Horse farm makes strides in therapy

A look at a special program that uses horseback riding as a form of physical therapy

By: Al Wicklund
   MONROE — A blind date not only led Laurie Landy of Federal Road to marriage and a family, but also to greater fulfillment in her work as a therapist.
   She married her date, Samuel Landy, and then — after starting their family — began Special Strides, a program that uses horseback riding as therapy for disabled youngsters.
   She said her husband and his father, Eugene Landy, own a 200-acre horse farm off Federal Road that is an ideal place for a hippo — Greek for horse — therapy program.
   "When I met my husband I was working in a hospital as a therapist," Mrs. Landy said. "I have always believed therapy was better in a natural environment rather than in a clinic and when they brought me to the farm I immediately thought this a great place for hippo therapy," Ms. Landy said.
   She said seeing the children — 99 percent of those in the program are children, from toddlers to 18-year-olds — and their joy and excitement when they ride a horse and feel its power is something special.
   "To me, it’s totally gratifying. I feel uplifted," she said.
   Ms. Landy said she has never seen such happiness as that shown by her young riders.
   "We humans want to move and, when you see a disabled kid on a thousand-pound animal feel that horse moving under them, it’s pure joy. When they learn that their voice can command such an animal, it’s a feeling of power they’ve never had before," she said.
   The children are introduced to riding with staff walking and riding next to them.
   Ms. Landy said there currently are some 50 children in the program with about 60 percent with motor (muscular) impairment from such conditions as cerebral palsy.
   She said most in the program have been referred by doctors or through school system health officers.
   She said the horse is a tool in a therapy program designed not only to improve motor control, but also to develop greater sensory awareness and a sense of psychological well being.
   She said she and other staff members use rides through the woods and riding in an indoor arena in therapeutic work.
   "On a ride on a trail in the woods, we may stop and experience walking a bit on the uneven ground found in a wooded area. We may pick flowers, throw stones in the water of a brook or try to see and identify as many animals as possible.
   "We’ll also play games on horseback and, when we’re in the indoor arena, there’s usually music to lift spirits," Ms. Landy said.
   She said 80 percent of the children adjust to the horse almost instantly. Some have trouble adjusting to such things as wearing a helmet or getting used to the smell of a horse or the feel of a horse’s hair.
   Ms. Landy is part of a triumvirate that includes Suzi Rehr, a physical therapist, and Ellen Stein, development director. There also are four occupational therapists, a speech pathologist, a physical therapist, four equine specialists and 30 volunteers.
   In addition, there are six select horses that have been chosen because of their quiet temperaments. The horses must also complete a special training program.
   Special Strides is a nonprofit organization and relies on fund-raising events to meet its operating costs.
   "We hold a dance in the fall and have a golf event in the spring," Ms. Landy said.
   Last year she said Special Strides was able to put aside $7,500 for scholarships.
   She said horses are not inexpensive to maintain and money can be a problem.
   Ms. Landy said Special Strides works with the help of such organizations as Make a Wish, Cherished Creations, the Olive Branch of Freehold, the Optimist Club of Freehold and the Elks Club of New Brunswick.
   Special Strides also accepts donations and sponsorships for a child in the program or for maintenance of a horse.
   For more information, call (732) 446-0945.