The Brand (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 95, No. 13, Ed. 1, Tuesday, April 24, 2007 Page: 3 of 10
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Volunteers and Horses are HEROs to Disabled Children
by Miranda Kennedy
advertising manager
Every spring and fall for a total of
14 weeks a year volunteers from the
Abilene area become heroes in the
eyes of disabled children participating
in therapeutic horse riding or hippo-
therapy as part of the Hendrick Equine
Rehabilitation Opportunities (HERO).
These volunteers do not have flowing
capes or masked eyes but one might
recognize them by their purple shirts
jeans and love for horses and children.
HERO is made possible through the
Hendrick Center for Rehabilitation. It
is one of more then 650 facilities in the
United States and Canada where hippo-
therapy is offered as part of The North
American Riding for the Handicapped
Association (NARHA) founded in
1969. More than 30000 individuals
arc assisted annually in North America
through hippotherapy; "Hippo" is
Greek for "horse."
Hippotherapy is a fun effective
alternative to ordinary therapeutic
treatment. Patients are taken out of
the clinic with ordinary rehabilitation
equipment and instead ride horses
in an arena. Horses have many versa-
tile methods of benefiting physically
mentally andor verbally challenged
patients. Patients may ride the horses
frontward backward or lying across
the horses back.
"It gives kids a chance to do some-
thing different. They are not just con-
fined to a room with different toys
lying around. For once the kids have
a chance to do something their brother
or sister might not get to do" said Laci
Walker an HSU senior Exercise Science
major and a fourth year volunteer with
HERO.
Todd Sage an Occupational Therapist
at Hendrick has been dedicated to the
HERO program since the fall of 1997.
Sage says that horses are valuable in
therapy because of a certain likeness
between them and humans.
"The hip movement of a horse is very
similar to the hip movement of a human
when walking. It can help break down
the involuntary tone in some patient's
muscles and allow their bodies to feel
the movement of what their hips should
do if they were able to walk" he said.
While the patient rides a thera-
pist works with the patient on head
neck and trunk control and balance as
the horse starts stops turns weaves
around obstacles and steps over beams.
By playing basketball or games with
rings and small toys while atop the
horse the kids can also learn hand-eye
coordination without even realizing
they are doing therapy.
Through the rhythmic motion and
"bouncing" a horse produces it is eas-
ier for some speech clients to speak. In
general the environment and riding
gives all clients an entirely new vocabu-
lary to work with. The action of riding a
horse can also boosts kids' confidence.
The horses seem to be in tune with
their surroundings and naturally sense
the need to be quiet and calm for the
kids. The kids and horses tend to have a
mutual calming effect on each other.
One patient 14-year-old Brant
Kennedy has received hippother-
apy treatment for about three years.
According to his family when he rides a
horse he is a "real cowboy." He has seen
Barney movies where the kids get to ride
a horse but no movie compared to the
0 1 DO
' I I r I P
first time he experienced life from the
back of a horse 5-feet from the ground
and shouted "Giddy-up! Go!"
"Hippotherapy is Brant's chance
to 'Go.' The rest of the time he is in a
stroller or dependent upon someone
else to help him" said his mother
Valarie Kennedy. "When he rides the
horse he feels independent and mobile.
He enjoys it so much."
As the HERO program's Volunteer
Coordinator Beth Byerly works hands
on with the horses and all the patients.
She witnesses firsthand the program's
benefits to the clients volunteers and
therapists. She is one person in charge
of scheduling volunteers and assigning
horses and equipment.
Above; Todd Sage Occupational Therapist backrides with Brant Kennedy
(age 14) on "Dusty. "Jessica Travis leads while volunteers Charlotte Reaugh
(left) and Amy I lines (right) assist. Below: Austin Beard rides "Misty" and
plays games with ring toys. Volunteer April Gutierrez (left) and Therapist
Michelle McLellan encourage and assist.
J)$ lGUU
K9
I I11AU J
1 1 r
May 5 2007
You heard about the Abilene Invasion Rally in February...
...the next phase is finally here! A I GAMES!
On May 5 Abilene Invasion will be hosting the Al Games 2007
at Harclin-Simmons University from I -8pm for the teenagers of Abilene
and the Big Country (prc-registration will begin at noon)
DD
D
D
games (competitive and non-competitive)
prizes give-aways drawings for HSU scholarships
DD
Invite your friends ami co-workers! You won't want to miss this!
T-shnts Sfi nt nnv Ahilonu Invasion Church (V In vwv Ahilonclnvnsion uotntbrdctniU
For more information please email
"HERO is one of those things every-
one looks forward to. It gives you a
great feeling. If you're having a bad day
or your feeling sorry for yourself it can
change that feeling in a heartbeat. After
working with these kids and their fami-
lies you tend to not worry so much"
said Byerly.
Byerly began as a volunteer with
HERO in 1997. Then in 2001 she and
three other women took over running
the program and have seen it grow tre-
mendously since. In 2001 HERO had
12 clients and about 28 olunteers.
Through the local universities and word
of mouth numbers have risen and this
year the program has 43 clients and a
record number of 90 volunteers. Each
client rides for 30 minutes with a ther-
apist and the assistance of 3-4 volun-
teers at a time.
Melissa Contrucci an HSU graduate
with an All Level P.E. degree has volun-
teered with HERO since the spring of
2004. She has been with the same cli-
ent for three semesters now.
"It has been amazing to see the prog-
ress that he makes from week to week.
HERO allows me to help people like
him in their rehab. In turn 1 learn so
much each time I volunteer. The clients
have taught me how to trust and beliexe
in those around me" Contrucci said.
Hippotherapy has been in the Abilene
area for 17 years and HERO almost as
long. It is currently in its Spring session
changing the lives of many involved in
it. To find out more about the NARHA
visit www.NARHA.oig. Eor informa-
tion on becoming a volunteer or more
information about the local program
HERO contact Beth Byerly at heroco-ordnetzero.com.
Class of '57
Reunites on
Founders' Day
by Ben Williams
staff writer
The Hardin-Simmons University class
of 1957 will come back to the Forty Acres
on April 25 and April 26 to celebrate their
Golden 50"' reunion.
These distinguished alumni will find
the campus has changed a great deal
since they left 50 years ago. Those attend-
ing the Golden Reunion will start off their
day by taking a trolley tour around cam-
pus which highlights the newer buildings
such as the School of Music complex and
Logsdon School of Theology. The HSU
Cowboy Band will perform a concert for
the alumni and then the evening will con-
clude with a dinner and their induction
into the Golden Lariat Society.
Thursday morning will begin with a
Special 1957 Class Reunion Program
hosted by Dr. V. Craig Turner univer-
sity president and current students in
Behrens Chapel which highlights the
early leaders and pioneers of Hardin-
Simmons. Also Thursday morning their
will be a special time for the class of '57 to
gather and take a class photo.
After a luncheon Thursday afternoon
the reunion will conclude with a play at
the community theatre entitled "Bad Year
for Tomatoes." The Golden 50th Reunion
is an annual event at Hardin-Simmons.
rickblackingtonbcltway.org or timsimmonsbeltway.org
pg. :
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The Brand (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 95, No. 13, Ed. 1, Tuesday, April 24, 2007, newspaper, April 24, 2007; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth104733/m1/3/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hardin-Simmons University Library.