Theraputic riding teaches everyone

Littleton Colorado.

Tucked away between route 85, light rail and row townhouses, and below a massive dam lay Coventry Farms, a broken down ranch where we spend 30 minutes every Sunday for Mitchell's therapeutic horse riding. You would never know the place was there because it sits in a valley out of site from any road and too far south from the light rail. It's a cool place though, the buildings are all in dis-repair, the fence is jury-rigged together about every 20 feet, and there's old farm machinery sinking into the earth sometimes adorned with signs or filled with dirt for a planter.

It reminds me a little of the farm I grew up on in Illinois, except Dad would NEVER have let any of the buildings look this beat up. A non-profit called 'The Right Step' is allowed to use the facility for it's therapeutic riding program.

Mitch started riding when he was about 5 or 6 at a place called Praying Hands Ranch way east of Parker CO, and has usually enjoyed riding. Volunteer's walk on each side of him to steady his trunk (though he really doesn't need them anymore), and there is a licensed riding therapist who instructs the volunteers where to ride and also works with Mitch on communication and occupational and physical therapy. Mitch's teachers name is Ms. Paula, who worked with him at Praying Hands also. Paula is a very calm and quiet person who is able to sense the mood of her patient immediately and structure her session around that particular mood.

At first we could only afford a group lesson in which Mitch had to ride with 2 other disabled kids, and this proved hard for him because he didn't have the patience to wait while Paula worked with others. He just wanted to keep moving. So we managed to shift some funds around to allow him to have a private lesson with Paula which has made an incredible difference. His transition from house to car to stable sometimes is a little tough but once he's there and he sees Paula's face (or Cheryl, the manager of the program) his face lights up and he's ready to go.

Paula has gotten Mitch to sign more than anyone else at any time. He now signs three words in a row for her, telling her to stop, walk on, run, and even yes, no, more, and thank you without prompting him. The horses calm him down and allow him to focus on Paula more than he could anyone else, and Paula is extremely patient with him, never giving up on a command. Over the span of a year he has eliminated any complaining and stays focused on Paula.

The Volunteers are amazing too. They pull that horse around the arena and outside in freezing cold winters and boiling hot summers. That metal barn just roasts in the summer. And they keep requesting to ride with Mitch because they like him so much. He really is happy when he rides there, and everyone loves to see a happy kid. We are working on going twice a week since he has somewhat lost interest in swimming.

A few times we have been late in arriving and frustrated because of it, and it has reflected in Mitch's attitude. This was a great lesson for us, probably just as valuable as his lessons. His attitude reflects ours, so in this way we've learned just as much, and are forced to practice patience and restraint for the sake of the lesson.

Coventry Farms is a great place to visit. I would recommend it to anyone. The minute you open your car door the pressure of the busy suburbs falls away. With the exception of a train once in a while, there's very little outside noise. There's massive cottonwood trees all around that have obviously been there for hundreds of years. There's billy goats that walk up to you to see if you have any food, snort and then waddle away, all kinds of different dogs and cats wandering around and plenty of horses to pet. I often take a book and sit on the broken down patio furniture and try to soak up as much as I can before getting back on Mineral drive and dodging lunatic drivers on the way home.

Sometimes I wonder if we get more out of therapeutic riding than Mitchell does only without the horse.