This message is from: "Betsy Moore" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Regarding constant pummeling of therapy horses... I'm sure it occurs occasionally, but in our program, if we see a rider abusing a horse, the abuse is stopped immediately. Part of therapeutic riding is learning to respect animals and people, and learning how to interact appropriately. If a rider is too jerky or unsteady with his hands, the reins are attached to the halter, and the sidewalkers work on quiet hands. If riders get so excited that they bounce on the horse's back, we explain to them that they can hurt their horse with all that bouncing. Most riders do not want to hurt their horse, and are unaware that they are doing so. It means a lot to them to do things that their horse likes.
It does no one any good if there is abuse of therapy horses occurring. The horse will certainly not remain happy in his work if he is constantly suffering some kind of abuse. Many riding centers belong to the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. NARHA sets standards for the industry which all member centers must follow including removing unsound horses from the program, the maximum hours a horse may work each day, health care, availability of feed & water, etc. Not all programs are members of NARHA. If you are considering a donation to any program, it is a good idea to check the program out, meet the people, watch the classes, etc. At our center, riders are only accepted that can safely be managed on the horse. All program participants including riders, volunteers, and instructors should be kept safe at all times. Safety is not only for riders. If a large rider cannot assist in maintaining his balance, for example, he could hurt a short sidewalker by falling on him. Unfortunately, abusive or inappropriate situations do occur, but hopefully, they are the exception rather than the rule, and, hopefully, they are corrected when they occur. We looked at a horse this morning that was said to be "ideal" for the program. (It wasn't.) There were about 30 horses at this place. Stalls hadn't been cleaned in forever. Some of the horses were poor. Most looked wormy. I hate these situations because things aren't bad enough for a humane organization to do anything, but the horses weren't receiving top care either. But they had food and water. Didn't mean to go on so long. There are standards for every aspect of therapeutic riding, and if standards aren't followed, maybe the program operators don't know what they are doing. Betsy Moore
