CULLMAN, Ala. – Hope Horses, Inc. has been a staple in the north Alabama special needs circuit since opening its doors. On Oct. 19, the nonprofit held a Sips n’ Strokes fundraiser to support its therapeutic riding program, which serves children and adults from ages 4 to 25 with physical, emotional and cognitive special needs.
Guests brought their sips and Hope Horses provided the strokes, leading to a fantastic night of laughter, girl talk and painting floral bouquets. Sips n’ Strokes Owner Emily Bussman instructed the group with an almost Bob Ross-esque technique, laughing and saying, “This will be a mess; we want it to be a mess. Don’t panic.”
Canvases on individual easels were set and ready for the nearly 30 guests, dollops of paint in each workspace in coordinating colors dotted the paper tablecloth, and cups of water were ready to work and rinse brushes clear. Some painters followed the instructions perfectly, while others took a much more personal approach, using varying shades of colors and designing different bouquets of greenery. Step by step, and color by color, paintings took shape and imagination was realized. Each painting had a personal spin, courtesy of each artist.
The event was held not only to raise funds to support the therapeutic riding program, but also to also get the Hope Horses name out into the community. Said Executive Director Kelsey Scott, “We really want to get our name out there, you know? We’re getting our name out and getting volunteers and stuff so we can make the lessons possible; to make one lesson possible it’s not just the horse and the certified instructor – it’s the volunteers that we need to make it possible.”
Therapeutic horseback riding has been shown to assist and improve the quality of life of individuals with an array of disabilities in a vast number of ways and has been widely used and recommended since the 1960s. Scott knows what an impact therapeutic riding can make in clients’ lives – mentally and physically.
Physically, horseback riding is a workout, one Scott understands is beneficial. “If someone has bad muscle tone or weak muscle tone, you know sitting in a saddle is core strength, and if you’ve ever been on a horse before you’re gonna find out that you’ve got more muscles than you thought you had – that benefit from holding the reins. That’s fine and gross motor skills”
She continued, “We have children with CP, muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome, autism. We’ve seen a lot of the emotional side coming out here in the past couple of years – communicating to your horse, asking your horse to walk on, even just taking the initiative to give your horse a squeeze. If you have a child with special needs that may be non-verbal, you know, that’s a lot. Let’s say you have a child who struggles with social communication or social skills. They’re building confidence on a thousand-pound animal. They’re telling that animal where to go. They’re the ones controlling it, you know, and that’s one thing we always push at Hope is independence because we want our students to accomplish that and ride independently.”
To participate in the Hope Horses therapeutic riding program, participants must be 150 pounds or less, complete the Hope Horses participant application and submit a physician’s statement, which must be signed by his or her primary care physician. Both forms can be found at www.hopehorsesinc.com or can be obtained by emailing krice@hopehorsesinc.com.
Hope Horses, Inc. is located at 1301 Convent Road NE and can be reached by phone at 256-507-4088. Hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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