Premature twins fell in love with two ponies named Bubbles and Penny at an equestrian therapy barn two months ago, and their improvements due to the therapy are already showing. At another therapeutic barn, a mother and daughter duo fell in love with volunteering  eight years ago and their passion has not faded. Equestrian therapy is capturing the hearts of clients as well as volunteers.

The Purpose:

French and Spanish teacher Debbi Mayerson’s three year old twins, Jake and Sammi, were born four months premature. The twins started equestrian therapy two months ago, which they attend once a week, to help with the effects of their premature birth.

“[Sammi and Jake] are doing remarkably well considering how early they were born,” Mayerson said. “Between the two of them they’ve gone through physical, occupational, developmental, speech, vision therapy.”

The twins’ newest therapy is equestrian therapy, also known as hippotherapy, uses the movements of riding a horse to benefit motor and sensory functions. It can be used as occupational, physical, and speech therapy to benefit clients with injuries ranging from sports injuries to physical or mental disorders.

The Mayersons attend an equestrian therapy facility called Equestrian Connection in Lake Forest. According to Mayerson, it has certified physical and occupational therapists along with trained horseback riding instructors. Haley Sundh, senior, and Nancy Sundh, her mother, volunteer at another facility in Lake Forest called Horsefeathers NFP (Not For Profit), which Nancy says has hippotherapists, four occupational therapists, and trained instructors as well.

“On a regular basis, what we see is based on the exercise the occupational therapist does with [the clients]. Their core strength improves and they can use their hands better because of the activities we do with the small motor function [which controls intentional, small movements such as grabbing the reins of a horse],” Nancy said.

Beyond the benefits to clients, Mayerson and the Sundhs say students genuinely enjoy their lessons. Therefore, students are improving their mental and physical skills without realizing it because they are simply having fun.

The Fun Factor:

“[We started the lessons because] we were looking for something different that would also be fun. [Jake and Sammi] both love animals, so it seemed like the perfect fit,” Mayerson said. “They don’t even realize it’s therapy; to them it’s just, ‘I get to go ride a horse!’”

Part of the fun comes from the lesson plans instructors make for students.

“We incorporate toys into the lessons so it makes it fun,” Nancy said. Because of these enjoyable lesson plans, Haley added, “They don’t think of it as therapy, they just think of it as fun when actually it’s helping them.”

According to the Sundhs, volunteers enjoy their work just as much as the students they are helping. Both Nancy and Haley say they always look forward to volunteering and never stop having fun while doing so.

“I call it my happy place,” Nancy said. “When I go, I relax and calm down; it’s the one place I go every week where I spend the entire day there and just love it.”

Nancy and Haley stumbled upon equestrian therapy by accident eight years ago, and fell in love instantly.

“I just ran across an article in a newspaper and that’s how it started. It was something we could do together and [Haley] has a love for horses and has been riding since she was seven, so the two together were a perfect fit,” Nancy said. “Now you couldn’t pry us away.”

Because of the safety of therapeutic riding, combined with the fun as well as health benefits, Mayerson recommends involvement in equestrian therapy as a client for anyone with an injury or condition requiring therapy.

“From the therapy point of view, it’s nice to do something different with a different approach to meet the same goal,” Mayerson said.

The Impact:

The help that students receive during their therapeutic riding lessons range from minor improvements to drastic advances.

“There’s some [students] that can’t walk at all when they first start. Then they ride and eventually they learn to walk, or some will be able to talk,” Haley said.

This improvement process takes time, and the Mayerson twins have only been doing equestrian therapy for about two months. However, Mayerson says the positive results are already showing.

“Jake has become a little more adventurous; he’s the first one to put his helmet on. As far as the physical aspect, it strengthens their core muscles. Jake’s lower body is much stronger because he has a very weak lower body,” Mayerson said. “Sammi’s socialization has improved because [the therapists] have her interact and talk with another client.”

Mayerson also recommends involvement as a volunteer because there are no training, certification, or experience requirements. Volunteers are taught the necessary skills when they begin volunteering.

“As a volunteer you’re getting to help others and some consistent volunteers get to see growth in the kids,” Mayerson said.

Nancy volunteers every Sunday as an office manager or a regular volunteer in the barn. Their jobs include grooming and leading horses or sidewalking with a student and therapist. Haley volunteers twice a week during the school year and five days a week over the summer, and her passion extends past just being a volunteer.

“I want to be an occupational therapist,” Haley said. “I walk with the occupational therapist and try to learn everything I can. I also [practice] teaching some lessons; right now I’m not certified [to teach], but I’m going to be over the summer.”

Haley’s passion for equestrian therapy inspires her to follow a career path involving it, and Nancy’s passion shows in her continuous enthusiasm to volunteer.

“My favorite part is working with the kids and seeing them progress week to week. The most beneficial part to me is giving back,” Nancy said. “I would absolutely recommend anyone to do it. It’s a fun time.”

Haley agrees that equestrian therapy is a great way for people to give back.

“It’s a different way to volunteer. A lot of people go to a soup kitchen or a hospital, but this is different. It’s more hands on,” Haley said. “I’d basically live there if I could. I don’t even think of it as working either, I just have fun while I’m there. It’s pretty much my life.”