Amarillo College Ranger

Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Josh Godsey Hedley White shows affection to her therapeutic horse, Sergeant Pepper.

Media Credit: Josh Godsey Hedley White throws a ball to Lillian Berry, who is training to become certified, while Stacy Mech, a certified trainer, guides Sergeant Pepper.

Media Credit: Josh Godsey Dovie Barrett founded the 7 Star Horse and Family Center to allow horses to offer therapy to the disabled.

Media Credit: Josh Godsey Jennifer Mech, with Belle, is a volunteer at 7 Star.

The 7 Star Horse and Family Center is an organization offering a different type of therapy. The therapy center uses what's referred to as equine facilitated learning as a means to help the disabled.

"Equine therapy helps clients learn about themselves, other people and interacting with the world - all by simply riding a horse," said Dovie Barrett, founder of the center.

"It's not about teaching riding or horse care skills. The clients don't even need any previous experience with horses."

EFL has been proven to substantially improve individuals who are struggling with an assortment of common disabilities.

According to research conducted by the American Hippotherapy Association, EFL can profoundly reduce the intensity of many disabilities, such as Down syndrome, deafness, autism, cerebral palsy, brain damage and multiple sclerosis.

"It has been clinically proven that just being in the vicinity of horses changes our brainwave patterns," said Franklin Levinson, founder of Franklin Levinson's World of Equestrian Adventures and Horsemanship.

"They have a calming effect which helps to stop people becoming fixated on past or negative events, giving them a really positive experience."

Riding the horse becomes something a disabled person can fully put his trust into.

"When they begin to ride, they learn how they can trust a huge animal that doesn't judge them for their appearance or disability," Barrett said. "They begin to trust it."

"It is such a huge need for so many suffering with a disability," said Jodie Carter, executive director of 7 Star Center. The therapy center, located at 1300 Southeast 46th St., is dedicated to increasing the use of EFL in the Texas Panhandle, according to Carter.

"We believe it can make a profound impact on the community in the Panhandle," she said. "It's a family affair. It's a community behind an organization."

"Children especially love it because a horse will never judge you," which is something many children need, Carter said. "The horses become therapeutic."

But equine therapy isn't limited to children with disabilities. In fact, riding horses can have profound impact on the elderly. Veterans dealing with post-war traumatic syndrome or just trying to stay healthy also can be positively affected.

Through teary eyes, Barrett talked about the impact some of the miniature horses have had at the Veterans Hospital.

"We saw a patient become really close to one of our miniatures," she said.

"He would softly breathe into the face of the horse. They will remember you by your breath. The man was in really bad shape. In fact, we thought he would soon be gone. By our next visit, he had gone back to his family."

EFL isn't limited to therapeutic riding; it also can use what's referred to as hippotherapy.

According to the AHA, in hippotherapy, a therapist is working directly with a patient on the horse to help patients improve their functional skills, whereas in therapeutic riding, a certified therapeutic riding instructor is teaching clients how to ride.

Hippotherapy helps to create an environment that will effectively increase overall motor skills, speech and language abilities as well as behavioral and cognitive abilities.

The 7 Star Horse and Family Center has several instructors certified by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.

"They work hard to groom the horses, clean stalls and feed," Barrett said.

"They pretty much do everything."

"One of our immediate goals is to create a solid volunteer base to do things like grooming and side-walking," Carter said.

"I know our trainers would greatly appreciate the help. If we had more volunteers, we would be able to accommodate a larger amount of clients."

Clients typically ride two to three times a week starting at 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Anyone can visit the Web site at www.7starhorsetherapy.org to see if they qualify.

The therapy center is considering a name change and is open to ideas from the public. The center is offering $50 to the person who sends the name that is chosen.

For more information, e-mail Carter at jodie.carter@gmail.com or visit www.7starhorsetherapy.org.

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