Literacy Council encourages reading to a horse
May 26—LIMA — Mocha, formerly from Wyandotte County Horse Rescue but now working with the Equestrian Therapy program at Fassett Farm, came to the Northwest Literacy Council at 563 West Spring Street to promote reading. Mocha helps at the Equestrian Therapy Center. Kids and adults who have disabilities ride Mocha in the programs at the center.
The equestrian therapy program uses their horses for a lot of different reasons, and reading to a horse is one of them. Horses are great listeners. They are non-judgmental. They don't talk back.
Ken Blanchard of the Northwest Ohio Literacy Council said, "a lot of people take reading for granted but there's a portion of the people that find it difficult to read. It's not a stigma that needs to be worried about. It's just something you need to do something to change. I'm afraid with COVID just getting past us, our numbers are going to increase. I'm really afraid for the persons in high school who had to go to remote learning. One in six adults read at about the third-grade level or below. We don't ask anybody why they can't read or what happened. We ask, 'Why do you want to learn to read? What's your goal?"'
Sommer Boss explained the partnership between the Equestrian Therapy Program and the Northwest Ohio Literacy Council. "It makes people aware of the equestrian therapy program and that we are here serving in Lima and surrounding areas. The other thing is showing a partnership with the Literacy Council as we are trying to get started a reading program out at the farm with the horses to help school aged kids and adults if they need it with their reading." Boss agreed that it's not a typical uses for horses. "It's a very different use for our horses. It allows us to use them in a way that doesn't add any additional stress to them. It's actually beneficial to them in a way that a lot of people don't realize."
As summer begins, the equestrian therapy program has plans for the summer. Executive director Michelle Sabol said, "We are going to be running this summer about 18 to 20 classes per week averaging 80 to 90 people per week. To help fund the programs there will be a purse and bourbon bingo fundraiser at the end of June and the ride-a-thon will be in October."
Reach Dean Brown at 567-242-0409
