March 2021 Issue

Lifeline for the Disabled, the Retreat at Beckleysville Fundraises for an Indoor Arena and now, he does. She is amaz- ing… so in tune with each kid.” Shunk speaks of the kids and the program with passion. “This year, we were unable to hold Special Olympics [and] we weren’t able to go to the handicap riders event at Devon [due to Covid],” Shunk said. “So we held a Halloween show at the Retreat, with horses and riders in full costume.” Multiple studies show the benefits of therapeutic riding include: improved muscle tone; improved balance; increased con- fidence; speech/language enrich- ment; sensory integration; physi- cal skills - including coordination, finger dexterity, and agility - and social and daily living skills. Meg Carter said her 35-year- old daughter, Lucy has been in therapeutic riding since she was 4-years-old, and for the past six years she’s ridden at the Retreat. “Lucy has bad epilepsy,” Carter said. “When she first started riding, we didn’t know it was that bad, we just knew she was delayed. Then the epilepsy got [worse], causing developmental delays. Therapeutic riding, to me, is one of the best things that people with disabilities, whether physical or mental, can do. The motion of the horse encourages them to use their body in a way that they typically don’t. That’s the physical side. The mental side, for people who have so little control in their lives, it gives them actual control.” Carter said the fact that her daughter is actually directing her own horse is good for Lucy’s self-esteem. “From a cognitive point of view, she gets more out of riding than any other cognitive activ- ity. People with developmental disabilities often have a hard time following directions because they’re sometimes abstract,” She said. “But in riding, you put the concrete and the abstract together, and [even though] the tasks are very specific, they require a lot of thinking and planning. The steps all make a lot of sense to her, what she needs to do and how she needs to accomplish it.” Volunteer, Kathleen Free- burger has served many roles at the Retreat. She’s an instructor, a sidewalker - assisting with the safety of the rider, and she is in the process of becoming a certi- fied therapeutic instructor. “I instruct individual riders and group lessons under Mary’s supervision,” she said. “I could not have ever accomplished this with- out Mary’s willingness to share her wealth of knowledge. Mary has been teaching for decades and has devoted her life to therapeutic rid- ing. She has had students compete in the Special Olympics annually and has even taken them to the International Special Olympics. The reason we all help at her farm is because of our love for her, her farm, her horses, and our love of giving back.” Volunteer, Karen Scott agreed. “Everything Ms. Mary does at the Retreat is amazing,” Scott said. “There are so many dedi- cated volunteers that have been there for many years - long after their kids that went there to ride are grown and gone. The horse is a great equalizer. To be in charge of a 1,000 pound animal when you may not have much control over your own life due to a cognitive or physical disability is pretty amazing.” Martha Sanchez’s 19-year- old son, Daniel rides at the Retreat. She said she saw a dif- ference in Daniel on the very first day he rode a horse. “Daniel has Downs Syn- drome, celiac disease and some other issues,” Sanchez said. “He was 3 1/2 years old when he started walking. He was seven or eight when we tried therapeutic riding. The first time he got on a horse, after he got off, he was walking straight. It improved his posture and his walking. It was amazing,” she said. “We were so happy. I have seen him growing and becom- ing a little more independent.” The Retreat operates with dozens of dedicated volunteers, EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN March 2021 Page 11 (Continued from page 7) from school students earning ser- vice learning hours, to parents of riders, to retirees who help with everything from assisting with lessons to caring for horses and maintaining the facility. Partici- pating horses are never sold but are nurtured and cared for even after retirement. “This is the only fun thing that my son has,” Sanchez said. “When he gets to the Retreat he jumps right out of the car and can’t wait to get to the fence and the horses. It is the best part of his life.” Carter echoed those thoughts. “I live about two miles from Mary and it took me 10 years to find her, which is a real shame,” she said. “The thing about Mary’s program is Mary. She is just a re- markable person and that comes through in everything she does. I think she is a horse whisperer and an autism whisperer. Her program is special because of her.” Brodsky agreed. “If I had the money, I would build her that covered arena myself, so more kids could ride throughout the year,” she said. For more information about the Retreat at Beckleysville or to donate, visit www.retreatat beckleysville.org . Tyler Brodsky, riding Thumbtac, revels in his blue ribbon from the 2020 Halloween horse show at the Retreat at Beckleysville. Tyler, who is blind and has numerous other disabilities, was unable to walk before starting therapeutic riding. Photo credit: The Retreat at Beckleysville