Horse Therapy by: Julie Sharp
Horse Therapy
by: Julie Sharp
Once a week, 16-year-old Jack and his parents make their way to a Rancho Palos Verdes horse arena where for 30 minutes, Jack leaves his wheelchair behind for a saddle on Prince Charming's back.
Prince Charming is a therapy horse housed at the Narcissa Drive stable where the nonprofit Ride to Fly program serves disabled youth. Ride to Fly offers horseback riding and caretaking skill instruction under the oversight of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International guidelines. Ride to Fly's Executive Director Gail Grove explains the purpose of the program is to enhance the lives of their students, give them coping skills, strengthen their bodies, sharpen their focus and bond with the horses that pass no judgment.
She's been with the program for 22 years and says it's very emotional. "Some children come in here nonspeaking, they work with the horses and say their first words here," said Grove.
She said Jack started riding with a vest that had handles so his parents could walk alongside the horse and hold him up. Five years later, he now rides in the saddle without the handled vest; he sits up almost completely by himself.
"Horses are special. Our horses know who they have on their back and they protect them," said Grove.
Lori Panganiban and her 12-year-old daughter Sarah have been part of Ride to Fly for five years now. Panganiban explained Sarah has Amyoplasia; she's missing muscles in her upper arms and shoulders. She said this program is a vital part of Sarah's life. "She's a horse girl, she has a sport like everyone else," said Panganiban. When Sarah was asked what she likes about Ride to Fly, she said "Everything."
The program’s instructors are also key to its success.
There are four instructors who have dual specialties in dealing with horses and working with students of varying disabilities. Katie Warschefsky, instructor and assistant barn manager describes how her workdays start with the horses, warming them up and allowing them to just be horses.
“The job they are doing, although it’s not physically strenuous working with a lot of our students, it’s mentally a lot of work for them. There a lot of things they kind of have to ignore and signals they take from various people like the leader and the side walkers, so it’s a mentally difficult job for horses and they definitely need a chance to just be horses,” said Warschefsky. She then switches gears to an instructor when students arrive at the arena.
Students can enter the program as young as four-years-old, and there is no upper age limit. For more information, visit www.Ridetofly.com. Applications are available online and students are considered for entry based on a doctor’s clearance and program instructor evaluation. Scholarships are also available.
Julie Sharp is a video journalist for a major broadcast news corporation in Los Angeles. She also wrote for the Beach Reporter weekly newspaper covering the city of Manhattan Beach. She is a South Bay native, attended Mira Costa High School and majored in print journalism at California State University Long Beach. She currently resides in Palos Verdes Estates. Much of her current work is shared in photos at: