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Michael Harmon grinned from the back of a chestnut-colored horse as it trotted around yellow cones in a dusty corral at Carousel Park.
“I feel like I’m king of the world,” he said.
Horseback riding is more than a pastime for Harmon, a Vietnam veteran who suffers from multiple sclerosis and can no longer walk: it is a form of physical therapy.
He participates in Carousel Park’s “Horses for Heroes” program, an eight-week therapeutic riding course for veterans in the community living center at the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital in Elsmere.
Harmon said getting out of the hospital and into a saddle makes him feel free, almost like he can walk again.
Helping disabled veterans is what “Horses for Heroes” is all about, said Carly Thompson, director of therapeutic riding at Carousel Park in Pike Creek.
“They have given a lot for us and our country and this is something beneficial we can do for them,” she said.
The sessions help veterans who have mobility problems by improving their balance, coordination and building self-confidence, she said.
A horse’s movements mimic the natural movements of a person walking, so people in wheel chairs can strengthen their core and leg muscles by riding horses, she said. Therapy horses walk around cones and over obstacles to help their riders build muscle, she said.
The more time a person spends in the saddle, the more stamina he or she develops, which will make everyday activities easier for a disabled person, Thompson said. Sometimes, riders develop so much stamina and muscle strength they are able to use a walker instead of a wheel chair, she said.
For injured veterans, the program is a way to improve mobility in a different environment than the VA Hospital. The three veterans currently in the program work in a group, so they socialize with each other and with the horses, Thompson said.
The veterans also help take care of the horses, learning to groom the animals and put their saddles on, which gives them a sense of responsibility and builds self-esteem, she said.
After a few weeks of riding, the horses and veterans have become close friends, she said.
“Horses are not judgmental at all,” Thompson said. “They don’t care if a person is in a wheel chair or can’t hear or speak.”
The program’s emotional and physical therapy is paying off, she said. When the program started, the veterans were only able to ride for about five minutes, but now they can stay on their horses for more than half an hour.
Michael Harmon grinned from the back of a chestnut-colored horse as it trotted around yellow cones in a dusty corral at Carousel Park.
“I feel like I’m king of the world,” he said.
Horseback riding is more than a pastime for Harmon, a Vietnam veteran who suffers from multiple sclerosis and can no longer walk: it is a form of physical therapy.
He participates in Carousel Park’s “Horses for Heroes” program, an eight-week therapeutic riding course for veterans in the community living center at the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital in Elsmere.
Harmon said getting out of the hospital and into a saddle makes him feel free, almost like he can walk again.
Helping disabled veterans is what “Horses for Heroes” is all about, said Carly Thompson, director of therapeutic riding at Carousel Park in Pike Creek.
“They have given a lot for us and our country and this is something beneficial we can do for them,” she said.
The sessions help veterans who have mobility problems by improving their balance, coordination and building self-confidence, she said.
A horse’s movements mimic the natural movements of a person walking, so people in wheel chairs can strengthen their core and leg muscles by riding horses, she said. Therapy horses walk around cones and over obstacles to help their riders build muscle, she said.
The more time a person spends in the saddle, the more stamina he or she develops, which will make everyday activities easier for a disabled person, Thompson said. Sometimes, riders develop so much stamina and muscle strength they are able to use a walker instead of a wheel chair, she said.
For injured veterans, the program is a way to improve mobility in a different environment than the VA Hospital. The three veterans currently in the program work in a group, so they socialize with each other and with the horses, Thompson said.
The veterans also help take care of the horses, learning to groom the animals and put their saddles on, which gives them a sense of responsibility and builds self-esteem, she said.
After a few weeks of riding, the horses and veterans have become close friends, she said.
“Horses are not judgmental at all,” Thompson said. “They don’t care if a person is in a wheel chair or can’t hear or speak.”
The program’s emotional and physical therapy is paying off, she said. When the program started, the veterans were only able to ride for about five minutes, but now they can stay on their horses for more than half an hour.
The veterans also have more confidence in themselves because of their accomplishments on horseback, said Rose Miggins, a recreational therapist at the VA Hospital. Spending time on a horse gives the veterans a change of scenery and a unique experience, she said.
“It is great to see them come here and smile all the time,” Miggins said. “They have something to look forward to and that is important.”
Carousel plans to hold at least two, eight-week therapeutic riding sessions each year and include as many of the 60 community living center residents as possible.
That is good news for Michael Harmon, who said he never wants to stop riding his horse, Tiger.
“I am using muscles in ways I never imagined I would use them again,” he said.
Reaching out to pat Tiger's mane, Harmon said he is confident the horse will carry him to a better quality of life.
