PVCC Puma Press: April 2006

Horses Help, a non-profit health and human services agency in Phoenix, provides recreational and therapeutic service in an equine environment to the special needs community and PVCC students are stepping up to help.

With the use of 17 horses, from miniatures to drafts, Horses Help at 2601 E. Rose Garden Lane in Phoenix, along with its volunteers, helps people of all ages with a variety of disabilities. Robin Miller, Horses Help Director of Volunteer Services, says the agency has many different riders. People from 4 to mid-70’s with challenges like attention deficit disorder to autism and many more come to Horses Help to treat their disabilities.

Miller says that the bilateral motion of the horse stimulates clients’ muscles, circulation and nerves helping their bodies to loosen up, strengthen and stretch. As a result, a body might then be able to do things on its own that it was unable to do before.

Horses Help is a partner with PVCC Service learning. Students studying a variety of majors have volunteered for Horses Help as part of a Service Learning requirement for certain classes, according to Paula Vaughn, Director of Service Learning.

Ali Odeh, a former PVCC student, participated in Horses Help in the fall of 2005. He was enrolled in a humanities class and he and his group volunteered as part of its service project. He had duties that included grooming the horse, preparing and watering the arena, as well as working with the riders as a coach and side-walker.

Odeh says he would work as a coach, greeting the riders and then taking them to greet and mount their horse. As a side-walker he would walk beside the rider and horse ensuring that the rider was secure.

Odeh says “ I learned to appreciate what I have in life and that one person can really have a big impact on a child or teen’s life.”

	........................
	Horses Help along with volunteers helps all ages with a variety of disabilities
	........................

He also added that he enjoyed the experience and would always remember it.

With a new year starting, Horses Help is still looking for volunteers. Volunteers work with the horses, riders, event planners or maintenance. This year, along with all of its other responsibilities, Horses Help is also looking to reach out to the community by expanding its literacy program.

Sasha, a literacy pony, is part of the Horses Help literacy program. Last year she went to Palomino Elementary School to work with the special needs children on their reading skills. The children showed improvement and the school was able to chart the results. With the success of the program, Horses Help hopes to branch off and get involved with other schools in the area as well.

As the year starts, Horses Help serves about 75 riders with the help of an average 100 to 120 volunteers on a weekly basis. The agency will conduct two shows for riders to display their skills as well as three fundraisers.

Miller says they are “looking forward to an exciting year of development.”

If you would like to be involved, you can go to www.horseshelp.org to get an application. Horses Help is open from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday. It is also open from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturday.