“Up, over, up, over,” instructor Diana Harris said into her headset’s microphone as she moved participants through the motions, encouraging each one by name.

To the untrained ear, the instructions at the barn centering 77 bucolic acres sounded like a typical exercise class. For those participating, it was.

But instead of exercising just their own bodies, participants with physical, development and intellectual disabilities are also commanding another one about 10 times their size. Along with a rigorously certified instructor and many volunteers, the horses at Miracles in Motion in Swisher, Iowa, the United States make this adaptive riding class a little more different from ‘jazzercise’ or zumba.

Why they ride

Keaton Wright, 32, has been attending the adaptive riding classes at the non-profit for more than 20 years. With physical and intellectual disabilities, his doctor recommended it to help his balance and mobility.

But over time, the impacts have gone far beyond helping him walk and move.

In about 50 minutes of social time away from his family each week, Wright is one of the centers of attention for the instructor and volunteers in the small class for three. Over time, Wright has grown comfortable enough to leave his calming fidgets in the car.

Horses are known for their ability to form strong emotional bonds with humans.

Each week, the resident from Alburnett in Iowa relishes in the attention and the chance to improve skills at his own pace.

“When we turn off the interstate, he says: “Hats on,” said his mother, Betty Wright, referring to the safety helmets riders wear while on top of the horses.

“Even if he doesn’t say it, he understands more than we give him credit for.”

For someone who is non-verbal, that’s a big deal and a testament in part to how the relatively simple exercises have helped him over decades.

The only thing they can’t get him to say each week is “whoa,” to stop the horses the way volunteers end the class each week.

That’s because “he doesn’t want to stop,” Betty said.

An unspoken bond

For many parents watching, it’s easy to see how the power of the bond between horses and their riders transcends words.

“Horses are, in a certain sense, like people. It’s amazing to think of the unspoken language a rider shares with a horse - it’s striking,” said Ted Abel, whose son, Seamus, has been attending adaptive riding and hippotherapy for 10 years.

Abel and his wife, Noreen, got Seamus involved in riding horses when he was about 12. Their son, now a junior studying German at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, is able to speak, but has different social preferences as someone on the autism spectrum.

“One thing important about people with developmental disabilities is they’re on their own unique trajectory throughout life,” said Abel, who is University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine’s Neuroscience and Pharmacology Department chair and executive officer.

“Seeing Seamus navigate developmental milestones in a different way, different time and different order... this has helped him do that.”

Over time, Seamus has gotten comfortable with the pace of regulation that horse riding requires - with changes in weekly volunteers walking alongside him, the speed of exercises and the way it gently helps riders push their own boundaries.

Moving hands forward to touch the horse’s ears, reaching up, and stretching arms side to side while in motion several feet off the ground bring a new level of accessibility to exercise for those who can’t take traditional forms for granted.

Manoeuvering horses left and right, or up and down, instills a sense of communication that speech can’t touch.

Interacting with horses can provide a sense of companionship, trust, and emotional support, which is valuable in therapeutic settings.

A new sense of confidence

Controlling thousand-pound animals offers a sense of control that many students have difficulty finding in other areas of life, which translates to a confidence they can apply anywhere.

“Adaptive riding students are there because being on a horse makes them feel independent, strong and in control in a way that nothing else in their life does,” said Harris, who became a certified instructor with the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship in 2020 after several years of volunteering for Miracles in Motion.

“You may not be able to do things the way everybody else does, but you’re able to sit on a horse, get it to stop, lay down — it’s a lot of confidence building.”

For 35 years, the organisation has been helping those with a wide range of disabilities find their stride in life through the rhythmic motion of horseback riding - a powerful element not as often recognised by those without disabilities. With only a handful of similar non-profits around the state, Miracles in Motion serves a large portion of Eastern Iowa.

Like the riders, Harris has adapted her style. She calls each rider in the small group by name, offering constructive feedback sandwiched by positive praise to compel them.

The mature horses, donated to the organisation by former owners who used them for other occupations, adapt to the preferences of each rider. Most riders, including non-verbal ones, are very observant about their physical surroundings.

“I think it helps a great deal that horses don’t talk. A person can communicate with a horse without talking - to non-verbal people, that’s obvious,” Harris explained. “But to the rest of us who spend time with words in our heads and mouths, doing something that doesn’t require words requires a different kind of attention.”

It’s not just about being on horses, she said. It’s about fostering an environment where participants can feel better about themselves, no matter how tepid their individual progress may be.

Like many of her riders, the impact of watching that confidence come to life can be hard for the instructor to put into words.

“So much of it is emotional,” she said. “You go to a situation and see what you’re doing is effective.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS