Doctors told Gwen Marelo that her son would never walk.
Marelo, a Luling resident, said she and her husband were devastated by that assessment of their son, Brian, who suffers from spina bifada.
But those doctors were wrong — thanks, in part, to Brian’s experience riding horses at the Greater New Orleans Therapeutic Riding Center.
“It’s been the greatest thing,” Marelo said. “We’ve always noticed a difference when he rides or doesn’t ride. Whenever he’s riding, he’s a little more stable in his walking. He will sometimes drop his (walking) sticks and try to walk more.”
The LaPlace center is run by Anita Hefler, who founded it in 1993. Since that time, it has helped improve the quality of life for countless people, providing therapy for those with disabilities. Horse assisted activities have been shown to improve muscle tone, balance, posture, coordination, motor development and emotional well-being.
“The movement of the horse is the most similar to the human walking gait,” Hefler said. “It cannot be duplicated anywhere. So, kids who don’t walk well or don’t walk at all get normalized input. That teaches the brain.”
Hefler noted riding improves development of upper body strength, balance and coordination – things needed to sit up, stand and walk.
Marelo said Brian, now 6-years-old, has been riding at the center since the age of two. She said it has helped immeasurably for a child whom it was once thought would be confined to a wheelchair or in need of a walker to move. “Since we’ve done the horseback riding, it’s helped him develop his core strength. He’s just getting stronger,” Marelo said. “This summer, we haven’t been able to take him as much because of the rain and heat, and you can notice a difference. His posture isn’t as stable as it was. We’re hoping to get back to it and rebuild his core strength.
Hefler has noticed another difference in the boy.
“When he first came, he’d hardly ever speak. He’s really blossomed,” Hefler said. “He became a lot more verbal and active.”
Marelo added, “Now, when he comes, we can’t get him to stop talking sometimes. It gives him exercise and balance portions, plus he gets to socialize with other people. He gets to see other people who have some kind of difference, like him, and it kind of makes it normal for him.”
Brian, who said he “really likes all of it” when it comes to riding, was one of the first students under the age of four who was permitted to ride when he began.
“At first, the philosophy was you can’t take anyone under four because they’re too little,” Hefler said. “But we find the younger they are when you start to work with them, the greater the chance of improvement. He wasn’t supposed to be able to walk, but after six weeks, he was already walking his walker. Of the other six (younger riders), five of six started walking within six months.”
Brian said he can feel a distinct difference.
“I’m stronger when I’m riding,” he said. “I feel better when I ride every week.”
Hefler says riding can do wonders from a confidence standpoint as well.
“When you’re little, as many of our riders are, and you get up on that horse, it gives them a completely different perspective,” Hefler said. “They feel powerful and they get to look down at people. One of our riders got up there and just exclaimed, ‘My wheelchair looks so small from here!’”
The Riding Center, a partner agency of the United Way of St. Charles, is located at 152 Shadow Brook Lane in LaPlace. For more information, to sign up or volunteer, visit gnotrc.com or call (985) 651-5239.
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