My daughter Em has been asking to ride horses for some time now. I knew from research that horse riding is therapeutic and sometimes life changing for many people with physical and neurological differences, including those on the Autism Spectrum.
A little reluctant about the price of horse riding lessons and the ability of an instructor to understand the needs of someone with Asperger’s, colored my search for something suitable. There is a program in Ojai, CA, but the drive held me back and returning to the space where Emelia felt unwelcome in school kept her back.
After days of hearing about how much Em wanted to ride a horse, I put the word out to the ASAP network. One of our members heard of a program called Ride-On Therapeutic Horsemanship in Thousand Oaks. Luckily, I moved on it quickly, getting the program just as it was finishing one riding session and about to begin another. Emelia has had two riding lessons so far, and she seems meant for the saddle!
With just these two lessons, Em has already shown an increase in maturity, and her ability to handle the reigns and post in the saddle has given her an instant boost of self-confidence. “Riding Beans has been very helpful to me,” she says. “You learn balance, and confidence. You learn to use your body to communicate with the horse, which helps you to be more aware of your own body. You also learn to be more aware of your surroundings. I am really glad I get to ride Beans. She has been really great, and helped me a lot.”
As the credit card commercial says, “Priceless.” The real cost? Not bad, really. $45 per lesson ($40 per lesson if I paid for seven lessons up front). The price covers everything, including a borrowed helmet, but we’ll be going shopping for Emelia’s own helmet soon. You do need to sign a liability waiver and have a doctor sign a form stating that the person is cleared to ride horses and indicating any special medical needs.
We’ll keep ASAP up-to-date on her progress and post information on when Ride-On’s next sessions are available for signing up.
