As a mom, Physical Therapist, coach, Sunday School teacher, and civic activist, I walk into Windrush with many hats, much distraction, many concerns, frustrations and wondering what it is I have to get done today.
Regardless of the emotions that have caused my inner chaos, I find that the moment I walk into the barn at Windrush and look into the large brown eyes of my familiar horse friends, like Tucker, Mister or Judge, my heart softens, my mind clears and my soul feels deeply cleansed.
The simplicity of being in a barn doing the manual work; grooming a horse or placing their tack on clears my mind. The trust of an animal so much larger than me to life his hove to be cleaned to be cleaned in my hands or the deep belly laugh the horses create in us when they surprise us with a snatch of hay lying near by is priceless. It’s magic. So clumsy am I when I place the bit into their mouths, and yet this large animal, though not enthusiastic, allows me the time and space to do so…
The riders in our class are severely mentally and physically challenged adults. Very few of these riders are able to communicate verbally, but their body language tells us how they are feeling that day. As a PT, I look at these riders differently than do some of the other volunteers. I focus on posture, tone, rigidity or flaccidity. I watch for initiation of movement, and make sure my hand holds assist the rider, and I do not interfere with the rider’s own motion. At first I would get concerned that other handlers did not hold the rider in the same way, but there is another lesson to be learned at Windrush. The riders at Windrush are responding to the horse under them, the volunteer’s smiles around them and the magic of being able to move freely in space without the confines of a wheelchair or crutches or braces. The professional help I can offer is useful, but it is only a very small part of what happens while the rider spends their hour there.
The ride is set physically free in a way they rarely have a chance to experience in any other atmosphere. The volunteer is given a gift of perspective. For two hours every week I am given the chance to have life slow down, and go back to nature. I see the magic a horse can give to a human being. This time allows me to put some perspective on all the things I was thinking about when I entered Windrush and walk away grateful. Grateful to have some time with a magnificent animal, time to share with friends made at the barn, and time to slow down and remember what is really important to me in my life; Family, friends, health and the joy of living in a beautiful place with so many freedoms and simply joys.
Thank you, Windrush!
