On a dusty corral in San Juan Capistrano a child with cerebral palsey is riding backwards on a horse. As the horse is led around the ring by a physical therapist/instructor, the child locks her elbows and presses down with her hands on the horse’s haunches. She feels the motion of the horse’s gate carry through her arms and rock her body in a rolling, side-to-side motion. She isn’t in a room filled with medical apparatus, she isn’t strapped into braces. But this child is improving her ability to walk. Here at the J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center, over 200 children per week are treated for disabilites including muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome, blindness, deafness, spinal cord injuries, head trauma, stroke, autism, and other sensory integration disorders. The umbrella term for the various methods of instruction is called hippotherapy, taken from the Greek root for horse. And though it may look unorthodox, the concept of using horses for healing is centuries old. The method used at the Shea Center was formalized by Liz Hartel, a Swedish Olympic rider who contracted polio. Hartel’s work cited that the horse’s walk simulates the three-dimensional qualities of the human walk better than any piece of fitness equipment. In 1978, Fran Joswick brought the method to the U.S., founding the Fran Joswick Riding Center with one horse, one rider and two volunteers. With a change of name in 2003 that coincided with the beginning of a $7 million, three-year capital campaign to renovate and expand, the Shea Center now has 26 horses, 17 staffers and 200 weekly volunteers. Upon completion of the project, these numbers will all double, and 400 children will be served per week. The non profit center is one of only five in the nation that certifies hippotherapy instructors; they have trained therapists who now work in 14 other countries and estimate that 32,000 people a year are affected through the trained professionals they send out into the world. The magic of hippotherapy is not just the horses’ unique ability to replicate the human gait for the physically disabled. Riding a horse is a multisensory experience; it’s also relational. “Combine that with highly trained intructors and it’s a marevelous, powerful, effective combination,” says Executive Director Dana Butler. Children with sensory integration issues are benefited by the tactile nature of riding and even grooming the horse. Butler sites one child with extreme tactile defensiveness who would go into prolonged fits over having her hair brushed; but one day, after brushing the horses tail, she let her mother brush her hair without incident. On the other side of this type of disability’s spectrum, children with sensory depravation – who might bite, hug other children too hard, invade others’ personal space, or even hurt themselves unconsciously – learn to better relate to their peers as they learn to relate to energy-sensitive horses. But perhaps what makes the program most successful is the element of fun. “If you’re all day in school, and then 10 to 12 more hours a week in occupational therapy, how do you just get to be a kid?” asks Butler. About 90% of Shea Center clients are receiving additional occupational and medical therapies, but “for most of our clients, this is the bright spot in their week.” Butler and her staff are focused on helping children discover their abilities; riding is something they all learn to do well, which builds their confidence and lowers their stress – and consequently their resistance to learning. Every action at Shea, whether it’s in a group riding classes, cutting carrots for the horses or putting away their tack, is designed to support ability outside the center. In an extreme case, one young client who was both blind and deaf had been afraid to get out of her bed in the morning without her parents. After riding sessions at Shea, she gained the confidence to move indepently and now experiences the world with confidence, rather than fear. Family Volunteer Opportunity The Shea Center offers the perfect way to teach your kids the value of giving back while indulging their equestrian tastes. Kids from ages eight to 11 can volunteer for a 10 to 12 week session (a total commitment of 30 hours). Kids who demonstrate the necessary commitment and ability can even lead horses in lessons. Contact Volunteer Coordinator Nancy Riggs for an application at (949) 240-8441, ext 105. The Shea Center also needs financial contributions. Client session fees make up only 14% of their total operating budget. And as the client waiting list is now six months long, their expansion is more necessary than ever. For more information, contact Executive Director Dana Butler at (499) 240-8441 ext 102 or visit www.sheacenter.org.