By Alicia M. Kershaw, President GALLOP

Andrew is a teen aged boy, handsome and bright, but without speech.  He is a gifted artist.  At his first GALLOP lesson he refused to go near the horses. At his third lesson, he sat on his mount and told it to go forward by making a sound with his lips –a “kissy sound”, as we call it.  Back at school, he writes long stories about riding and draws beautiful horse pictures.

“Whenever I glance at [my child] on a pony he looks so proud and happy. [GALLOP takes] all of us out of our usual and customary places and [puts] us in the magical world of horses for a while. “ GALLOP Parent

Andrew is not unique.   Almost every day at GALLOP, a child on the autism spectrum does something magical. For some, it is uttering a command to the horse – a firm “walk on” or a cluck or “kissy sound”.   For others, like Darrell,  it is following instructions to steer the horse – left, right, whoa back, and walk on.  In a many cases, a rider will stand by the horse after riding, and stroke its coat, while the animal waits patiently, or perhaps offers a soft nuzzle.  Riders with Aspergers diagnoses learn empathy for their horse, how to build the horse’s trust and show responsible behavior.  All of our riders earn a sense of accomplishment and acceptance.

GALLOP is a New York City-based nonprofit corporation, which provides therapeutic horseback riding to children and adults with disabilities. Therapeutic riding affords proven benefits to people with physical, cognitive, psychological, and developmental challenges.  We also work with at risk youth and disabled individuals in transition to work programs.

Working at Kensington Stable in Brooklyn, GALLOP initiated its program in the spring of 2007 by providing services one day a week.  The organization was formed in 2005 by a group of 15 volunteers experienced in providing therapeutic riding to our target population.  GALLOP  has now grown to five days a week, serving schools, service centers and independent riders. Very few of GALLOP’s riders can afford the cost of lessons, despite the fact that extensive reliance on volunteers keeps their costs low, so GALLOP raises funds to subsidize needy riders.

For people with physical impairments the horse affords a unique opportunity to replicate walking. When a rider is seated on the horse, the rider’s upper body moves as if the rider was walking. Therefore, horseback riding improves balance, and abdominal strength, and can help preserve mobility.  The warmth of the horse also is beneficial, and we see dramatic decreases in spasticity in our riders.

While less well documented and understood, therapeutic riding improves cognitive skills, especially for those with sensory processing disorders, including autism.  We and the parents, teachers and advisors we work with see and measure improvements in speech, focus, and skills such as writing and task sequencing in our riders.  GALLOP is working on research protocols to document the benefits of therapeutic riding for people with cognitive disabilities. Until that research is complete, we rely on the observations of our  riders and their teachers:

“Lately we have been focusing on adding more detail to our stories. For my students with severe autism, this may mean many different things,  For some  it means using picture symbols,…. For others it may mean using descriptive words.  …[Writing] can be frustrating for them not to be able to convey just want they want…. However, when we began talking and writing about our lessons with GALLOP, the words began to flow! All of a sudden, we has revised a class-written story to include details about the horses’ names and what they look and act like….All of a sudden my students were communicating fluently….”  Miss Sandra, Public School Teacher

For riders with emotional disabilities, the relationship with the horse – -an ancient bond – unlocks the ability to feel trust and love and to express emotions. As the noted autistic academic Temple Grandin has said:

“I wish more kids could ride horses today.  People and animals are supposed to be together.  We spent quite a long time evolving together, and we used to be partners”  Temple Grandin, Animals in Translation

The horse is mute, like many riders with autism, and like people with autism, is highly sensitive to its environment. But the horse is very empathetic to human emotions. A horse can sense confidence – -or anxiety – in a rider.  To ride well, a human must earn the trust of the horse.  GALLOP’s riders with autism seem to connect well to the horse, understand the horse, and able over time to earn their confidence and trust.  Our riders have favorites among the horses – whether it be Smickers or S’mores or Marshmallow – and the horses know their riders.

GALLOP is featured in the video “Enduring Bond” at the Horse Exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. The video  can be seen  at   http://amnh.org/exhibitions/horse. This exhibit will travel to Chicago, San Diego, and Canada starting in January 2009.  In connection with the museum exhibit opening in May, GALLOP mounted a riding demonstration in Central Park, showing off the talents of our many riders with autism.

Alicia Kershaw first volunteered for therapeutic riding in Hong Kong in 1998.  She is a retired attorney who grew up with horses. In 2005, she took a training course in starting a therapeutic riding program at Winslow and is a NARHA Instructor in Training.  She is an Auxiliary Mounted NY City Park Enforcement Patrol Officer.  She also serves on the Board of the Fund for Women in Asia and the Women’s Foundation (Hong Kong) and the Dean’s Council of the Harvard Divinity School.