At first glance, building a horse stable may seem a little outside the scope of Builders Care’s mission to provide safe housing and improve the quality of life for Jacksonville’s most vulnerable residents.
And, yet building a horse stable will indeed improve the quality of life for those who may benefit from equine-assisted therapeutic programs and services provided by Horse Sense and Sensitivity.
Hippotherapy — a form of physical, occupational and speech therapy in which a therapist uses the characteristic movements of a horse to provide motor and sensory input — has been suggested for patients with neurological or other disabilities, such as autism, cerebral palsy, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, head injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, behavioral disorders and psychiatric disorders.
“Our goal is to enhance the life skills and self-confidence of people with special needs,” said Executive Director Sis VanCleve-Miller. “A licensed physical therapist and trained volunteers work with patient and horse using the horse’s movement to provide physical and sensory input that is variable, rhythmic and repetitive.”
VanCleve-Miller explained that a horse’s gait is similar to that of a human’s and when a person with muscle atrophy or developmental delays rides, it strengthens those muscles increasing balance and coordination.
“Mentally, the exercises cause the rider to increase focus, listen, follow directions, and be aware of the surroundings,” she said. “The bond between rider and horse has an immeasurable emotional impact and give great confidence in the individual.”
Builders Care is supporting Horse Sense and Sensitivity by building a stall barn to help in caring for the animals.
“Builders Care is working with Horse Sense and Sensitivity, a local nonprofit, to provide quality construction services at a reasonable cost,” Builders Care Executive Director Matt Wilford said. “Horse Sense and Sensitivity delivers equine and hippotherapy to individuals with special needs, and our partnership with the organization will focus on improving and constructing facilities to better care for the horses.”
The horses need a new barn as well as a better pasture. Builders Care will construct a lean-to barn and level out the existing pasture. These upgrades to the facilities of Horse Sense and Sensibility will support and improve the work that the nonprofit does for the community.
“We are having an old-fashioned barn raising this November,” Wilford said. “We will be pouring a 35-foot-by-20-foot concrete pad with drainage. The area will be used for washing the horses and other general care.”
The most immediate need now is for the pasture to be graded for better drainage. It takes several days for the fields to dry after a heavy rain and the muddy ground are beginning to cause hoof rot.
“Missy is a large horse and was once the first choice for larger riders,” VanCleve-Miller said. “Now, the condition of her hoof precludes her from participating at all while she is recovering.”
An area of about a quarter-acre needs to be graded for better drainage. Donors are needed to provide dirt, corrugated pipes, the use of a dirt mover and, of course, labor.
For more information about how you can help, call Builders Care at (904) 727-3443. Learn more online about Builders Care (builderscare.org) and Horse Sense and Sensitivity (horsesensejax.org.)