Dream Riders holds Christmas celebration for clients
Dec. 18—Cheyenne Chancy first came to Dream Riders of Kentucky about two years ago for therapy. Cheyenne, who has a disability, was at first so unsteady she could only mount a horse with assistance while standing on a platform.
Saturday morning, Chancy rode unassisted, guiding "Tom," a former racing thoroughbred, through barrels and poles at the Dream Riders facility in Philpot. The teen and the horse were in sync, with Cheyenne able to guide the horse and treat it with compassion.
Debra Chancy, Cheyenne's grandmother, said the changes the teen has undergone since starting classes at Dream Rivers have been "amazing."
"I'm so proud of her, and she's so proud of herself," Debra Chancy said.
The motor skills and strength Cheyenne has developed at Dream Riders has helped her throughout her life, Debra Chancy said.
"At age 13, she finally learned to ride a bike, and I credit it all to Dream Riders," she said.
Dream Riders clients demonstrated the skills they have learned Saturday during the organization's "Winter Wonderland Celebration of Achievement."
Dream Riders uses horse riding training as physical, cognitive and behavioral therapy. Through horse riding therapy, clients develop physical strength and balance, learn patience and communication skills and find comfort and empathy from their horse partners, Executive Director Sandy Webster said.
"We call it a Celebration of Achievement because all our students are challenged in one way or another," Webster said. At Dream Riders, "they work toward life goals."
The skills students demonstrated Saturday all had a holiday theme. While directing their horses through barrels and poles, the students used hand-eye coordination to pick up and transport tiny Christmas trees from one end of the arena to the other, while on horseback. Later, the students took elf hats, ears and scarves to waiting family members.
The end-of-semester event "gives them a chance to perform in front of their families," Webster said.
The horses are good sources of physical therapy, she said. But the emotional support students get from the horse is equally important, assisting students outside the arena.
Some students with emotional issues have learned to communicate by talking to the horses about their troubles, Webster said.
"There's a personal connection," she said. "But also, the horse is nonjudgmental.
"They are very intuitive to the needs of people."
Debra Chancy said her granddaughter has come a long way since becoming involved in Dream Riders.
"For whatever reason, (a horse) keeps her calm, helps her focus," Chancy said. "It has been amazing. It was just want she needed."
James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse
