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An Alternative to Traditional Therapy
By Teri Merry
 | | A disabled student benefits from therapeutic riding. |
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Ramona's Cornerstone Therapeutic Riding Center has all the fixin's to be a first-class operation. Cornerstone is located at Creek Hollow Ranch in Ramona, which is known to provide a rural ranch atmosphere on 350 incredibly beautiful acres. Cornerstone welcomes all persons with physical, cognitive or emotional disabilities to come and experience the benefits of therapeutic riding.
Therapeutic riding is an alternative to traditional therapy for persons with a variety of disabilities, such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, multiple sclerosis, stroke, muscular dystrophy and more. Research has found that sitting astride a moving horse helps individuals with special needs strengthen muscles, increase balance, improve coordination, stimulate the cardiovascular system, improve posture and provide emotional well-being. The rhythmic movement of the horse walking simulates human hip movement that soothes and relaxes a rider's tight or painful muscles, joints and tendons.
Additionally, for many of the students, the horse offers unconditional warmth and companionship, providing a caring bond and connection that reaches deeply within many of the disabled riders. The staff at Cornerstone works closely with each student's physician, physical therapist, occupational therapist, psychiatrist and other health care professionals to develop a lesson plan that will maximize the physical, emotional and social benefits to the student.
Cornerstone's Founder and Executive Director, Judy Beckett, has been involved in therapeutic riding for over 20 years. She began as a volunteer for a therapeutic riding program in 1987, and is now using her expertise in business to jump-start Cornerstone into a premier program. Sierra Stephens, Program Supervisor and barn manager, is a North American Riding for the Handicapped (NARHA) certified therapeutic riding instructor with over seven years of experience. Also, Cornerstone Therapeutic Riding Center is a NARAH member center.
Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego was recently named a rehabilitation center for troops returning from Iraq who have lost limbs. Cornerstone is one of three therapeutic riding centers in San Diego County that have recently been invited to participate in the local NARHA "Horses for Heroes" program, which provides equine assisted therapy to these brave men and women. According to NARHA's April 2007 press release, "Appreciating the power of the horse to change lives is our goal," said NARHA President Dr. Paul Spiers. "And NARHA wants to provide positive change for these very special lives. Our service personnel have fought to preserve our freedom, and, for many, at a very dear cost. We must be certain that if our wounded service personnel and veterans need and want this kind of help, they will get the best NARHA has to offer." Having a therapeutic riding center so close to the Balboa Naval Hospital could be a tremendous benefit to our wounded service personnel and veterans.
Cornerstone's goal is to provide help to all people with disabilities who could benefit from therapeutic riding. Some of the students in need do not have the ability to pay, so Beckett has set up a scholarship program to help them. Cornerstone is a 501c3 non-profit organization. There are a variety of ways people can support the program, such as sponsoring a horse, student scholarships, in-kind donations and other ways to contribute financially.
Cornerstone is a volunteer-based organization. Often, depending on the student, it can take up to three volunteers per student to provide a safe and successful lesson. The emotional rewards for volunteers are immense. Cornerstone is in need of people who can commit to a specific day and time so lessons can be planned with an adequate number of people to help.
To learn more about therapeutic riding and Cornerstone Therapeutic Riding Center, visit their Web site at www.cornerstonetrc.org, or call Judy Beckett at 760-788-CTRC (2872).
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