GallopNYC offers therapeutic horsemanship programs for New Yorkers with disabilities
NEW YORK - Horseback riding is being used as a therapeutic tool in New York City.
Chickens explore the soil, and a cat plays in the grass at the 20-horse barn known as Sunrise Stables.
Once enveloped in this pastoral landscape, it's easy to forget that you're still in Queens.
On busy Linden Boulevard, just a few miles from JFK, riders are building new skills. It's one of several locations for the nonprofit organization GallopNYC, which offers therapeutic horsemanship programs to benefit New Yorkers with social, emotional, developmental and physical disabilities.
"I like trotting on the horse. I like going around the cones," rider Christopher Nankoo said.
Here, he and the other riders interact with horses of many personalities — some stoic and dignified, some charming but shy. It's a bond unlike any other, according to executive director Marcos Stafne.
"Horses can sense everything about you. They're natural herd animals, which means that they can detect when you're nervous or anxious, and so you have to resolve yourself to being a little calm and supportive on a horse," Stafne said. "It also gives you the opportunity to have risk and have control in this world by being on top of this sometimes 600- to 1,000-pound being and feel powerful. For many of our participants, they're not in power a lot of their lives. They're told where to go, what to do. And when they're on the horse, they're in control."
Rider Jada Knibbs has noticed improvement.
"I feel like I've learned a ton, like, a lot when I come here to ride with my horse," she said.
More than just new skills, the lessons offer connection.
"So many of our participants can be socially isolated. It's a major issue with anybody who has disabilities. And coming here, you get welcomed into a community," Stafne said.
To meet growing demand for therapeutic riding, GallopNYC is welcoming new volunteers to register as assistant instructors and barn workers.
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