Riding arena provides unique therapy all year round

  • February 15, 2010
  • 744
                        
It was weather like this that drove Christian Children’s Home of Ohio’s Poplar Ridge Stables to build a heated indoor riding arena. Winter weather like this... and children like Joy. She is seven years old. Joy can’t talk or walk, but she can ride. She uses an electronic communication device to tell the horse when to walk, and she loves to trot. Horseback riding helps to build her back muscles, prevents muscles from atrophying, improves her balance, and stimulates little-used nerves. It also helps to build her confidence and communication skills, but most of all—it’s fun. For physically handicapped children like Joy, it is important to continue her therapy year-round. Having to take a break in the winter would mean starting all over again in the spring. John Plegge and his wife, Carla, are co-directors of Poplar Ridge Stables (PRS). “It’s not like riding a bicycle. Having the heated arena helps the children to maintain their skills. Without it, they would lose strength in their muscles, coordination skills they’ve learned, and for many, they would have to learn to balance on a horse all over again,” said John Plegge. Of their other therapy clients and the children in CCHO’s residential center, Carla Plegge said, “It’s a valuable way to relieve stress. A child in the program who is working through a tough time can have a real setback to therapeutic progress.” Keeping them engaged in the program gives them something to look forward to, and gives them a different way to learn the skills they need, particularly with the Partial Hospitalization Groups (PHP), which meet every day for three hours. Twice a week, they have the opportunity to hold their group sessions with PRS. Having experiential therapy, like the equine therapy, helps to give them something different, to learn in a new way, and in a new environment. Through equine therapy, they learn coping skills, communication skills, and how to give appropriate feedback to their peers and to adults. They build confidence, and often find a confidant in their horse like no other. For the community, the heated indoor arena means a place for 4-H groups to exercise their horses in the winter, a place for private riding lessons, and an opportunity to be active in an otherwise fair-weather activity. The indoor arena, including the heating system and lighting, were made possible by the Lillian Steiner Unrestricted Fund of the Wayne County Community Foundation, Chestnut Ridge Mennonite Church in Orrville, Laura B. Frick Charitable Trust, the Helen Brach Foundation, and many generous individuals. For more information about Poplar Ridge Stables, call 330-464-3380 or visit www.ccho.org/PRS.html. To learn more about Christian Children’s Home of Ohio, call 330-345-7949 or visit www.ccho.org.


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