Change Through Chance creates bond with humans, horses
Life can lay some extremely tough physical, mental and emotional trials at people's feet. Many are afflicted with diseases that no person should have to go through.Diseases like Alzheimer's and autism can often rob people of their dignity, and make life seem cruel.
One local organization is creating opportunities to put smiles back on the faces of those afflicted with physical and mental challenges.
Change Through Chance (CTC) of Wayne County provides therapeutic riding, a form of rehabilitation and an equine mentoring program for people with a wide variety of disabilities, serving people from ages 2 to 67 years old. The organization's upcoming equine show, featuring nationally renowned bareback rider Stacy Westfall, is designed to help generate funds to sustain the program.
"We're not about teaching riding lessons," said Carlye Cebul, CTC board president. "This is about clients making a connection between themselves and the horse. It's difficult to explain, but there is a real level of trust between a rider and a horse."
The results of the program have backed up what Cebul believes. Horses, like many animals, have a capacity to connect with human beings in ways that people cannot. Cebul said that horses can't lie, which is why the trust factor is so high among the clients coming in with anything from Alzheimer's to autism to congenital heart defects.
"The horses have a way of making people feel better about life, and about themselves. It's been a blessing to be able to see lives changed one person at a time through our therapeutic equine program. Seeing all of those smiles on faces which maybe haven't had an opportunity to smile for a while is something special. The connection between horse and rider can create a bond which has reached beyond a human being's capacity."
Seeing smiles is the reason Cebul and the staff are so excited to have Westfall come in for a performance.
The show, on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Windy Knoll Farms, located at 511 TR 462 in Sullivan, will include two one-hour presentations by Westfall, a bareback and bridleless rider who has won numerous national horseback riding titles. In addition, the show will include a performance by the Cowgirl Express Drill Team from Dayton, a silent auction and a live auction.
Westfall has been performing bareback for years, having displayed an unbelievable relationship between herself and her horse, Roxy, which she will be riding for the performance. She has also created the Westfall Horsemanship approach to training. It is an efficient and effective method of training that's designed to work into a rider's everyday life. Stacy and her husband, Jesse, own and operate Westfall Horsemanship in Mt. Gilead. She travels throughout the country offering clinics and making appearances at expos and other equine events. She was the first woman to compete in and win Road to the Horse, and also the first person to compete in and win the prestigious Freestyle Reining Competition at the All American Quarter Horse Congress, riding bareback and bridleless. The videos of that event and others have been viewed by more than one million people online. Her articles have been published in leading industry magazines such as Horse & Rider, among others.
General admission seats are $10, with advance tickets being required, and patrons may also purchase VIP tickets for $100, which will include a barbecue with Westfall following the event. Gates open at 10:30 a.m., with the performances beginning at 11:30 a.m. Printable ticket order forms and ordering online are available at www.changethroughchance.org. Tickets can be ordered over the phone by calling 419-946-4848.
All of the funds raised will go to the therapeutic riding program and for the scholarship program. The organization took a huge hit earlier this year, nearly devastated by a fire that wiped out the large barn in Wooster which houses the horses. Fortunately, it was a holiday and none of the horses were in the barn at the time.
"It was a tremendous blow to our program, and we kind of limped through this summer," said Cebul, on the Memorial Day fire, "but we've managed to get through it and are looking forward to this getting us right back on track. We are so excited to have Stacy performing here, because few people have been able to communicate with their horse like she has. It is a real gift, and she is incredibly inspirational."
For more information on the show or Change Through Chance, call 330-201-3909, or visit www.changethroughchance.org.