Therapeutic riding program in Maryland expands

From The Baltimore Sun August 14:

For nearly an hour each week, children who have disabilities and cannot easily communicate take delight in commanding a 1,100-pound horse to go, canter and stop.

They sit tall and ride proudly, usually with a smile, as their horses trot around a show ring on a farm near Bel Air. Safety demands that the young equestrians in the Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding Program be surrounded by side-walkers and trainers during their riding lessons, but they are in the saddle, and they hold the reins.

Andy Belt of Towson brings his 4-year-old son Gus (pictured above) to the stables every Saturday. Gus has autism and does not speak, but he uses touch commands to guide his horse. The boy frequently rests his head on the horse's mane and gently pats the animal.

"It is huge for him to reach out like this," Belt said. "This helps with everything. It shows him what he can do. There are no boundaries, and he is smiling from ear to ear. He uses the same sign language that he uses in his regular education program."

The all-volunteer Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding Program has been sharing its space at the Cool Springs horse farm with others since its inception nearly four years ago, but that soon will change.

The program is moving in September to the 10-acre Tuckaway Farm near Darlington, where it will be the sole tenant and where the volunteers will be able to offer lessons to more children during longer hours of operation. About 10 children participate in the program, and about 55 are on a waiting list.

The riding group, which started with one horse and one instructor, now has 35 volunteers and four horses, one of which is arthritic and vision-impaired and offers its own lessons in coping with disability. The larger facility will provide a home base for the program and stables for up to 10 horses, all trained to assist disabled riders.

"It means we can operate a full-time equestrian facility," said Cathy Schmidt, the founder and executive director, and a registered therapeutic instructor. "We know there are special-needs children out there who could benefit from time outdoors with an animal. We can help them, using a dynamic mobile surface - a horse."