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12 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, May 20, 1987 Sudde Madaline Potier (left) and Joshua Grisdale are just two of several children who are learn- ing new skills, building up strength, and having Meet some of the people who have been responsible for putting a horseback riding pro- gram for the handicap Greenbank-Uxbridge childr Physiotherapist Vicki Walder, s Madaline Potier and Joshua Grisdale, mom Louise Potier. ALLEN'S SIDING PRODUCTS LTD. REACH INDUSTRIAL PARK 985-3747 won fi 8105 We Supply & Install OR Supply Only! Tit i eg » together for From left is for tasy home before summer arrives Renovate & dress up your EAVESTROUGH - FLASHINGS SIDING - SOFFIT - FASCIA Your "ONE STOP" Dealer CALL MIEE or ROB 985-3741 nly, they're a dicapped children program. Il cowboys! possibility of horseback riding for | Emma, Toffee and Buckshot are pretty modest about the good work they do. The three horses are pioneers at Springwood Stables, north of Ux- bridge, where a new horseback riding centre for the handicapped has been set up. Instigated by the Greenbank/Ux- bridge Support Group for Moms of Special Needs Children, the riding program has been going since late April, and now has a small group of enthusiastic children enjoying the therapeutic benefits provided by Emma, Toffee, Buckshot, physiotherapist Vickie Walder, and a team of volunteers. Ms. Walder, who lives in the Ux- bridge area, works out of Simcoe Hall children's centre in Oshawa, and comes to Springwood Stables to ensure the participating children receive maximum therapy while having fun. The children ride once a week, and their parents pay $5 a lesson, which is cheap considering that each child requires special care and - the assistance of three people (to make sure there are no accidents, and to see exercises are performed properly). Dee Cuthbertson, Springwood owner, says more volunteers are desperately needed in the program, as well as money for equipment such as vaulting girths, worth ap- proximately $250 each. Volunteers, however, are needed most. "They don't even have to know anything about horses,"" Ms. Cuthbertson says. Historic literature dating back to the 17th century reveals evidence of volunteers Brenda Cuthbertson. and Jackie Sweet, mom Heather Smith and her son Devon, Yvette and her mom Dee Cuthbertson, who owns the. program's location, Springwood Stables. See story for details. the place for ... CHICKEN & RIBS featuring ... Salad Bar, Children's Menu .... and more! LOCATED on HWY. 12° Just south of Thickson Rd. 655-8911 horseback riding prescribed as treatment for diseases like gout and neurological paralysis. However, in 1952 when Liz Hartel rode her horse "Jubilee" to a silver medal in dressage at the Helsinki Olympic games, there was a renewed in- terest in horsebatk riding as a sport for the disabled. Liz Hartel was a wheelchair- bound victim of polio. Both her legs were partially paralyzed and she could orily walk a few steps on crut- ches. Yet, she was able to compete against her able-bodied peers. Having been inspired and en- couraged by her success, a group in England began to explore the all handicapped individuals. The |. group eventually evolved into the Riding for the Disabled Association i in the United Kingdom. At the same time, horseback i riding for the disabled was gaining | widespread acceptance throughout | Europe. Major centres and facilities | 'were evolving in Germany and | Switzerland. After serious injuries | or illnesses, experienced riders | summoned up enough courage to | resume an old hobby. With the observation that physical 1 impairments showed remarkable | recovery, greater interest was taken in the therapeutic value of | horseback riding. Centres devoted to rehabilitation through the use of horses began to emerge in Germany in the early 1970's. Since then. therapeutic riding has become an accepted form of treatment for or- thopaedic, . neurological, psychiatric, cardio-pulmonary, and circulatory disorders. In the late sixties, facilities for riding for the disabled were established in Canada and the United States. For many years the programs were fashioned after those founded in England. Initially, the emphasis was on teaching func- _ tional riding skills but soon the physical and psychological im- provements were recognized as ma- jor benefits. Hippotherapy, meaning "treat- ment with the help of the horse," is used most Springwood. It's a therapeutic treatment using the three dimensional swinging mo- tion of the horse's gait to elicit automatic reactions from the rider. The child sits on a bareback pad using a vaulting girth, and in no way influences the horse. Hippotherapy must be applied by a therapist like Ms. Walder with training in the specific techniques which are part of the treatment program. - . When administered praperly it can be used to mobilize the pelvis, lumbar spine and hip joints, nor- malize muscle tone, develop equilibrium and righting reactions, and improve head and trunk control. More than that, however, it is also fresh air, the warmth of a horse's back, and the satisfaction of ac- complishing something important. Participants in the riding program don't just sit on the back of a horse. They do all kinds of exercises as young Yvette Cuthbert son demonstrates. +. commonly at'