Disabled children respond to equine therapy

FARMINGTON — There is a web of silent bonding at Buffalo Ranch that's palpable for those who look into the eyes of small children as their bodies drape the bare backs of their hoofed healers.

To trust and love a horse that could easily crush its tiny rider is a weekly exercise in faith for the parents who come each Thursday — rain or shine — to watch Cindy Becker and her horses work their therapeutic magic.

The weekly sessions on horseback offer severely disabled children a form of enhanced physical therapy they simply can't get from humans. An unspoken affection, combined with rhythmic movement and the muscle coordination required for the child to remain balanced on the horse's back helps strengthen not only stiff necks, spines and limbs, but also opens hearts to a joy that is as unique as the bond between horse and rider.

"The kids get burned out in regular therapy," Becker says, brushing a trickle of sweat aside as it runs down her cheek on a hot summer morning.

"We can push them so much further doing this because they don't realize we're doing therapy," she says, her jeans dusty from dozens of trips on foot around the indoor arena, leading her four-legged friends as they carry their young charges in a smile-filled therapy session.

An occupational therapist, Becker spends Monday through Wednesday each week earning her share of the family's income as a home health care therapist. Then she rises early on Thursdays at her home in Ogden Valley to load five horses into the trailer. It's an hour's drive to the indoor arena at Buffalo Ranch, where she operates the riding program for children.

Therapeutic Assets is the name of her non-profit enterprise, which provides therapeutic riding not only to children, but to some disabled adults as well. It doesn't take a physician to see the emotional, social and behavioral benefits as fear and resistance give way to trust — one hoof-print in the dirt at a time.

Cindy Alldredge has watched her 6-year-old daughter, Aubry, who has Down syndrome, ride the past couple of weeks. "She absolutely loves it. She needs help with her muscle tone and it's so great for strengthening her core muscles.

"I've been looking into this since she was born, but other places it's so expensive. They work hard to keep the costs down, and we're able to get a sponsor for her," Alldredge says, watching Aubry eye a miniature horse named Bella after her ride on BJ, a full-sized animal. "Just sitting on the horse stimulates her neurological responses. Lots of times when she's on the horse, she will sing."