Shameless bump
I am hoping this bump will put the thread back into a place where people will read it and continue to help each other.
I really wish more trainers would write and tell us why you will or will not work with disabled or para riders.
If you are a trainer with schoolmasters, will you give para riders lessons on your schoolmasters?
Will trainers help their para students teach the student’s horse special commands to make up for the lack of body strength/use?
Hello!
I just wanted to add to this thread that I work at Therapeutic Riding Center in Northern Indiana called LoveWay. I have shown my own horse through 3rd level and am schooling the PSG with him, so I would be more than willing to help some people get started or restarted in riding at my center! We have 12 therapy horses that would be great to start on, plus we have a lift for wheelchairs for mounting.
PM me or check out our website to learn more!
I love when people get connected like this!!!
See? I told you it would be a great place to network!!
This is just fantastic the way people are connecting. I am so glad this thread is helping people.
Good bump!
I think it’s hard to give a standard answer to these questions because all of them depend on so many variables – the skills of the rider, the disability, the horse… everything.
Depending on the disability, a lesson on a schoolmaster could be a breakthrough or really frustrating for horse and rider alike. Heck, sitting on a UL schoolmaster can be pretty frustrating for MOST riders – those horse are so fine-tuned to such subtle cues, which is great if you can be that subtle but most of us can’t and get all sorts of things we didn’t realize we were asking for instead! So if your disability means you can’t totally control your left leg or you sit a bit off to one side in the saddle, for example, and you get on a confirmed UL schoolmaster, chances are that the horse is going to think you are asking for things that you are not.
As far as instructors go, I think it depends so much on the person. An instructor who is a good at problem-solving and thinking outside the box, rather that being dogmatic about a specific theory or training progression, is going to be better equipped to help you the whole way ‘round. That person may have NO experience dealing with riders with disabilities. Frankly, most of the folks I know from the para team have one or more very important instructors in their pasts who had NO experience with disability but were willing to give it a try and put their own understanding of “how things work” to the test to help these riders adapt and overcome. Unfortunately, another common theme I’ve heard is how difficult it was to find that instructor who was willing to take a chance. It took a lot of perseverance on the riders’ parts, shaking off being turned down by barns/trainers who were worried about potential liability, to find the one who wasn’t worried AND had a strong program, strong background and the confidence to do that outside-the-box problem-solving.
Invite, if you can find a copy of the April 2009 Practical Horseman, there’s a good (if I say so myself!) profile in there of one of the current para riders with her backstory, including finding instructors and how she figured out a secondary set of aides to help her ride, etc.
NeverTime, thank you! That’s more or less what I’ve been trying to get across, but your explanation is just wonderful.
I’ve had both experiences with trainers, those who won’t take the risk (who knows whether it was a real risk-related choice, or someone just overwhelmed with the whole idea of coaching a rider with a disabilty… that happens too!, and those who agree to jump in and address things as they come up.
Good coaches/trainers are like good horses-- rare, special, and to be treated accordingly 
Nevertime, tell us about Missy Ransehousen
Nevetime,
Thank you so much for posting again. I have to go to the library to get the copy of the article. I am still so new at the computer I haven’t figured out how to read it online.
Please tell us a bit about Missy. I saw from your posts on the eventing forum that she is competing in Dressage at Burghley this weekend. I understand she is in 14th position after today’s dressage. Is there another day of dressage? Cross-country is on Saturday and there is live feed, I think. It would be terrific fun to follow her through such an important competition, and we could learn from her example.
Since I haven’t seen her ride and I will be clinicing with her, I am very interested in learning how she rides and handles the situations of competition.
I have the feeling that you are very involved in the para program, too. I think you may be hiding your light under a bushel basket of modesty, too. Please tell us more of your story…
Loveway, thank you!
Erica,
Thanks so much for your generous offer!!! Please tell us more about Loveway. DressageGeek has said that you have a wonderful program and super horses. Do you have an east coast barn too? We would love to visit you!
Missy
Missy is my friend and my coach. She is an incredibly talented rider who herself had a great dressage pedigree - just in case it isn’t obvious, her mom is former Olympian, international judge and U.S. chef d’equipe Jessica Ransehousen - but no previous experience with disabled riders before she tackled the para team.
