Imagine a place of celebration. It’s a very special place
where they celebrate remarkable children every day. And they call them, Rising
Riders. It takes determination to qualify as a Rising Rider. Determination to
hold their head up, sit upright, strive for balance and sometimes even breathe.
Or smile. Ride On St. Louis Inc. Equine
Assisted Activities Therapy, is that place of celebration where children
with a wide range of physical, cognitive and/or emotional challenges can
experience the loving interaction between horse, student and therapist to build
self confidence and master new skills.
Located near Imperial, MO, Ride On St. Lois (ROSL) was
founded by Marita Wassman in 1998 after she'd been approached by an occupational
therapist who had been organizing sports for children with special needs. Since
a riding program in their area was in demand Marita set out to form the
organization with 2 horses and 8 students. There has been a waiting list every
year thereafter. Today there are 8 horses helping children smile at ROSL. A
staff of 10 runs the program, of those, 3 are certified instructors, 1 physical
therapist, 1 special education teacher. There is also 1 Registered Nurse. On a
weekly basis at least 30 volunteers support the program. To date more than 200
children have come to this place of celebration and smiles to learn to be,
Rising Riders.
ROSL is Premier Accredited by Professional Association of
Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International, member of the Equine Facilitated
Mental Health Association (EFMHA) and member of the American Hippotherapy
Association (AHA).
At ROSL, 200 plus volunteers, and carefully selected therapy
horses, donate over 8,000 hours of volunteer service a year. These volunteers
run the daily operations of maintenance, horse care and sidewalking, which
directly assist riders during the lessons. Jackie Greer is one of those
volunteers.
Jackie started volunteering for ROSL in 2009. "I was looking
for somewhere my son and I could volunteer together, ROSL was a perfect fit as
they are 10 minutes from our house and I love horses, and helping people
realize their dreams. We have 3 horses
of our own and I know personally the therapeutic benefits you can receive just
from being with them." Jackie said. Jackie is also very involved in fund
raising and has helped organize ACTHA trail rides each of the past 3 years.
Rachel is a Rising Rider … I'd like to share her thoughts from a paper she wrote … "As
a person with autism, I feel I do not have much control, but when I am on top
of a big, strong horse I feel that I have more control of my world. Horses are
like autistic people because they cannot talk. Even though a horse cannot talk
they are graceful and strong. When I am riding a horse I feel that I am strong
and graceful. The confidence that I feel when I ride gives me the freedom I
wish I had all the time. As I ride the horse I feel very independent. For once
I feel that I can accomplish something without anyone’s help. When we run I try
to imagine never having autism."
ROSL operates in a very holistic manner focusing on
emotional and physical improvements as well as learning disabilities. Please
have a look at ROSL on their website www.rideonstl.org to meet the horses and children, and put a smile on your
face.
Have a fun day and please share this blog with your friends.
Let's help them help. God Bless ~ Dutch
Dutch, each and every time I read one of your postings, like the above, I thank God for having our paths cross.
ReplyDeleteBliss and blessings to you and yours, in all things, always.
Thank you Odee, and back at you.
ReplyDelete