Growing skills for intellectually disabled people through horsemanship

For riders like Scott, the chance to get to know their horse and enjoy riding is great, but Warkentine explains the program is about a lot more than just the fun aspect of it. She says this program was founded to help people with intellectual disabilities grow their physical and mental capabilities, as horse riding tests your skills in many ways.

“The main thing is that we have this program that can help people with disabilities to go forward in life, to get a job, to be more confident in going to school, or anything like that,” Warkentine said.

“Confidence is very big. Self-esteem, self-confidence, and empathy, and also including occupational-therapy-type fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and working with people and then a team,” she continued.

Warkentine says the mental benefits have been great, stretching beyond immeasurable skills like confidence. While skills like that can certainly be noticed, she says many tangible benefits have come from it too, with some riders learning how to speak by engaging with a horse.

“When they get on the horse, they have to say ‘walk on.’ So that means either you blink your eyes, or you move your hands, or you say it. So a couple of the riders have learned to speak through the program,” she said.

Picking up and putting down rings on poles is one of several physical skills the program helps you develop.

On the physical side, Warkentine says horse riding works larger muscle groups and fine motor skills both. Through activities like taking rings off of a pole while on horseback, or the act of steering a horse, your fine motor skills are developed. As for larger focuses, she says the act of getting on a horse and maintaining your balance as it moves helps develop overall body coordination and body development.

“For example, my son is in a wheelchair, so he never gets an opportunity to really walk. So him being on the horse, he is able to get that same movement through your hips, which would then help out with not getting so much hip surgery or other surgeries that need to be done,” she said.

The Association is holding an open house on June 6 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Taba Creek Farm, formerly known as Young Creek Farms. If you’d like to learn more about the program Warkentine encourages you to come visit to see all the benefits horse riding can have.

by Tommy Osborne

Growing skills for intellectually disabled people through horsemanship

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