‘It’s pretty wonderful’: How riding horses is helping kids with special needs in Loris
Five-year-old George Palmer arrives at his horseback riding session in Loris on a Wednesday afternoon — but it’s not just a lesson to learn how to ride.
George rides facing backwards, up on his hands and knees and then with his two legs on the side like he’s riding side saddle.
It’s a therapeutic lesson to strengthen his motor skills, balance, listening skills and helps his nightly sleeping, his father, David Palmer, said.
George was diagnosed with autism at 3 years old, his father said, and he uses a speech device to communicate things like when he is thirsty or hungry.
He has been going to lessons for six months at Myrtle Beach Therapeutic Riding and Vaulting Club, and the results of his sessions are evident.
“It’s pretty wonderful just to see him enjoying himself, developing and growing,” David Palmer said, adding the 5-year-old has become more vocal in the last six months. “He seems to really like it — working with the horse is very motivating.”
And spending time with Poncho, a 27-year-old Quarter horse, is an added incentive to an occupational therapy lesson.
“Parents see a big jump [in growth] usually when they start the horseback riding,” said Amy Albertson, director and instructor of Myrtle Beach Therapeutic Riding and Vaulting Club. “What I hope when clients come to me is they find a setting where their nervous system can relax. The animals help provide a nice calm environment.”
Albertson, a certified occupational therapist assistant, said there is a “huge need” in the community for horseback riding therapy with children who have special needs.
In 2015, Albertson started the club — she wanted to combine therapy with horses. The horse adds movement to a lesson and it motivates children to use their bodies and balance, she said.
Horses are specially trained, including desensitizing so each horse can be calm depending on a child’s energy level. Albertson said the horses are cross-trained to work with children who have disabilities, as well as students who do recreational riding or vaulting.
Each OT lesson gives children a chance to ride while doing arm swings, riding backward, balancing on their hands and knees to help build motor and listening skills and strengthen their cores. During the lesson, students also get to brush and clean the horses’ hooves.
Students progress at different paces, and “any progress is enjoyable to see,” Albertson said.
Traditional occupational therapy sessions typically happen within a home, school or a clinic, and children still play games and practice movement techniques to build the same types of skills therapists build during other OT sessions, like therapeutic horse riding lessons.
Tidelands Health Occupational Therapist Alyssa Denneny said it’s helpful to have both OT models — traditional and with horses — because it lets children do different activities, all while trying to achieve the same goals of strengthening their skills. And bringing a horse into a lesson makes it feel less like work for a child.
“It allows the kids to work on so many different skills and allows them to have fun,” Denneny said. “It’s always good to have different resources out there to continue working on these skills the kiddos need.”
Repetitive movement with horses helps to regulate sensory systems, Denneny said, and calms children’s bodies, which helps their sleeping patterns.
Albertson offers recreational horseback riding lessons and vaulting lessons, teaching students how to do gymnastics while on horseback at stables on Daisy Road in Loris. The club currently has two horses and two mini horses, and Albertson said she is looking to add two more horses.
For more information about Myrtle Beach Therapeutic Riding and Vaulting or to donate, email MBTRvaultingclub@gmail.com or visit the club’s Facebook page.
