What I Do: Therapeutic Riding Director

Wisconsin State Journal, by Amanda Kramer, Article reprinted with permission
October 18, 2005

As a requirement of a course at UW-Madison called "Individuals with Disabilities," I was asked to volunteer 25 hours of my time working with people who have special needs. I was a lifelong horse lover who had given up riding for a couple of years as high school ended and college began, but missed (riding) horribly. When this opportunity presented itself, I decided to call Three Gaits, a nonprofit therapeutic horsemanship center, to see if they could use me.

I was hooked from my first day. I volunteered for several years before becoming a part- time instructor. In 1996, I was hired as Three Gaits' full-time program coordinator and head riding instructor. I am now Three Gaits' program director, but it's basically the same job - just a much, much larger program!

As part of my on-going training I attend regional and national conferences through our national organization called NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association) and all of our riding instructors - myself included - are certified through NARHA.

My primary responsibility is running the therapeutic riding program at Three Gaits - which consists of scheduling riders, training and scheduling volunteers, training new instructors and dealing with the day-to-day administration of the program. I also teach riding and horsemanship lessons, - working with children as young as 3 to adults in their 60s.

We work with people who have physical disabilities like cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis or muscular dystrophy. We also have riders who have cognitive disabilities, and many riders have disabilities that affect them cognitively as well as physically - such as autism spectrum disorders or Down syndrome. Sometimes my job takes me off the farm - educating people about Three Gaits or the benefits of therapeutic horsemanship.

My most recent inspiration had to do with a female rider with a diagnosis of MS who currently participates in occupational therapy at Three Gaits. This rider was on her horse and said to us, "Look what I can do!" She smiled as she raised her arms and touched her head. It took me a moment, but then I realized the importance of the message she was sharing . . . by combining riding with therapy, she had developed enough strength and balance that she could independently lift her arms above her shoulders . . . meaning that she was able to wash her own hair.

I recall people, their expressions, and the things they've said or done. The "firsts" hold many memories for me - the very first time a rider rides, their first trot or canter all by themselves without a leader . . . the riders who use wheelchairs who have so little balance they aren't able to sit upright without support - and then they come out and work so hard to be able to enjoy a trail ride around the farm. One of my favorites quotes comes from Walt Disney who said, "It's fun to do the impossible" - at Three Gaits we do the impossible daily.