The ladies (and guys) who are actually on the team could tell you more than I about her teaching style with them, but generally, it’s “here’s what needs to happen” and then coach AND RIDER figure out a way to accomplish that around the disability at hand. She’s very willing to school their horses to help feel what is going on and, at times, correct a horse who she can tell has been taking advantage of a disability or imbalance in the rider.
She’s been working with the para team since the Sydney Olympics, with the help of great folks like Hope Hand and Sharon Schniedmann. An event rider herself, last year she finished third at the Rolex Kentucky CCI****. Her excellent finished earned her an invitation to try out for the Hong Kong Olympic team. She turned that down because she was already committed to the para program and its riders, which I think says a lot about her ability to put aside a lifelong goal to meet her obligations, and the strength of her commitment to the program.
Right now, she’s at Burghley with help from a USEF competition grant. Her horse, Critical Decision (his barn name, “B.G.”, stand for “Big Guy,” as he’s a 17.2 Old/TB cross she’s had since he was a 3 year old and brought along to this level), is incredibly talented but struggles with tension, especially when he’s four-star fit. Sounds like that hurt them a bit today, and it sounds from the online commentary as if she decided early on in the test to sacrifice an error (posting in a medium trot when it was not allowed) to help him relax and swing in his back. It also sounds like that was a smart move, as the test ended very strong and she now stands in 14th (eventing scores are determined by an overly complex calculation, but they are based on bad points, or penalty points, rather than good points, so a lower score is better, opposite of straight dressage). The second half of the field will do their dressage tests tomorrow. Everyone will go cross-country on Saturday, and then show jumping is on Sunday.
One of the many reasons I respect the heck out of Missy is watching the way she’s brought along this horse, her only horse at this level: She doesn’t compete him nearly as often as many other riders compete their horses, and when she takes him to horse trials she often wins the dressage but rarely wins the competition. That’s because she goes slow and saves his legs for when it really counts, at competitions like Burghley. Please cheer for her this weekend; she’s put in all the work to be there, along with helping a whole legion of students, disabled and otherwise, meet their goals.
As for myself, sadly, I’m not hiding any light under a bushel. I am an amateur event rider and I just get to ride with a lot of the para athletes so I see the level of commitment they have and just how competitive the sport is at that level. (I wrote the article I mentioned; I’m not the para athlete it features!) With no disrespect intended to therapeutic riding (I’m a past sidewalker, and many of the para athletes got their starts in therapy programs), it bugs me when people think para is a branch of TR. It’s not. It is a competitive riding discipline like any other, and the caliber of riding - and horses - is staggering. They are always looking for new talent and need a deeper field of riders in the U.S., but the idea that anyone with a disability is a potential paraequestrian – or anyone breeding backyard dressage horses can supply the team – is slightly off: Yes, you have to have a classifiable disability, but you also had better be a damn good rider who is super committed and, yes, sadly, can either find a sponsor or buy a quality horse to take you to the top.
I love that the word is getting out, because I get the impression that marketing is one of the weak points in the program, and I want to help that as much as I can. I KNOW there are more serious, committed riders out there than Missy gets to see in clinics, and it would be great to get more of them connected. But, again, I realize that level of commitment isn’t for everybody, and just because I’m familiar with the Team, I hope I don’t come across as implying you either ride around with sidewalkers or represent the USA in international competition. Obviously, there is plenty of middle ground for folks who just want to go out, compete and have fun without dedicated most of their life to the sport!
I have worked with many riders with disabilities over the past 25 years. Most recently a young woman who was blind and deaf on one side. Didn’t bother me in the least, I just adapted her lesson to fit her issues. She rode beautifully in a group lesson and was one of my strongest riders. Apparently her last ‘instructor’ yelled at her when she got too close to another student and she explained the reasoning behind it (that she was blind in that eye). The instructor actually screamed at her that it was ‘no excuse!’ She left that barn pronto and ended up at my place. All I did was let the other students know that they needed to let her know LOUD AND CLEAR when they where approaching so she would be aware of where they were and would be able to stay on her path so as not to get too close. I taught her how to turn her head a certain way to be able to pick up the other riders in her field of vision in her ‘good eye’. After that we ‘forgot’ she had a disability. I tend to think of ‘disabilities’ as more ‘riding issues’ that there can always be a solution to. Sometimes you have to be a bit creative depending on the circumstance but a little thinking outside the box helps!
