Riding high

The Therapeutic Riding Center of Israel gives people of all ages with disabilities a chance for physical and emotional rehabilitation.

By MAURICE PICOW
Therapeutic Riding Center 521 (photo credit: Illustrative photo: Maurice Picow)
Therapeutic Riding Center 521
(photo credit: Illustrative photo: Maurice Picow)
They range in age from three to 80, have various forms of disabilities and suffer from a variety of social challenges, but at the Therapeutic Riding Center of Israel, it’s easy to see they’re enjoying life.
Located in Tel Mond, the Therapeutic Riding Center of Israel (TRCI), established in 1986 and at its present location since 2001, offers animal assisted therapy to people suffering from a wide range of problems, including physical, mental and emotional disabilities.
“The Therapeutic Riding Center of Israel is the largest center of its kind in Israel,” TRCI director said Dorit Brafman during a recent visit to the center.
On this particular morning, two groups of small children are present as part of a summer day camp that included horseback riding and friendship sessions with some of the 24 dogs kept at the center for animal interaction therapy. There are also other participants, mostly wheelchair-bound teenagers.
“The center receives around 1,800 people per month... We are dedicated to helping individuals with physical, mental, emotional and cognitive disabilities/conditions... through animal-assisted therapy,” says Brafman, a community social worker by profession with a doctorate in social work from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
She says that the center also offers therapy to atrisk youth from poor and violent homes, and to battered women. A number of disabled IDF war veterans also come for therapy sessions, under the sponsorship of the Defense Ministry, she adds.
“Working with the animals improves the children’s concentration, patience, tolerance and [ability to] deal with fear. It improves their communication skills and teaches them how to express feelings and give instructions. Imagine how an autistic child might feel sitting high on a horse, feeling the light breeze on his/her face. I can tell you that it is also quite special watching the children working with the dogs,” says Brafman.
TRCI, which is registered as a non-profit organization, was founded by Charles Woolf, who made aliya from the UK, and by Canadian philanthropists Theo and Leon Koffler.
“I enjoy horseback riding, and because of this, I met a British woman in the 1980s who had recently made aliya and who was interested in starting a riding academy to help disabled people. She had purchased two horses and this is how the idea got started,” Woolf says.
From those humble beginnings, the first therapeutic riding center was established on a fourdunam tract of leased land “in someone’s backyard” in Beit Yehoshua, outside Netanya. They soon realized, however, that operating such a project required large sums of money, and after he and the woman parted company, Woolf began searching for donors.
“We began looking for donors, and Murray and Marvelle Koffler were already living here in Israel.
They enlisted the help of their son Leon, who along with his wife Theo and myself are the [center’s] original founders. The Kofflers helped raise funds for the building of the present center in Tel Mond,” says Woolf.
During a tour of the stables and the corral where most of the riding lessons are conducted, Woolf points out various equipment used in the riding therapy sessions. These include special ramps and platforms to assist those with disabilities to mount a horse. Riders unable to stand can be hoisted onto the horse, and there is also a special wagon for those with very severe disabilities that a wheelchair can be anchored on.
“This is especially helpful for severely disabled IDF veterans, and it gives them a feeling that they are at least participating in this therapy,” he says.
“Many of the horses are getting older, however.
Some are around 20 years old and will have to be retired soon. We want to import six new horses, and El Al has given us a special air shipment rate to bring them here. The cost of these horses is around £20,000, or about £3,400 (NIS 19,700) per horse. We are currently looking for funds to do this.”
When riding the horses, people are encouraged to ride with hands free – even behind their backs. The idea is to lessen their fears of riding. A helper accompanies each rider, who is in most cases not allowed to ride alone. Those able to do so are taught riding essentials, including mounting and dismounting, holding the reins, standing in the stirrups, and giving the horse simple commands, such as “whoa.”
THERAPEUTIC RIDING has been found to be particularly beneficial to persons suffering from muscle-disabling conditions such as strokes, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. While on horseback, riders develop their own physical skills, learning balance, coordination and self-awareness, while receiving therapeutic muscle stimulation. In addition to strengthening atrophied muscles, the warmth and rhythm of the animal’s movements actually help to relax and “loosen” muscles stiffened by the disability.
Riders with physical difficulties often need two assistants to help them mount and dismount.
Those with cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis are given a lot of encouragement for accomplishing even very simple tasks. Children, especially between ages four and eight, go there during the summer months where day camps are held for them. They appear to truly enjoy the experience and it helps to keep them calm; especially those suffering from hyperactivity disorders.
The addition of dogs in animal-assisted therapy began nine years ago, following the center’s move to its Tel Mond quarters.
“Dogs have a special ability to communicate with the participants. The feel of the dog, its look and friendly manner towards the participant, helps him to bond with others better. The participants also learn self-control as well as how to guide the dog unconsciously,” says Brafman.
In dog therapy sessions, each person is paired with a dog and is encouraged to play with and pet it. The center uses “friendly” breeds like retrievers, terriers and other non-aggressive types.
Nir Carmon, a former computer programmer whose lifelong dream was to train and work with dogs, manages the kennels at TRCI. He says that the training dogs receive at the center includes the correcting of bad habits, especially with the older dogs, and preparing them to work with people with special needs.
“The dogs are busy all day, except during their rest periods. They begin their work in the mornings with kindergarten children, and continue until evening, when they often finish the day with older disabled people,” Carmon says.
He adds that one of the most emotionally rewarding aspects of the therapy for him is seeing children overcome their fear of dogs and form real relationships with them.
Sessions with the dogs range from half an hour to an hour or more, and the therapy groups range in size from five to eight. The sessions include both fun interaction and grooming.
“We often take in stray dogs – people often abandon dogs in this area,” says Eitan, a personable young man who is completing a special volunteer National Service program prior to entering the IDF.
“I delayed my army service to do this national service project as I feel it is very important to do this kind of work,” he says.
ALTHOUGH TRCI does receive partial assistance from all health funds through reimbursement to participating members, it is heavily dependent on grants and donations from local and foreign foundations. This assistance is becoming more problematic due to current economic realities. “We need an annual sum of between NIS 1.6 million and NIS 2m. just to continue operating,” says Woolf.
Despite the financial issues, Woolf still has a grand vision for this project.
“My dream is to turn this center into not only an animal-assisted therapy center, but into a ‘country club’ for disabled people. In other words, into a ‘total rehabilitation center’ that will also include a special therapeutic swimming pool, classrooms and even a coffee shop for parents and participants. We want to make the center a place where people can feel the good ‘vibes’ and truly relax from the pressures they often face outside. We want parents to be able to unwind while their kids are undergoing therapy and ‘switch off’ their problems in a relaxed atmosphere.”