Saddlebreds are the Best Medicine

Saddlebreds are the Best Medicine
by Carol Branscome (and Trish Rogers)
Hoofbeats Therapeutic Riding Center, Inc.
Natural Bridge VA 24578
540-291-4663 ~ www.hoof-beats.com

Coming from a hunter-jumper background, I must admit to a few early prejudices against American Saddlebreds. I would have never guessed some 20 years later that not only would I now own one Saddlebred that I wouldn't sell for any amount of money, but that I am constantly on the lookout for more Saddlebreds to add to my therapeutic riding lesson program. Yes, you read correctly-Saddlebreds in therapeutic riding!

I acquired my first Saddlebred after I lost my big Canadian Thoroughbred cross, "Ernie", in a freak pasture accident. I was devastated; Ernie had been everything to me–talented dressage horse, safe trail mount, and trustworthy companion to the many children that populated the teaching and boarding barn that I ran. After Ernie's death, I began receiving offers of horses to ride, and I eventually accepted two horses to fill Ernie's big shoes. One was a dear little Thoroughbred dressage schoolmaster, that my friend and dressage coach, Barbara Silverman, sent to me from Florida. I was thrilled, but it was obvious that "Boca" was not suited to trail riding. Another dear friend just insisted that I try out a Saddlebred gelding, "King", that she had rescued for the cost of board money after his abandonment by previous owners. I had visions of a high-stepping, nervous horse that would never fit in at my barn, but to appease my friend, I agreed to a trial, and that decision has changed my life.

"Bebe King", as we renamed him, turned out to be a 15.2 hand chestnut Saddlebred gelding, about 13 yrs. old, that certainly could dance around on the end of his lead rope, but he loved attention, was very people-oriented, and was absolutely bombproof on trails. He also took like a duck-to-water to dressage and was very eager to learn and to please. He quickly wormed his way into my heart and joined my expanding "herd"of husband, kids, horses, dogs, and cats.

At about the same time (1993), I got to know Trish Rogers, a new friend with a love of horses and dressage, and as Trish and I swapped stories, and eventually, shared our hopes and dreams, we discovered that we both wanted our lives to go in a different direction. So with the consent and support of our husbands and families, we packed everything and everybody up and moved to Natural Bridge, Virginia and started Hoofbeats Therapeutic Riding Center, Inc. "Hoofbeats" was destined to become a nonprofit program dedicated to teaching therapeutic riding to people with disabilities and life-threatening illnesses. Hoofbeats would offer not only riding lessons, but would also eventually host day camps for people with special needs, provide educational programs, and host competitions for able-bodied and disabled equestrians.

When Hoofbeats opened its doors in June 1994 with about ten local disabled students and almost double that many volunteers, Bebe was just a stall-mate to the three horses that we had planned to use as "schoolies". I never intended to use Bebe in the therapeutic riding program, with his animation and over-eager interest in things, but from the first day, the children were drawn to Bebe. He could tempt the shyest child into approaching his stall. He loved to be the example horse for grooming and demonstrations. Then we started trying him out for leadline lessons (and he was a perfect gentleman); then he showed us that he could excel at leadline games (never flinching at flying "nerf" balls or swinging nerf bats or loud noises); then we let him loose for some independent-rider lessons (more successes!!), and then one day, before I knew it, he was the mainstay of the whole program. Bebe, to our surprise, was perfectly suited to therapeutic riding; he loved everything about his new job and still does, after almost six years on the job! Bebe is so in tune with his surroundings and his riders that he seems to be able to sense when he needs to be extra careful or quiet, and he adjusts his activity level accordingly. When a child is kissing his face or is a little wobbly in the saddle, Bebe is still and steady as a stone, but for a more advanced rider, Bebe can deliver a challenging extended trot or canter! Bebe's caring, generosity, and empathy for people is striking.

Bebe is our goodwill ambassador for all of our barn tours. We warn visitors in advance that there is a red horse that will delight in their approach, becoming more and more excited. He will charm them while he has their attention, "speaking" to each one, especially the smallest person, begging for scratches and rubs. Then, when the tour moves on the next stall, he will frantically try to get them back. He will nicker, toss his head, paw, circle his stall, and eventually pull everything he can reach off the stall door, either dragging it into his stall or throwing it on the floor. Bebe is always entertaining and a star attraction for the onlookers, but we do have to station a volunteer to "coddle" him so that we can finish the tour.

