October 2007 * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. * Mason Michigan * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. Field Testing the Independent Saddle from Independent Strides

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. Not every horse nor every rider is appropriate for adaptive equipment of any kind, thus care should be taken always to have a solid training program for each new piece of equipment that includes emergency dismounts long before your riders utilize the equipment. Safety checks routinely for ware and tear and function are also a must.

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. Choosing the right adaptive equipment must first be done with the safety of the rider overshadowing all other parts of consideration. The quality of the activity must also be considered. Questions such as; What it the impact on the rider? What is the impact on the horse? What is the impact on the activity and staff?

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. When these things are weighed and safety of all are part of the process along with a protocol for routine safety training, horse welfare, and maintenance; more educated decisions can be made about what if any adaptive equipment should be used with each rider and by which horse and which staff members/volunteers.

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. As always, as skills improve, adaptations should be minimized based on continued need with new skill development. This could be increases in strength and balance, improved postural control, improved control skills in the activity, etc.

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. For Chris, ‘I never thought I could ride again. What a feeling for both my body and soul to be able to enjoy moving this way again. I feel so much safer and yet I don’t feel restricted either.’ A very light weight Velcro ‘belt’ was added for her comfort and a Sticky Seat to aid her from sliding on the saddle too much.

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. For this rider; ‘He sits in the best posture and has the most control in that posture than he gets anywhere, including from his wheelchair. He has added some padding for his seat and under the arm rests and we have again added the devonshire boot stirrups.’

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. For Genelle; Because of her random and hard to control motor movement of her extremities she has never been able to be in a saddle safely when she rides. She has been backridden first for therapy and then in therapeutic riding activities where her body movements were more contained due to the contact from the rider behind her. Still this young lady is fully cognitive in a body that keeps her from independence in her riding and dream of competition. This saddle allows for that ‘quality of life’ she dreams of in her horse activities. She uses the Sticky seat and padding as well.

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. For Raven; This young lady is on for the first time. She usually takes a lot of physical support from her volunteers because of her spasticity. We later changed her stirrups a little shorter and with the Devonshire boot stirrup. She now uses the mustang pony as the movement is not as rolling and dynamic and gives a better quality of movement for her specific needs. She also uses the Sticky Seat. With these adaptations she is more independent and she is safer for both her and her volunteers.

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. This is not a tool for therapy where the true quality of the horse’s movement is so important. This is a possible solution for some riders in therapeutic riding programs with horses who are routinely in training with this equipment. This does not take the place of striving for maximized success in the activity which may be achieved through the use of side walkers and/or other types of adaptations. As you can see, ‘our comfort level’ during testing of this equipment has increased though none of these riders will use this equipment without supervision and/or someone aiding in control of the horse. Because of the rigid back and depending on the type of horse used; the quality of movement transferred to the rider varies greatly from rider to rider.

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. C.H.U.M. has been instrumental in developing and researching a variety of adaptive equipment for our clients success and safety.

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. About C.H.U.M. l NARHA Premier Accredited Center that follows the national standards and guidelines for safety and programming l Licensed/credentialed therapist l Certified instructors l Twenty five years of experience

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc.

Built on Faith … guided by Grace * Children and Horses United in Movement * C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc. Thank you to C.H.U.M. Therapeutic Riding, Inc., their riders, volunteers, and beloved horses for their assistance in making this presentation.