Lothlorien
Therapeutic
Riding Center

By Carol S. Wolf

C It was a beautiful sunny day as I headed down to East Aurora to the Lothlorien Therapeutic Riding Center, just off 20A at 15 Reiter Road, East Aurora. I met with Kathryn Tyrrell, who has been their Program Director since January, 2006.

She began by telling me that this was their 25th anniversary. The Center was established in 1983 by Debbie Winters and Sarah Daly to provide therapeutic riding opportunities for individuals of all ages with mental, physical, emotional and learning disabilities. The name “Lothlorien” was taken from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, which means “The Land of Flowering Dreams.”

The goal of their program is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for individuals to experience the benefits of horseback riding and horsemanship skills. The facilities at Lothlorien are designed to accommodate disabled riders. Through the use of specially built mounting ramps, a wide variety of adaptive equipment and the cooperation of trusted, loyal and specially trained horses, Lothlorien has been able to meet the needs of the population while maintaining the strict safety guidelines established by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA), of which they are a Premier Accredited Center.

Kathy has worked with the Developmentally Disabled at Aspire, doing direct care at the Children’s Center, then coordinated all the home care in Western New York, then she went to work for People, Inc. where she did direct care and was a program manager.

“I have been riding horses since I was 12 years old,” she said. “I currently own five horses, and when I completed my degree in business administration, I went on Jobfinder.com and found this job posted. It was everything I wanted. I am a certified NARHA instructor for beginning and intermediate riding. This is my dream job.”

Kathy went on to tell me they currently have 10 active certified instructors and three in training. They usually start the season with 70- 80 volunteers and last year ended the season with 175 volunteers. Right now they have about 80 volunteers and could definitely use more. The volunteers do everything from grounds work, office work, leading a horse in a class, and have a great deal to do with helping the students during riding lessons. Horses and students are matched to complement both personality and ability.

They had 163 students in 2007. Tuition fees are $185 for 6 weeks – 1-hour lesson each week. They provide tuition assistance and have never turned anyone away. They have fundraisers, apply for grants, wherever they can get funds to help the kids. Kathy told me they will be having their 25th Anniversary Gala at Christ the King Seminary on Oct 4.

When I asked Kathy what she likes best here, she showed me a picture of two empty wheelchairs at the bottom of their ramp. “For me,” she said, “it says so much about how, when someone is not ambulatory, when they ride they are up high and their self esteem is boosted. When they are in a wheel chair, usually someone is taking care of them. When they are in the saddle they are taking care of themselves and their horse. They gain self- confidence. We have had a couple of children who are autistic, who have spoken for the first time here to their horse, and then they want to tell others about their experience. It is so satisfying. I wanted a job where I could feel like I was making a difference and this job does it. The miracles that happen here every day are incredibly rewarding. This is my passion.”

Volunteers

I had the opportunity to talk with two volunteers who were getting ready for a class session: David Schultz and Robert Caple. David told me he was a volunteer here for seven years and then was off for a while and now is getting back to it. “I was volunteering here every day for several years. Last year I was here a few days a week and now I am back. I learn something new every day from the kids and it is fun working with the horses. I usually walk with the horses, tacking, grooming or whatever they need me to do.”

Then I had a chance to talk to Robert, who told me he was brand new. He had taken a class last week and was here to get started. When I asked him how he found out about Lothlorien, he said, “Actually, I found out about Lothlorien on My Space on the computer. There is a volunteer job site and I was going through it and saw it on there. I have always been interested in horses and thought working with kids and horses might be an interesting challenge. I grew up with an aunt who had Down Syndrome, so I have been around people with disabilities and my mother works for Aspire, so this job has it all.”

Class Session

I headed out onto the grounds, which includes a 16-stall horse barn, outdoor sand ring, two hay sheds, office and stable manager’s residence. I talked to Jennifer Anderson, a young woman who is the Equine Manager. She told me she had been here for three years, lives on the grounds and is responsible for the horses 24/7. When I asked her how she found this job she said, “I moved up here from the Johnstown area in Pennsylvania because I wanted to work with horses and the kids. I love it here.”

After talking with everyone, a group of children came for a class, so I spent some time watching them. The group had been here before. I had to laugh when Jennifer sprayed the horses to keep the black flies off of them and two of the kids said, “What about us?”

I listened as they asked lots of questions. I watched as Jennifer explained to two boys how to wash a horse, why, how and all the reasons to do it. Then she let them try it themselves as she instructed them. While that was going on, Rene Gillette, Instructor in Training, led one of the kids around the track, on a horse, with Bob walking with them, observing and listening.

Kathy led another young person riding another horse. I could hear them talking about horse racing and jockeys. As I sat on the benches I spoke with David about how some people pick up riding faster than others. Some graduate after the classes and continue to ride. It was fun watching them go through all their maneuvers, going in and out of the barrels. David said they play a lot of games, Red light, Green light, Simon Says, Mother May I, and even relay races.

For volunteer information call:
Rene Marburger,
Volunteer Coordinator
Lothlorien Therapeutic
Riding Center
15 Reiter Road
East Aurora, NY 14052
716-655-1335
Email: into@lothlorientrc.org
www.lothlorientrc.org

If you know of a successful program in your community or would like more information please let me know at caroldickwolf@cs.com.