There are many Bebe stories that illustrate how rare and valuable this horse is, but my favorite is the one that helped to win Bebe the coveted North American Riding for the Handicapped (NARHA) Region 3 Therapy Horse of the Year in 1997:

"One of my favorite challenges as a therapeutic riding instructor is a timid or emotionally-disabled rider. It brings joy into my life to open up a new world to these clients -- to show them that they can be powerful and successful in their equestrian endeavors and that animals can be wonderful friends. I am confident of my success with these clients because I have horses like Bebe to work with – horses that are willing and open partners and truly part of a therapeutic team. I had one very timid emotionally-disabled rider named "Sandy" that had been taking lessons for about 18 months. Sandy had made amazing progress; her self-confidence had improved and she was riding well independently. But she had a near-phobic fear of falling or being injured in some other type of horse-related accident. I worried that if something ever happened, even something minor, that I would never regain her trust. Sandy was practicing for a dressage test for the statewide competition for disabled riders on her favorite lesson horse, Bebe. She began her turn down the centerline, and for some reason, Bebe stumbled forward. In a slow motion fall, he went down to his knees, with Sandy going over his head and landing directly in front of him. Rather than scrambling with his long legs to get up (and in the process possibly striking Sandy), Bebe let his nose hit the ground and take most of the forward momentum. When the dust cleared, Sandy looked up and said, "I'm not hurt at all!", but she made no move to get up immediately. She simply laid there half on top of Bebe's neck. Amazingly, Bebe waited and never moved a muscle until I could get to the scene to assist Sandy. Horse and rider were uninjured, and Sandy went on to win her division in the state show and to pursue her riding with even more determination. I am convinced that Bebe risked injury to himself rather that hurt his young partner, and in so doing, achieved more toward building this girl's confidence and self-esteem than any amount of my verbal instruction could have accomplished." Post-script to this story: Sandy has since taken a few "hard falls" in life, but that day she gained some resiliency, and those "falls" no longer have the power over her that they once did.

Bebe has also made it possible for many of the riders at Hoofbeats not to only compete at home horse shows and at state competitions, but he has made it possible for them to perform at their best and to enjoy the experience. Bebe loves the attention that horse shows bring, and as long as his "humans" are around him, he is absolute calmness and confidence. His attitude spills over onto his riders and makes the show less overwhelming and less intimidating. Plus, Bebe is still an elegant and beautiful horse; he stands out in public settings, and his riders know that the judge will be sure to notice them. Bebe has helped to win many ribbons and trophies for his riders through the years.

As the year 2000 rolls around, Hoofbeats and Bebe are both going strong. Hoofbeats is now serving >50 clients with disabilities, hosting children's cancer camps and day camps for the local Association of Retarded Citizens, teaching Girl Scouts about horsemanship, attending and hosting many horse shows for able-bodied and disabled equestrians, and training a precision drill team. Bebe at ~19, and a cancer survivor himself, is a participant in all of these activities and is the only "founding" program horse still remaining. Not too shabby for a horse that had once been abandoned by his owners!

Now, when I look for new "schoolies" for the program, without meaning to, I compare all other horses to Bebe. I'm looking for that natural self-carriage and somewhat forward way of going, a sensitive nature but not a horse prone to bucking or bolting, an openness toward people, calm responses, and comfortable, steady gaits. In July 1999, I met another "Bebe", and yes, he is a Saddlebred cross. I had taken a student to the VA Commonwealth Games to compete in one of the dressage classes offered for disabled equestrians. After my rider's test, I noticed a big, 16.2 hand liver chestnut horse in another ring, and I wandered over to watch. He had that Bebe quality and definitely had the Saddlebred look. I was told that "Montego Bay" was 13 yrs. old, had been a school horse for awhile, and had first level dressage training. When I found out that "Monty" was for sale, I couldn't get to a phone fast enough to tell Trish that we needed this horse for the program. By the next week, Monty was ours.

After a brief introduction to our mounting ramp and games and the other potentially "scary" things at Hoofbeats, Monty walked right into the program, and within one month was working side-by-side with Bebe. Monty has quite a fan club already, and his success stories are piling up. One of my riders, "Casey", is coming back from a serious riding accident that occurred while she was cantering in a group of other riders at an open show. Casey recovered quickly from most of her physical injuries, but she was suffering from panic attacks whenever any horse that she rode seemed nervous or built up some speed. I thought Casey might give up riding entirely, but Monty helped her to rebuild her confidence to the point where she has begun her canter work again. Another of my riders, an adult woman with multiple sclerosis, has limited strength in her legs. Monty's sensitivity is allowing her to perform lateral dressage movements and to be able to move up to First Level dressage tests (God-willing) next year. Yet another woman with fibromyalgia has told me that the only time that she feels really good is when she is riding Monty. He takes her mind off her pain, and sets her free. Monty's responsiveness allows her to ride even on the days when her strength is low.

Monty also proved himself at the statewide competition for disabled riders held at the VA Horse Center in October 1999. He carried an autistic rider to first place finishes in Equitation and Intro Level Dressage test in Division 1 (Division 1 allows for one assistant, to act as a spotter only in case of emergency). Monty also won the coveted Therapy Horse class at the end of the show. The children, staff, and volunteers were thrilled with his first public performance for Hoofbeats away from home.

As Hoofbeats and Trish and I look forward to another riding season in 2000, we are happy to have 2 wonderful, dependable Saddlebreds in the barn, and we are even more thrilled that we have been offered another American Saddlebred to add to the program next spring. We have all been so impressed with these horses that we accepted this horse for a trial -- sight-unseen, over the phone. He will have 60 days to convince us that he will make a good therapeutic riding horse, but if he's anything like Bebe and Monty, it may be love at first sight! Bebe and Monty have convinced me that Saddlebreds can be the BEST MEDICINE!!

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