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Horses: Passion for riding grew from therapy

by Angela Wiebe of the Langley Advance 

 Ashley Gowanlock is just like every other competitive equestrian  - she trains two to three days a week, competes in shows often,  and is passionately in love with the sport. But, there's also  something that separates her from the others: she has cerebral  palsy and limited mobility in her legs. Ashley, 18, who trains at  Langley's Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities, has been riding  since the age of two. While her mother, Sue, initially took her  daughter riding for therapeutic reasons, Ashley fell in love with  the sport, hard and fast. "She could care less about anything but  this," Sue said of Ashley's riding. 

 Having to walk with a brace, Ashley loved the freedom that riding  gave her. While her friends were excited about basketball and  baseball tournaments growing up, she was excited about horse shows. "I loved being on the horse and being able to go wherever [I] wanted," she said. "The horse is her legs," Sue added. It wasn't until she was 13 that Ashley fell in love with more than just riding. It was the thrill of competition that drove her to work harder and harder at the sport. "I thought, 'This is what I have to do,'" Ashley said. "I've found something I can live for." Thanks to a disciplined work ethic, Ashley found herself improving in dressage and freestyle - two forms of competitive riding - with every training session. "She's amazing," said Ashley's trainer Michelle Meacher. "I see progress in her every day. She's one of those people that coaches love to coach." From early on, Ashley had dreams of making the national team and competing in the Paralympic Games. "I don't think anybody else believed me, but I knew this was something I had to do." A real affirmation for Ashley, a student at Douglas College, came only one and a half months ago, when she competed against a set of able-bodied people. "She got the highest score out of anybody, not just because she's disabled," Sue said. "The judge was just floored." She also recently came in second in Canada in the qualifying round to be eligible for the national riding team. "We just keep telling her, 'Go for the gusto girl,'" Sue said. "[She] might have to compensate in other ways, but there is a way." And even when Ashley doesn't do her best, she doesn't let it get her down. "If you mess up," Ashley said of a competition, "you have to move on and put it behind you. And make the rest incredibly great."

Sue, who comes to watch almost every one of Ashley's practices and competitions, marveled at her daughter's positivity. "She's a very, very up person," she said. "If she does make it to the Paralympics, she'd be an asset to Canada." Ashley hopes to find out in the next couple of months whether she makes the national team, which would guarantee her a trip to the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. Ashley, who is elated at the prospect of combining her passion and travelling the world, is more than ready for the opportunity: "Send me anywhere, and I'm ready to go."

But both Ashley and Sue said the opportunity wouldn't be possible without the support of PRDA. "This place is great," Ashley said. "There's nobody saying you shouldn't do that or you can't do it. They're saying, 'You can, you should, so let's go." Similarly, Sue noted the dedication of PRDA's trainers. "She's had some extremely good coaches. They've gone over and above what they really need to do."

**This article was written a few years ago when Ashley still rode at PRDA. Since this article was written, Ashley has competed in the 2008 Paralympic Games, the 2010 World Equestrian Games, and is currently on the Canadian Team for the 2012 Paralympics.

Santhiya's Story

January 2013 a little 8 year old girl named Santhiya began riding at  PRDA.   The date her mother says changed  Santhiya's life. Santhiya's diagnosis involved multiple challenges, including  feeding difficulties due to a large tongue, and a tracheostomy. Routine  suctioning of Santhiya's lungs is commonplace, and she uses a feeding tube  to eat. Unable to talk, Santhiya uses sign language to communicate and she  seemed to enjoy riding Ladybug right away. In a few short months,  Santhiya's core strength was improving to the point where she needed less  frequent suctioning. She was sitting up taller, and her respiratory system was  getting stronger. In a wheelchair when she began riding, Santhiya was  progressing to using a walker, and walking independently while holding the hands of her parents. This was big news for Santhiya and her family! The physical benefits of therapeutic riding are well-known to all of us at PRDA, but what we weren't expecting was the improvements to Santhiya's respiratory system. Doctors have planned a series of surgeries to reduce the size of Santhiya's tongue, but thought she wouldn't be physically strong enough to undergo the surgeries until she was 13 years old. She had the first of these surgeries last June. Now riding twice a week, Santhiya is getting stronger, zooming around in her walker, waving at her friends, and learning to make sounds with her tongue. One day, maybe Santhiya will be able to speak, breathe through her mouth and nose, and taste food for the first time. A miracle that is a direct result of Santhiya's love for riding a little pony named Ladybug. And do you want to know what the best part is? The first shirt Santhiya ever chose for herself had horses all over it.

Finding Freedom

 Lucas Beauchamp is a 9 year-old boy who was born with Cerebral Palsy, a disability that put  him in a wheelchair from a very early age. When he was just 2 ½ years old, Lucas started  riding with Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities in Langley. At the time, he couldn’t walk at  all, and was barely crawling.

 Lucas rode until he was five years old in our Spirit Program, a program designed for our  youngest riders.  Riders build core strength, stability and balance under the watchful eye of an  instructor, a physiotherapist, and our dedicated volunteers, all while playing games, singing  songs, and having fun on the back of a horse!

 Lucas’ mother, Lisa, was doubtful about how riding a horse could help her son learn to walk on  his own, but after just 9 months, Lucas was able to stand on his own, without his walker and  take a few steps. Bit by bit, Lucas was gaining the strength, balance and coordination needed  to find freedom from his walker. After another 10-week riding session at PRDA, he was walking  on his own, with no walker at all!