just 10 more

Ok, I’m getting food out of the way 1st: btw, down 1and 1/2  lb. after that work-out last night at the stables

Bfsk: grape nuts w/ skim, v8, decaf tea

snack: handful of dry roast peanuts and 1/2 blueberry yougrt

main meal: salad, shepherds pie (made as healthy as I could w/ ground turkey breast)  AND as usual, water, water, water

The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man….  Winston Churchill

Someone asked what theraputic riding is.  It is riding lessons for the mentally and/or physically disabled.  We work mostly with children and there’s always a waiting list.  The lessons improve confidence and concentration and balance.  Riding provides muscle stretching and strengthening, and helps with fine motor skills.  Students are given a feeling of freedom and independence not found in a wheelchair.  We have children of all ages with many, many disabilities including: Downs, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, ms, autism, seizure disorders, various levels of learning disabilities, accident and burn victims.  Although we know what their “disability” label is, the real fun is uncovering their abilities!

My dau., wanting horses in her life, and knowing very well that I have a full blown case of volunteeritis coupled with a fear of horses talked me into volunteering with her at the local stable dedicated to theraputic riding for the disabled.  In the beginning I agreed just cause I figured these would be the safest horses for her to be around. The deal was that I could do stuff that didn’t include actually interacting or going anywhere close to the horses.  Of course, most children need a horse leader and 2 sidewalkers and there just aren’t enough volunteers.  I was so swiftly sucked in I didn’t really have time to give in to my fears.  I will say that these horses are probably the sweetest and calmest in the world.  Now I’m qualified to both lead and be a sidewalker.  It’s fabulous exercise, wonderfully satisfying and I’d highly advise anyone to do this. I’ve come a long way and if I can do it ANYONE can!!!

This entry was posted on Friday, July 27th, 2007 at 4:40 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.