We need more like you
[QUOTE=Keepthepeace;4353434]
I have worked with many riders with disabilities over the past 25 years. Most recently a young woman who was blind and deaf on one side. Didn’t bother me in the least, I just adapted her lesson to fit her issues. She rode beautifully in a group lesson and was one of my strongest riders. Apparently her last ‘instructor’ yelled at her when she got too close to another student and she explained the reasoning behind it (that she was blind in that eye). The instructor actually screamed at her that it was ‘no excuse!’ She left that barn pronto and ended up at my place. All I did was let the other students know that they needed to let her know LOUD AND CLEAR when they where approaching so she would be aware of where they were and would be able to stay on her path so as not to get too close. I taught her how to turn her head a certain way to be able to pick up the other riders in her field of vision in her ‘good eye’. After that we ‘forgot’ she had a disability. I tend to think of ‘disabilities’ as more ‘riding issues’ that there can always be a solution to. Sometimes you have to be a bit creative depending on the circumstance but a little thinking outside the box helps![/QUOTE]
While I realize every instructor has his or her own teaching method, I think those who are willing to think outside the box are lacking. Some trainers get so set in their ways that they are unwilling to consider change. I firmly believe every horse is different and every rider is different, able bodied or otherwise. I do not believe one cookie cutter training plan works for every horse. Some will lose their spirit and just give in so they fit into the trainer’s mold. Other will rebel and explode, becoming known as dangerous. Humans have different reasoning skills and can walk away, or in my case hobble away, from a bad situation. Horses do not have that luxury.
You are a treasure. Give yourself a giant pat on the back.
[QUOTE=NeverTime;4351214]
Good bump!
I think it’s hard to give a standard answer to these questions because all of them depend on so many variables – the skills of the rider, the disability, the horse… everything.
Depending on the disability, a lesson on a schoolmaster could be a breakthrough or really frustrating for horse and rider alike. Heck, sitting on a UL schoolmaster can be pretty frustrating for MOST riders – those horse are so fine-tuned to such subtle cues, which is great if you can be that subtle but most of us can’t and get all sorts of things we didn’t realize we were asking for instead! So if your disability means you can’t totally control your left leg or you sit a bit off to one side in the saddle, for example, and you get on a confirmed UL schoolmaster, chances are that the horse is going to think you are asking for things that you are not.
As far as instructors go, I think it depends so much on the person. An instructor who is a good at problem-solving and thinking outside the box, rather that being dogmatic about a specific theory or training progression, is going to be better equipped to help you the whole way ‘round. That person may have NO experience dealing with riders with disabilities. Frankly, most of the folks I know from the para team have one or more very important instructors in their pasts who had NO experience with disability but were willing to give it a try and put their own understanding of “how things work” to the test to help these riders adapt and overcome. Unfortunately, another common theme I’ve heard is how difficult it was to find that instructor who was willing to take a chance. It took a lot of perseverance on the riders’ parts, shaking off being turned down by barns/trainers who were worried about potential liability, to find the one who wasn’t worried AND had a strong program, strong background and the confidence to do that outside-the-box problem-solving.
Invite, if you can find a copy of the April 2009 Practical Horseman, there’s a good (if I say so myself!) profile in there of one of the current para riders with her backstory, including finding instructors and how she figured out a secondary set of aides to help her ride, etc.[/QUOTE]
I read and enjoyed that article quite a bit!!!
I completely understand your point re: UL schoolmasters. In my case, I am looking for a trainer with schoolmasters. I sit straight in the saddle and my hands are super soft. I have such limited movement of my legs, I need a horse that is ON the aids. I need a horse who will canter from a slight movement of my pelvis. In non horse life, I shuffle about. But for the grace of God (I’m not even religious) I have been blessed with the gift of legs that hang straight and a body that sits tall and straight. Frankly, I cannot believe it. I am more normal on a horse then off.
