Felecia West - Therapeutic Horseback Riding Instructor
At first, nobody really knew why my little brother acted differently. We weren’t sure why he would only eat scrambled eggs, ice cream, and tortilla chips. My family and I had no idea why sometimes he would scream bloody murder over a loud sound such as a train, or act like his brand-new clothes were made of the roughest sandpaper. At four years old, my brother was diagnosed with sensory integration dysfunction, now classified as being on the autism spectrum. Having only a twenty month age difference between the both of us meant that for the majority of my life, I’ve seen what it means to have more struggles than “normal” people. Having watched my brother overcome his extra challenges, seeing that transformation in how he handled life…that was powerful. This is why I’m passionate about helping people with disabilities. These are the success stories I want to make happen, regardless of the person’s challenges.
A few years later, just before I started middle school, my dad’s job took us to yet another new adventure. We had moved to Colorado. Having shown interest in horses at a young age, I was now able to take horseback riding lessons on a regular basis. Going to a new town at one of the more awkward stages in life was difficult. My horseback riding lessons helped with this. I was so enthusiastic about riding and the horse I rode never judged me based on not having the right words at just the right moment or not understanding some joke. I may not have known it yet, but this was my introduction to therapeutic horseback riding.
Being on schedule to graduate early from high school had many advantages for me, but more time to decide what I wanted to do was not one of them. Knowing I wasn’t sure what career to pursue, my current instructor suggested I look into therapeutic riding. So she re-introduced me to another student of hers that was already a PATH Intl. Certified Instructor working at a center thirty miles away from me. So for about three months, I took one day a week to volunteer, needing to be certain I was committed to such an important undertaking. Through volunteering, I saw my passion for horses and humans combined in a way I couldn’t have dreamed of.
After volunteering for those three months, I knew what I wanted to do. The only drawback was I needed to wait nearly a year before I met the age requirement of 18 to earn my PATH Intl. Certificate. Upon returning to a summer camp I had worked at the year before, I received my Life-guarding Certification which included the necessary CPR and First Aid training I needed to further my career.
When the time came, I was ready to begin my schooling at Equest. A center founded over 30 years ago and is one of only three in the country with a set program for teaching new instructors - to say I was honored and excited to be accepted is an understatement. After seven weeks of instruction, the girl that had never taught a riding lesson had received her PATH Intl. Registered Level certification on her 18th birthday, as young as I could possibly receive it.
One month after this, I began working at the same facility I volunteered at. There, I gained more experience in teaching and became more relaxed and confident in my skills through working and interacting with my colleagues and my students that each challenged me as an instructor. These students made me better. They showed me what some hard work and horses can do for a person. I fell in love with my career even more at this place. I worked at this center for eight months.
During my employment at Shadow Ranch, I became the proud owner of two miniature horses of my own which I intend to use in a therapy program in the future. I chose this breed verses a standard horse for many reasons bullet-pointed below.
Miniature horses are easier to transport
Less intimidating to the average person. I learned this through seeing that the smallest horse was typically the first one approached by new individuals at Shadow Ranch. Building upon this concept with miniatures seemed natural.
Known to typically live longer than the average horse, an extended life means getting more out of the time and effort put into the animal.
Generally miniatures are very hardy and need little food to keep them at a healthy weight.
They don‘t need as much space. Often two can be housed in one stall.
Able to go where big horses cannot. Miniatures are able to reach patients in hospitals and nursing homes. Visiting someone that is unable to travel can have immense benefits for the patient’s attitude as well as their physical ability by leading the horse around, brushing the fur, and braiding its mane.
Can help individuals who are feeling misjudged. Many see miniature ponies for their canine-like qualities and disregard their natural equine instincts. This misconception of miniatures could be beneficial to those with disabilities who feel they are also under common misconceptions. That even though they’re different, they are in fact extremely valuable and worthwhile.
While I’m aware that the size of miniature horses does exclude the animal from activities such as riding, this list summarizes the benefits of using this breed for other activities such as Driving.
Philosophies develop and change when you learn through either personal experience, or experiences shared by another person. Based on this statement, I have found that teaching a balanced seat is the most beneficial to the greatest amount of riders because it promotes the most relatable physical position as being on the ground.
I have seen certain games be beneficial when tailored to the students specific needs. One example is a student I taught who had speech challenges. Pronouncing and forming words was difficult, and anything more than one-syllable was beyond his capabilities. Because of this, he primarily used sign-language. One game we played was the “letter game” where one side-walker presented him with a letter, he made the same sound as the letter, and passed it over using the same hand which required him to cross the mid-line, something not entirely easy for this individual. His speech improved over the course of two months to where instead of hearing “Buh” when saying good-bye, we would hear “Bye”. While games are valuable in motivating students to work harder and can improve the student‘s life, they must be done in moderation due to the fact that it can interfere with the student’s progress by the focus being shifted from learning to horseback ride to games you can play on horseback.
Independence is the end-all goal with every student I teach. It is the instructor’s job to know when to push and how much to push a student in order to receive the biggest benefit. Becoming stagnant in riding is not an option, as it shows a lack of development in the skills trying to be achieved.
Another important attribute I am working on improving is choosing my words in a way that allows me to communicate more effectively. This is achieved through being observant and speaking on the same level as those you are speaking to, even down to the individuals learning style. One example is how someone might try to explain a situation or new idea. You would speak differently to someone that says “I feel strongly about this” verses “Do you see why this is a good idea?”. These two statements show two different communication/learning styles and I am continuing to improve my communication in this respect.