Dawn's May: Equine Therapy - Therapy Horses for Individuals With Disabilities and/or Need for Rehabilitation

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Horses have played an important role in healing of the military for decades. Therapy horses were gradually introduced to adults and children with disabilities in hopes of helping them build confidence and strength through the bond of a horse and a human. If you have ever looked into the eyes of a horse and felt the bond they are eager to create with you, then you have experienced the true magic a horse can bring to someone’s life.

I have experienced firsthand the unconditional love and dedication a horse can give. I have been blessed to feel the love of a horse since childhood. My father gave me my first horse when I was 10 years old. He was a Welsh Pony named “ No Name”. What a sweet boy he was! I would jump on him bareback and ride all day. I loved the feel of the wind in my long hair as we loped across the meadows full of wildflowers. No Name and I would have long heartfelt conversations - he listened as I told him about my days at school or the boy I liked but was afraid to tell. He was my world growing up, and I was blessed to have many beautiful horses throughout my life.

It was when I moved to San Antonio, Texas that I discovered a beautiful non-profit therapy program three short miles from my home. SpiritHorse Horsemanship in Medina County, close to San Antonio, provides therapy sessions and lessons for children, adults, veterans and amputees. If you get a chance to visit their Facebook page, you will see all that they offer. They are situated on Canaan Land Ranch, a sprawling 100 acre retreat, as well as the home for the rehabilitation program.

Here is a sampling of the program’s outline:

• Meet the instructor one on one.

• Question and answer session for parents.

• Tour the ranch and tack rooms.

I attended the program and got to groom and ride one of their beautiful therapy horses. All the horses in the program were trained by the owner. The horses were all rescue horses given a beautiful second chance to be loved by so many. The ride I took that day and the story behind the program gave me such a respect for the couple that had dedicated their lives to helping others. If you are interested in therapeutic riding programs, most states have places that offer lessons to people with all kinds of differences. Here are a few examples in Maryland.

There is a unique program in Maryland that offers inmates the opportunity to work with horses as part of their rehabilitation process while incarcerated. The Second Chances farm is a state owned property where a small number of inmates from nearby Central Maryland Correctional facility in Sykesville have earned the opportunity to work with retired and injured racehorses that have been given safe haven from slaughter by The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. This program opened in May of 2009 when they received their first three race horses to begin working with. Take a moment to look up this program where horses are changing lives by clicking here.

Maryland offers a wonderful therapeutic program, ”Horses Healing Maryland’s Military” open to active duty military, veterans, and their families as a way to heal from their war experiences. The website has a directory giving the reader a list of farms and the therapeutic services they provide. Their programs provide all levels of therapeutic interaction with their horses. They also offer volunteer and mentoring opportunities at some of the ranches.

If had not been for the love of my father, my best friend, my mentor, I would not have the strength I have today. I carry his love throughout my life and as I hold both my parents in my heart, I know I will continue to have wings to fly high and reach my dreams.

Lou, our rescue. Some say we rescued him, I think he rescued us.

This is my beautiful mother, after my father’s critical tractor accident. He became bed bound and able to speak only a few words. My horses became her peace when her world had been turned upside down. They healed her broken heart.

Winter Dance

Lou always danced like no one was watching.

Lassie

She came to us when a friend needed a home for her. She was peaceful joy. Quiet and calm, if you touched her you felt her love.

Daisy

I again received a call for a sweet girl who needed a home. She had to join our family as she came with my mother’s name. Headstrong and brave, she was beauty and grace and strength.

Lassie

If you look closely and pause for a moment you can see the deep bond Mom and Lassie shared.

Ned

Our beautiful Ned, he arrived when a family was having a hard time in their life. So once again, we opened our family to this gentle giant. Lou would sway to country music and let a child brush him for hours, standing still like a statue for them. I was sure God himself sent him to me.

Lassie

Oh what a trickster she was, escaping when she could to just run free with the wind in her mane and tail. Then she would loop back to the barn to go back to her stall.

Lou

Lou had been abused. Trust didn’t come easy for him. Some said I would get hurt because he was wild. He would rear on back heels and try to run. I held on tight, till my hands bled because I wanted him to know I wasn’t going to hurt him. We became best friends, what a lover. Patience and trust transformed him.

Ned

Oh how he loved to go on rides. When I was exhausted from caregiving my dad I would slip on him and it was like the world around us stopped. Time stood still around us, then we ran. Oh how we would run. Ned was my friend, I would pour my soul out to him. He healed my heart, he let me shed tears at the heartbreak that had befallen my father, my rock.

Lou

Lou and I shared many hugs.

Lou

He was just like the story book, “Black Beauty.”

Lou Found his Peace

He loved the beautiful field that he called his home. Never to suffer at the hands of an abusive owner.

Ned

He lorded over our herd with quiet reserve and grace.

Mom and Dad

My heart and soul. If it were not for that day they adopted me, brought me to their farm I would not have known the love a horse can give. They come into your life and when time passes and they have to leave this earth you will know you truly were blessed by their presence.

Horses! These beautiful, gentle creatures make a difference in lives every day.

These tips are informed suggestions. If you do not feel comfortable with them, please do not attempt them. Instead as always contact your medical professional or your prosthetist for help and advice. 

If you have a question for me about living as an amputee, ask! And if I don’t know the answer, I will find it for you, and I will leave no stone unturned to help you find your own personal new normal. If there is a topic you would like me to feature please let me know! I want us all to grow strong together.  Email me at Dawn@dankmeyer.com. This email is not secure, so if you wish to keep any specific health information private, you should call us!

Dawn Miranda recently joined Dankmeyer, Inc. as a Prosthetist Assistant after relocating from San Antonio, TX.  To read more about Dawn on our Clinical Staff page, click here.