|
|
 |
SHADOW Equestrian provides therapeutic riding instruction for special needs children at a low cost through fundraising, lesson sponsorship, and donations. These funds are used to support the cost of facilities, horse use, and insurance. |
|
I want to tell you about the therapeutic riding program at SHADOW Equestrian and what a difference it has made for our son, Shane, and our whole family. Shane is eight years old and has been diagnosed with Spastic Cerebral Palsy. We wanted to increase his therapeutic treatments and decided to try therapy with horseback riding. We located SHADOW Equestrian in Monroeville through the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.
We met Kay and her staff almost four years ago at Shane’s first riding lesson and have been impressed with the program every day since then. The staff’s kindness is sincere and their knowledge of how to best assist disabled children has allowed Shane to gain confidence in his relationships with people. The gentleness of the horses has taught him to be comfortable around animals and how to be considerate of them. The friendly atmosphere that Kay and her staff provide has truly made the experience a fun one for Shane and a comfortable experience for us. Add to that the unique ability of the center’s staff to develop new and different therapeutic exercises and it is a program for success.
Through the patience of the staff, Shane has learned to concentrate and focus on a given task and the reward has been growth in every area that he needs. Shane has shown improvements in his balance, in his ability to sit upright and an increase in the flexibility of his arms. He has improved and every step of the way, the staff has provided new challenges for him to continue his growth. He loves this program and the staff. This is truly a therapeutic program for special children who are taught and assisted by very special people. As a nurse who works in the field of developmental disabilities, I have seen many therapy programs and this is truly one of the best.
Shane’s mom, Ann |
|
|
|
