By DAN HEATH
WEST CHAZY — A local stable offers therapeutic riding programs for people with physical, cognitive or emotional special needs.
Adirondack Stable and Equestrian Center LLC at 87 Atwood Road in West Chazy has been home to Manely Magic Therapeutic Riding since January 2007.
Owner Amy LaValley is certified as an advanced instructor by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.
Tricia McCartney is the other Handicapped Association-certified instructor at Adirondack Stable and Equestrian.
LaValley said 30 to 40 riders have taken part in the program over the years.
THE RIGHT MATCH
LaValley said it is important to match horse and rider, such as a horse that moves smooth and steady for a rider with physical disabilities or a more lively horse for a rider with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
"They get an emotional bond with the horse," McCartney said. "They really seem to enjoy that."
The duo offer mounted and unmounted lessons, depending on each person's level of trunk control.
Horseback riding can vastly increase core muscle and leg strength, LaValley said.
Group lessons, McCartney said, provide bonding opportunities for the students.
"They find something they have in common. They then keep in contact outside the stables."
The stable is in the process of developing an integrated sensory riding trail, which will incorporate the senses of hearing, vision, touch and smell.
"This is a work in progress," LaValley said.
YOGA
McCartney is also a YogaKids certified instructor.
"We try to incorporate yoga in our riding lessons," she said.
Yoga can help relax nervous riders, she added, through breathing and stretching exercises.
McCartney rode Fiona, a 13-year-old quarter horse, during a horseback yoga demonstration during a recent open house at the equestrian center.
She went through a number of positions, including moving from a rag-doll pose lying on the horse's neck to a warrior pose, sitting in a half-seat position with one arm extended forward and the other back.
The mountain position involves standing in the stirrups with arms raised skyward.
"This is hard to get your balance," McCartney said. "It's quite a workout in addition to their riding."
The savasana position has the rider stretched backward on the horse's back and arms outstretched.
"The kids like to do that. It's a relaxed position," she said.
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
McCartney is also a special-education teacher at Keeseville Elementary School.
She said they would like to have contact with their riders' school systems to work on skills the districts have targeted for the students.
The Clinton County Advocacy and Resource Center sends a team of volunteers to work at the stables three times a week. The stable offers a 10- to 11-week volunteer program that focuses on general horse care, horse-leading skills, stable management, facility repair and more.
E-mail Dan Heath at: dheath@pressrepublican.com
