Riders show off skills at arena

The riders of the Sweetwater County Board of Cooperative Services therapeutic riding program were excited to show off the skills they learned at their riders' showcase Tuesday morning.

Forward Stride's mission is "to promote health through the power of a horse and enrich lives by enhancing physical, emotional, social cognitive, behavior skills all while encouraging the natural relationship between horse and rider."

Assistant director of the program, Ashlee Swett said this is the first year the program has been run under BOCES with the help of both county school districts.

The program works with children who need therapeutic help and physical therapy. Swett said the movement of a horse is similar to that of a human. Other skills the program works on, include social, behavioral and cognitive.

"That relationship with the horse is phenomenal," Swett said.

For the last eight to nine weeks, volunteers have helped the staff of six put on the program. Without their help, the program would not have been so successful. Each day, the volunteers prepare the horses and help the riders with their training. Some of the riders need help with verbal skills, while others need physical help.

Swett also said they work hard to incorporate as many learning activities as possible such as colors, letters and shapes. The children really seemed to respond positively to this.

"We all love what we do," Swett said.

During the special event Tuesday morning, the riders not only participated in riding demonstrations, but made crafts and ate snacks.

Two of the horses were adopted for the purpose of the program, while the rest of them are donated to the program by family members of the program or volunteers of the program.

"It's an absolute treat that the horses' moms and dads let us use them," Swett said.

One of the riders is Victoria Nygaard, a six-year-old girl from Granger. Her mother Kimberly said she heard about the program through Harrison Elementary School. When she found out Victoria qualified she couldn't wait to enroll her.

"I've been around horses my whole life, but don't have any of our own" Kimberly said.

She said her daughter loves the horses and the helmets she gets to wear.

"The people that work for this are awesome people," she said.

 

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