You would think any child that needs everything just so might be intimidated by an animal over four times his size, but not Carter FitzPatrick! Even with Fragile X Syndrome – a condition that causes physical and developmental delays, low muscle tone, and behaviors such as autism – this energetic six-year-old shows no fear with horses, just unabashed eagerness to mount up and go.
Staff at EquiFriends, a United Way-supported therapeutic riding program for people with disabilities, celebrates the physical and developmental advances Carter has made.
“Horseback riding helps people confront challenges,” EquiFriends instructor Trisha Shoff explained. “Whether that is a physical disability or overcoming a particular fear, there is always something new to learn and goals to achieve.”
Therapeutic equestrian riding occurs when physical, occupational and speech professionals take patients out of their offices and into the ring. Advocates say riding sessions assisted by a therapist can help children with disabilities in a number of ways, including improving balance, motor skills, speech and concentration.
Carter is an example of just such a transformation. Unable to walk or talk upon joining EquiFriends, “After just one quarter of vaulting, he took his first steps and now is confident walking, running and even making small conversations,” Shoff said. “Riding the horses helps stabilize Carter’s leg muscles and the games and interactions with the other children, staff and volunteers make an impact on his ability to interrelate.”
“By the end of Carter's first session, he was up and walking” said Carter’s mother, Susi. However, “into the three-week break between sessions, he would no longer do this. He would not even stand. There was such an apparent relation to the horseback therapy – we had to make sure we were signed up for the next session.”