How Do You Pick A Horse For Adaptive Riding?
One of the most difficult aspects of running a program like ours is finding the perfect partners to work with us! It takes a special horse to tolerate the variety of things that are thrown at them and just like not all people are fit for every job, not every horse is going to be a good fit for this job.
As prey animals, horses generally do not like to be crowded. However, in one of our lessons, they might have as many as four people around them, one on each side, one leading them and one on their back and that is not including the instructor, other horses and people in the arena and watching!
Horses also dislike loud noises and being overstimulated. Although this makes them great for our children with different sensory disorders (because they seem to understand one another!) it can be hard to get them used to all the different stimuli.
Below are a few characteristics we are looking for in a good therapeutic riding horse.
- Temperament-This is one of the most important parts of this list! The ideal horse is going to be very easy-going and laid back, possibly even a little lazy. They should have excellent ground manners and not be mouthy or show any aggressive behaviors toward humans. They must also be content with standing still for periods of time during lesson transitions and at the mounting block. They should also get along well with other horses.
- Age-The ideal horse for our program is between 8 and 15 years old. Horses any younger than this have a tendency to be more reactive and less "seasoned". We would consider taking on older horses in a lease situation because many of them have a wonderful temperament and personality, however we want to maximize the time that they can be a part of our program and a lot of older horses develop health issues that could present a challenge.
- Breed-A variety of breeds can be adaptive riding horses. However, we must have horses that can demonstrate three clear gaits (walk, trot and canter) and a moderate walk pace that sidewalkers can keep up with.
- Height-Although we need a variety of heights of horses for our program, the average horse is between 14 and 16 hands (a hand is four inches). This is important because we frequently utilize sidewalkers in lessons who must be able to lift their arms to put them over the riders' thigh. On taller horses, this can be a very challenging position to maintain for long periods of time.
- Health-It is a common misconception that an adaptive riding program is not as strenuous as a regular riding program. Because of this, people will frequently try to offer us horses that are lame or have other health conditions. The problem is that participating in a program is a lot more involved than they perceive.
- Many riders are unbalanced and require a horse that has the muscle and can carry the weight without causing it pain. They may participate in 2-3 hours of lessons up to five days a week in addition to getting schooled by able bodied riders.
- I want you to picture carrying a backpack that's improperly loaded with more weight on one side up a hill when you have leg or back problems (and are most likely out of shape) and you will understand why we refuse horses with obvious health conditions. Horses are our partners and it is our priority to do what is necessary to keep them out of pain.
- Training-Training is important for horses in our programs though our horses come from a variety of backgrounds. We can take everything from ex-trail horses to ex-racehorses! At minimum, horses should be well able to walk, trot and canter and respond to basic aids.
If you happen to hear of any horses that have all of these characteristics and know that the person might be interested in leasing or donating to us, please have them fill out the form below and we would love to get in touch with them!
Depending on the situation, we are willing to receive the horse as a donation, where the ownership of the horse is transferred over to us, or a lease, where the owner maintains ownership and we cover all of the routine expenses. It will be a while before we are actually in a position to take on new horses, however, we are trying to keep our eyes and ears out so when the time comes we are ready!
When we do take on a horse, we typically keep it for a 60-90 day trial period where we can determine if that horse will be a good fit for our program. This allows for the time it takes for a horse to settle in, time for training and riding with a staff member as well as doing mock lessons. Not every horse is a good fit for this job and in order to keep our riders safe, we need to make sure they will demonstrate reliability over time.
Hopefully you have a much better understanding of what makes an adaptive riding horse but if you have any questions for us, feel free to comment down below!