ALGOMA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — At the Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding, horses are more than animals — they're partners in healing.
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The center serves hundreds of adults and children with disabilities, using equine-assisted therapy to help clients build physical strength, balance, and confidence.
Justin DeBoer, who has cerebral palsy, is both a client and intern at the facility. For him, the sessions represent personal triumph.
"If I can ride a horse all by myself for a lap, I can do anything, and it's just a really good reminder to have," DeBoer said.
David Harrison also has cerebral palsy and participates in the program. His mother, JoAnne Harrison, has witnessed significant improvements in her son's physical abilities since he began riding.
"He couldn't even hold his head up, and now he could pretty much hold his head up, and it helped. It helps with all his strength and plus it's balance, and everything is just great here," JoAnne Harrison said.
Executive Director Kathy Ryan says the therapeutic benefits extend beyond physical improvements. The experience of being elevated on horseback provides psychological benefits as well.
"To be able to be up on a horse looking down on people for a while, that's confidence boosting as well," Ryan said.
Ryan discovered the power of equine therapy three decades ago when she brought her autistic son to the center.
"He was able to accomplish on a horse what he couldn't in everyday life. So a lot of those things, he was oversensitive to, or under sensitive to, kind of those peaks and valleys flattened out so that he could function," Ryan said.
The therapeutic relationship between horse and rider creates unique healing opportunities, according to Ryan.
"Horses are incredibly wise, incredibly calming, and have so much to give, not only while you're on their back, but just interacting with them," she said.
For DeBoer, who has undergone regular therapy throughout his life, horseback riding offers the same physical challenges as traditional therapy but with added benefits.
"It's just you get to ride a horse and interact with a horse, and frankly, what's better than that?" DeBoer said.
The Equest Center operates 13 programs, including an expanded veterans program designed to address injuries and other service-related issues.
For more information on how to volunteer, donate, or enroll, CLICK HERE.
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