids," Curnew said.
"This gives them something they can do that other kids can't do and that makes them feel great. And each of these volunteers form a friendship with each of these kids."
Curnew said many of the children who come to the program can't walk.
"They don't have the muscle tone and they don't know what it feels like to walk," he said.
"If you watch a horse from behind and a person you'll see their hips move the same. With the child on the horse, that movement of the horse goes right up to the kid. I know one kid who went from a wheelchair to a walker and there wasn't a dry eye in the place.
"Part of it was because he had learned to feel like what it felt to walk."
Katie McLeod is in her first few weeks as a volunteer side walker and she loves it.
McLeod, who hopes to complete a master's degree in occupational therapy after she finishes her B.A., said volunteering for the MRDA "is the highlight of my week."
"Just seeing (the special-needs child) I work with light up, you don't even realize you're working with someone with a disability," she said.
"It's inspiring seeing these kids and it's just such a positive environment. I'm getting a lot more out of it than what I expected -- and you're making a child's week."
Peter Manastyrsky, the MRDA's executive director, is also the only paid employee with the charitable organization. All physiotherapists and occupational therapists volunteer their time and knowledge to the riding program, as well as the non-therapists who walk beside the horses. In total, there are more than 90 volunteers.
Manastyrsky said the only other major expense for the MRDA is the rental of Meadow Green and its horses and equipment.
He said with more funding, more special needs children could benefit from the program because it currently has a waiting list two years long. There are 30 children currently in the program, but the waiting list is long because once in the program each child goes through seven sessions, taking three and a half years.
The MRDA receives no government funding at all, relying solely on fundraising events and donations. Parents of the special-needs children also pay a portion of the costs.
The organization's 30th-anniversary celebration and fundraising event is being held at Assiniboia Downs on June 3 from noon to 4 p.m. The event features raffles, entertainment, food, pony rides and more. For more information, call 925-5905 or go to www.mrda.cc
As well, the MRDA accepts tax deductible donations mailed to its offices at 2nd floor, 200 Main St., Winnipeg, MB, R3C 4M2.
"We run a very, very lean organization," Curnew said.
"But with more funding we could expand the program. The barn will accommodate us if we need more."
 | kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca |
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