You have so many good points. What a fantastic post!!! I guess we all just need lots of perseverance and guts!!! Thanks for sharing with us:)
Shamelessly giving this a bump.
I’m in a different situation but I find it is working well for my learning experience. I would call my horse a schoolmaster as he is trained to I-1. However, after years as a big eq medal horse and due to his own disposition, he is a little lazy and dull to the leg aids. I think if I had something that was really sharp to the aids right off the bat it might be a little unsafe, especially with my spasticity, the horse my interpret my attempts to balance as shouting “GO”. But with my own horse, my trainer rides him once a week and works on making those micro adjustments in his training that will make him more ridable for me. I also spend a lot of my time in my lessons and by myself working to make my horse more sensative to my leg aids, as I develop better balance to sit his big gaits and a quiet following hand, he gives me more and more, but it is a pace where I can slowly change my position and I am a more effective rider.
I think Ellie makes a very valid point: in a true partnership, I think the horse knows and adjusts. I am convinced this is possible - analagous to how service dogs learn guidance and other cues specific to the needs of their person. It is just a matter of associating the cues.
I am functionally blind in one eye and have compensated greatly, but I assume there must be a blind spot. I know my horse is aware of this - if I am grooming, for example, even if I’ve invited and am talking to the person, if they are in that “blind spot” he becomes protective. I certainly didn’t knowingly teach him this, but there must be some way I move or behave and he has figured it out. If they can do this, there is no reason why they can’t do what Ellie is saying.
[QUOTE=Ellie&Werther;4354080]
Shamelessly giving this a bump.
I’m in a different situation but I find it is working well for my learning experience. I would call my horse a schoolmaster as he is trained to I-1. However, after years as a big eq medal horse and due to his own disposition, he is a little lazy and dull to the leg aids. I think if I had something that was really sharp to the aids right off the bat it might be a little unsafe, especially with my spasticity, the horse my interpret my attempts to balance as shouting “GO”. But with my own horse, my trainer rides him once a week and works on making those micro adjustments in his training that will make him more ridable for me. I also spend a lot of my time in my lessons and by myself working to make my horse more sensative to my leg aids, as I develop better balance to sit his big gaits and a quiet following hand, he gives me more and more, but it is a pace where I can slowly change my position and I am a more effective rider.[/QUOTE]
This is why it is so important to have a coach/trainer that thinks outside the box.
I think Ellie’s post also brings up a great point about just how tough it is to find the right horse. If you want to be competitive, it’s got to be a horse with a big fancy walk and trot (at least, depending on your grade) – but a winning trot is usually very tough to sit, and could be even more so depending on a person’s particular disability. So you’ve got to either find a horse whose movement looks like a “9” but feels like a “5” (because we all know there’s a million of them out there – not ;)) or you’ve got to find one with the brain to not get too frustrated or take things too personally while you figure it out and condition yourself to sit into his gaits and the two of you learn your own language for communicating with each other.
Sounds like Ellie’s found a great partner and has done a lot of hard work to keep their partnership developing even further. Kudos!
It’s great to see the enthusiasm and interest on both sides, from those with challenges and those who are teaching. I just wanted to comment, suggest and cajole those dressage trainers out there to submit a presentation to NARHA for their national conference next year. I am part of the conference selection committee and we would love to hear from some dressage trainers that are working with students with disabilities. Many NARHA instructors would benefit from the sharing of knowledge to get students to progress. You all would be such a hit.
Thanks, Karma, for the invitation
Karma,
I think we are a bit shocked by your generous offer! I know Invite and I are…
I think you will hear from the instructors by pm. We hope to encourage more instructors to share with their thoughts with us, as we are geographically so far apart. Where is your conference and when? Please will you tell us about your organization?
I think, one of your founders, Ginny Martin of Borderlands farm on the NY/NJ border, bred and raise my international event horse, Orion. When I first met him, he was being groomed by several kids in wheelchairs. He was only 5 years old then. He was a standardbred/tb/qh combo. She had his full sister, Whelhemina Bailey, who did hunters well and then switched to dressage. She was a Prix St. George horse.
And take clips from the clinics too!!
DressageGeek ,
Are you asking for video of the NARHA conference or of the clinics that we are reporting on? Or am I totally confused about your request?
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
