Horses may calm autistic children

After going through speech, occupational and physical therapies throughout the week, sometimes it's nice just to horse around.

Horse therapy has been found to help many autistic children. The horses provide both visual and tactile stimulation, and riding them builds up the child's strength.

Often, a child will appear more collected, or focused, atop a horse than on the ground.

"It's really relaxing for them," said horse therapist Leah Shrum of Jackson. "They get real calm, almost into a trance."

The nonprofit Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship, which has a new outdoor arena near the Oak Ridge interchange on Interstate 55, is the only horse therapy operation within a 90-minute drive of Cape Girardeau.

Thanks in part to the Kiwanis Club's $8,000 donation, the MVTH was able to buy the land and get started on the arenas.

Now that the MVTH has land, it won't have to pay for someone to board the horses. Previously, horse therapy has been provided at individuals' ranches.

The therapy sessions include a 45-minute ride, with spotters walking alongside the horse to catch a child who falls.

The children play educational games while mounted on the horses. They ride to a specified barrel and perhaps pick up an item from one location and take it to another, reinforcing occupational skills.

Shrum said 13 individuals are involved in the program, including four autistic children.

She said 30 to 40 riders are on a waiting list. "I'm the only certified instructor, but two more are in the process of a six-month training. We usually have five horses going at a time in the lesson, so we do need more volunteers and more horses."

The MVTH owns three horses but hopes for more sponsorships to cover the cost of veterinary care and feed, a truck, and three to four horse trailers. The MVTH is also looking for volunteers to help with sessions, take care of the horses, do office work and promote the program.

For more information, call 243-7540.