Ride on

Horses can bring out the best in people, says therapeutic riding instructor Stephanie Golder, as her horse Eclipse saunters out from the forested area in the paddock at Squamish Centennial stables. 

Golder and Eclipse work with riders with various forms of physical or mental challenges. 

“Anybody with a clinical diagnosis can come for therapeutic riding,” Golder explained. “So that’s physical, emotional, social, behavioral – any of the challenges that fall into those categories. It can be anxiety, all the way to the most extreme cerebral palsy.” 

Golder moved to Squamish last year and said she is the only Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association-certified horse therapy instructor in the corridor. 

With horse therapy, the rider may be assisted by a leader who guides the horse and one or two people who walk alongside the horse, supporting the rider physically if needed. Some riders eventually don’t need any assistance and work only with the therapist. The therapist guides the rider through various activities from exercises to speech lessons, all while the rider is on the horse.

Several studies and reports have shown horse therapy to be effective in treating various conditions, including a 2007 report in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, which showed equine therapy effective for children with Cerebral Palsy. 

“[The] sensation of smooth, rhythmical movements made by the horse improved co-contraction, joint stability and weight shift, as well as postural and equilibrium responses,” reads the report by physician Dr. John Sterba.

Golder has seen the therapy work with her own eyes.

“I had one young rider come and she started off with a leader and two people beside her to help her sit up,” Golder said of a student with an extreme form of cerebral palsy. “Within four years, she is now competing in dressage competitions, both locally and nationally.” 

For some, horse back riding may be the one activity they can eventually master on their own, Golder added. 

For those on the autism spectrum, horse therapy can help with social skills, Golder said. “They can be a lot more comfortable just talking with the horse,” she said. “A client who has come in for some speech therapy, it can help sitting up on the horse, helps them control their breathing – for example – we might give them bubbles to blow and then ask them to count the bubbles and that action can help with speech.” 

Autism BC does not officially endorse any animal therapy programs, and the organization’s Lindy Chau said some on the autism spectrum may have animal phobias, but she added she has heard from many parents whose children do well through horse therapy. 

“A lot of feedback from parents is they find horseback riding very soothing for their kids,” she said. “A lot of parents go every week… A lot of our kids are really good with animals.”  

One of the most important aspects of the horse therapy, Golder said, is that riders enjoy themselves in the outdoors, while still doing a form of therapy. 

“They just get to go ride a horse and play games and compete in some instances,” she said. “It is fun.” 

Golder has been around horses since she was a little girl growing up in the U.K., she said. Later she taught horse riding and when she moved to Grand Prairie as an adult she volunteered with a horse therapy program and fell in love with it, she said. 

Horses are incredibly calming, Golder said. “They don’t assign any labels, and they don’t assume anything about the rider, they are just there in that moment.” 

For more information about therapeutic riding in Squamish, email [email protected].