Field trip to NCEFT

Yesterday, our class took a field trip to the National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy (NCEFT). Located in rustic Woodside, Calif., the center has provided equine assisted therapy and activities to individuals with special needs for over 37 years. Today, they treat approximately 100 patients with a variety of health conditions.

What an eye-opening experience for me in many ways, and I had two big revelations.

First, I had never connected the movement of the horses with the movement of humans. Riding a horse creates similar walking patterns in pelvis rotation and twist. Seeing this movement in action helped me understand how powerful equine therapy could be in assisting people develop those same muscles, particularly if they cannot fully walk themselves.

Second, I saw two children, both around ages 6-8, with cerebral palsy undergo personal physical therapy sessions with a horse. While both children required assistance to walk and move, they were simply giddy to see and interact with the large gentle animals. Responding to animals opens up another (nonvocal?) dimension, and watching the kids helped me understand the healing magic that pets might provide. Somehow these two children managed they sit up and play catch on the horses, helping to strengthen their core muscles and improve hand-eye coordination. It was an incredible transformation.

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