words by Dawn Kocina | photos by Dave Dailey and Francie Fortune
SunCatcher Therapeutic Riding Academy is a nonprofit organization providing inclusive equine-assisted therapeutic horsemanship, guided by experienced instructors who empower people with disabilities to flourish and thrive.
“It’s so cool to be part of helping horses help people, because it’s not just the participants we serve, it’s the people who care for them and that ripples out into our community,” shared Francie Fortune, SunCatcher Therapeutic Riding Academy Executive Director.
Growth and Impact
Over the last three years, SunCatcher has experienced significant growth—about 164%—in community outreach and individuals served. This is truly exceptional, considering that, due to an outdoor arena, they serve individuals exclusively from May to October. Adding to that the limiting element of extreme weather conditions, the window becomes even smaller. However, this hasn’t stopped the outpouring of support and the impact of their sessions.
Safety First
SunCatchers follows the standards of PATH International for their therapeutic horsemanship program. PATH International sets the industry standard for safety regulations in the United States and the United Kingdom.
A majority of the animals that are a part of the program are older, retired working horses that have been donated or loaned to SunCatchers for use in sessions. Typically, these animals can no longer do long days, but they’re patient and perfectly suited to the slower pace of therapeutic riding sessions.
Participants
Participants face a variety of life challenges, including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, muscular sclerosis, ADHD, PTSD, anxiety, addiction — and the list goes on to include veterans and foster children, including those aging out of the foster care system.
Being around horses and learning the skills required to safely ride provides participants with a renewed confidence in themselves and in the people around them. They find that there’s a large number of people in the community who want to partner with them and help them achieve or exceed their goals.
Lessons Learned in the Arena
In addition to traditional therapeutic riding sessions, SunCatcher facilitates equine-assisted mental health sessions for veterans accompanied by their therapists. From recognizing horse behavior as reflective of their own to epiphanies gained through arena cleanup, everyone takes something away from their time in the arena.
Francie recalled a session where the therapist concluded with a powerful realization: “I thought we were just scooping poop, but the participant surmised, ‘You have to clean up your own messes in life and take responsibility for your actions.’”
The Care Team
When asked about how the SunCatcher care teams experience the life changing work of the riding academy, Francie responded with the story of her first session at SunCatcher. “There was a little girl who was using a walker. She used her walker going up the ramp to the horse, her volunteer team helped her up onto the horse, and she rode around. Her mom was there with her, and mom’s watching the whole session.
At the end of the session, the volunteers helped the little girl off the horse and she walked out of the arena to her mom — who’s standing there holding her walker. You could see it on her mom’s face, this light bulb of hope going off.
The movement of that horse had warmed up her muscles and helped her body flex and helped her muscles that were so rigid relax. We get so focused on disability, sometimes, but horses only see ability. They see you and they see me and they can sense what our level of ability is, and they match it.
What I saw in this mom, and what I see in so many caregivers who come out here, in so many volunteers, is the awareness that we’re giving hope, not just to the participants, but to their families and caregivers. We are giving them the hope and the confidence to achieve the most they can at their ability level.”
Special Rodeo
SunCatcher Therapeutic Riding Academy is proud to be part of Special Rodeo, presented by Monument Health. Special Rodeo is a free community event for children and adults with disabilities, with events tailored to varying levels of ability.
Special Rodeo takes place twice each year, with a summer event and a winter event. To learn more about Special Rodeo and to register as a participant or a volunteer, visit: monument.health/specialrodeo.