Fisher’s
six‑year‑old daughter has autism
and “very involved sensory issues,” she said.
“Riding
is very calming for my daughter. She rides
religiously. Her therapist and teacher both
say they can tell when she has not taken a
lesson one week,” she said.
Chris
has offered therapeutic horseback riding classes
in one form or another in the Valley since
the late 1970s when she first took a pilot
therapy program class and saw its effects.
Stable
Influence provides therapeutic
riding at below‑cost rates to people
diagnosed with physical, mental, and/or emotional
challenges. During the year, classes are held
in Cave Creek, New River, Peoria and Gilbert,
and in the summer in Gilbert and New River.
The classes are held at private boarding stables
and private homes.
Fisher’s
five‑year‑old daughter has Down
syndrome.
“She
started talking on the back of a horse. She
was almost non‑verbal before riding,”
she said.
Her
4‑year‑old son has cerebral palsy.
“On
paper, he should not even be walking or breathing
on his own. Since riding, my son is completely
mobile and talks in full paragraphs,” she
said.
Davye
Marshall, a northeast Phoenix resident, rides
for physical therapy after having suffered
strokes. She has fibromyalgia and arthritis
in the joints. Before starting riding in December,
she could not bend over or get off the floor
without help and walked with a cane. Now she
walks freely, has greater flexibility, and
can get up by herself.
“It
has opened up everything, especially from
the waist down,” Marshall said. “I have mobility
I
haven’t had for years. It’s gradually working
my muscles and tendons. I’ve always loved
horses and this has given me the self‑confidence
that I’d lost.”
Hudson
has one four‑year‑old student
who has autism spectrum. Riding calms her
enough to make her cooperative for the rest
of the evening. After her second lesson, the
child went to the mall with her friend and
was able to ride the merry‑go‑round
two times instead of the 12‑16 times
she usually requires to relax. She was also
able to place focus off herself and pay attention
to her friend.
“My
belief is that the movement of the horse duplicates
the movement of the human hip while walking,”
Hudson said.
The
normal movement reorganizes the neurological
system and is calming, she speculates.
The
program is looking for volunteers this summer
to help with grooming the horses, setting
up the ring and sidewalk, as well as leading
the horses. The New River class will be held
on
Tuesdays
from 4‑7:30 p.m. starting
June 5 for six weeks.
For
more information, call Chris at (623) 465‑0637
or visit stableinfl@aol.com.
