PALS Therapy is a place where people of all ages and any ability can go to learn how to take care of and ride a horse. Charlotte Zody is a 10-year-old who has been riding horses since she was in second grade, but she started riding at PALS just about a year and a half ago.
Charlotte and her mom, Erin Zody, had tried out different places where they did horseback riding lessons. Though, none of them compared to PALS and they have stuck with them ever since. Charlotte said that one of the reasons they moved here was due to the fact that the other places they tried didn’t have an indoor arena, which made it nearly impossible for her to ride during the winter and spring, when the weather conditions weren’t the greatest for riding.
“So, I moved here and it’s great here and they have great horses and great instructors,” she said.
At PALS, the main goal is to bring in clients of all ages and even those who have a physical or emotional disability. The instructors teach clients at different ability levels and bring lessons to those who wouldn’t have had the opportunity otherwise. Through these lessons, the riders work toward showcases that PALS holds in order to show people what everyone has learned during their time there.
Q&A with Charlotte Zody, who is a client at PALS.
A lot of PALS programs work with building a connection with the horses, either through riding them or managing them in the stable. Building these connections with the horses has shown to have psychological impacts on different mental health issues someone might be facing. For example, there might be an increase seen in coping skills, confidence, anger management, etc…
Some of the programs are even specific to a person’s emotional or physical disabilities. For example, they have something called “adaptive riding, which means the clients will ride the horse in order to mimic a human gait. This type of riding has lots of therapeutic benefits, like improving balance, posture, muscle symmetry and more. Through these programs, the instructors work hard to figure out the best way to work with a client based on their riding abilities. Clients are even able to choose whether or not they want to be taught in a group setting or work one-on-one with their instructor.
The Director of Equine Development, Tessa McAfee, also works as an instructor with PALS. She started out as a volunteer when she was in high school but decided to take on teaching people to ride horses as her full-time job.
Q&A with Tessa McAfee, who is an instructor and the Director of Equine Development at PALS.
As May approaches, PALS 25 years anniversary will show just how important they have been for both the community and the clients who find help through their therapeutic horseback riding lessons. To celebrate, they are holding a gala, called “Silver Reins Gala,” where people can purchase tickets and enjoy a nice dinner.
The event will take place at 5:30 on May 2 at the Indiana Memorial Union. Tickets are available on the PALS website and cost $100 per person.
