Hippotherapy

HELP: Problem getting a paralyzed woman in the saddle!?

This woman has ridden since she was six up until sixteen years ago when a non-horse related accident left her paralyzed from the chest down (paraplegic). She wants to ride again. but, alas, there are a few problems. One, she wants to ride without somebody telling her what to do (so therapeutic centers are out of the question). Two, we need to make two designs, one Western, one English, to keep her secure in the saddle. She has good balance down to the waist, thanks to her riding for many years, but I need a strategy to keep her legs and feet secure. I realize that there is no reason to do this for aiding the horse since she can't move her legs, but in the event she was riding and her leg got caught in sometihng, the results would not be pretty. Any suggestions?

Public Comments

1. The visualization of this lady makes me worry that she is going to deny good advice and just settle for her own way even if it is wrong. There is a roper that uses this saddle in competitions and is a parapalegic. http://www.grayscustomsaddlery.com/ What about her and driving horses? That way she is able to get in the cart a little easier and has more freedom? Also to get the wheelchair up to the horse, you build a ramp, the horse has to learn to stand quietly and you ease her out of the chair to the horse. Good luck!!
2. idk
3. Where is her injury on the spine? If it is too high I would honestly re-think letting her ride for the horses safety as well as her own. She might not be able to balancee very well and if she is not going to take direction she might get herself or the horse hurt. It is VERY hard on a horse to balanc a rider who is not able to balance themselves very well. I would also talk to her doctor and be sure that I had a super quiet horse who has learned to associate two whips as leg commands. If the doctor is on board and you still want to keep at it I would recommend trying a Australian stock saddle. They are like a western saddle (nice and deep) but with no horn. I would also recommend a fleece or gel pad for the seat because if this woman cannot feel she will probably get sores very easily. As for her legs and feet. I would probably try a covered stirrup so her foot couldn't fall through. I would use rubber bands (the good old fashioned kind that break) to secure her feet to the stirrups and the stirrups to the girth. I know she doesn't want a therapeutic riding experience but it can't hurt to call one and see if they have any other ideas to keep her secure. They might even have a saddle to let you borrow and try.
4. Disclaimer .............these are just ideas not tried or proven. Maybe use break away stirrups and screw some velcro strips onto each side of the stirrup that you could bring around her heal to hold it secure in the stirrup, yet if she fell the risk would be lessened by the break aways. Might want to make the saddles legs rigid maybe sew some thin wood or aluminum on to the legs leather. My thinking here is it keep her legs from flopping around so much. I have a double amputee who rides here that lost both legs below the knee and something that helped him keep dignity was a ramp with a platform where the horse can stand next to and he can slide up in the addle pretty easy without help or alot of stares. The horse he rides didnt like the idea of this at first and took some training to get used to it. Hope this helps, If I can modify stirrup and legs for a amputee , Im guessing you can mod a saddle for her.
5. I understand that it may be hard for her to go to a therapeutic center as she was a rider previously. However, she was a fit rider before her accident and now she really has to relearn a lot of things. I taught at a therapeutic riding non profit organization in my teens and some of our riders were brand new to everything horse while others were riding before their accidents or illnesses. She may be an experienced rider, but there are a lot of things that have to be relearned DIFFERENTLY due to her new situation. She may just need to go there to learn safety measures and procedures for mounting and dismounting as well as the equipment necessary to keep her on the saddle. Paralyzed riders need to learn a different way to communicate with the horse since leg pressure is impossible. Please try and get her to at least go see a therapeutic center and give them a try. One of my students went on to compete in the special Olympics, not in riding, but I believe the confidence he learned on horseback definitely helped. The people at the centers are usually very empathetic and understand the frustrations of people who used to ride unaided before their accidents or illnesses. They won't talk to her or treat her like she is stupid and she really does have some things that she needs to be taught, as well as anyone who will be assisting her with riding at home.
6. get a step a as high as the horse the horse then get the peron up there then slowly scooch that person towards the horse and move there one leg towards the horse swing it over the saddle then the other get two people next to the horse to help with the riders balance and some one to guide the horse
7. For children barrel racers I've seen a velcro device that runs under or through the saddle then simply wraps around the thigh. It's quick release fairly discreet and would give a stable base to balance from then use a rubber band hooked on the toe of her boot and pulled around the inside of the stirrup to hook the heel to keep her foot in. This is also breakaway and not highly noticeable. If she has trouble tilting front to back I'd look into shaping two custom low profile pads that could sit in the saddle with her making a smaller area for the seat itself like wedges. It wouldn't be hard to attach them by one or two thin strips that run under her body or the whole saddle to hold them in place. Use elastic or velcro so they can be adjustable and fit snugly. No matter what it's not going to be easy. It may take some trail and error to find something that works well for her. Congrats to her for wanting to ride again, it's only right that she should be able to enjoy herself for all the hard work. Note: the velcro leg wraps should work western or English. For English it would also be well to get the strap that attaches to the front Dee rings for a quick and easy hand hold. It would give a fast chance at recovering her balance if she began to slide. Best wishes
8. For your own liability reasons, if she is not going to accept your directions and rules don't let her ride. If you let someone with that kind of an injury direct themselves and something should happen to her, you're in trouble. I have a friend who is certified to teach riders with disabilities and have worked with her in teaching her students. Even if you think their balance is ok, you always need a side walker and a leader until you are beyond certain that they can balance without falling off at the walk and trot and have good control. Letting a rider go without supervision is a lawsuit waiting to happen, because it's known disregard for clients, regardless of what the client says. If you don't feel comfortable letting her ride on her own then don't. Also, a ramp is the best way to get them on. They can just wheel up to the top and the horse can come and stand very close to the ramp quietly (make sure the horse is fine with all of the before she rides) and then you and however many other people you will need to help her get on safely usually at least 3- one to hold the horse, one on the ramp, and one on the other side of the horse. It's just not worth the risk of anybody getting hurt, so please use good safety precautions. RD programs are really great though. I worked at a camp this last summer and we had a week of RD riders and they were so happy to get on a horse- you can really see the difference it make both in attitude, posture, muscle control and a dozen other things. good luck
9. hey, i worked in a disabled riding school, when we had riders with this disabiltiy and we use to use a sheep skin with a roller. to get the riders on we used to line the horse up and back the rider onto the horse and swing their legs round. riding without a saddle is a great way to feel the movement of the horse. or how about riding in a saddle without stirrups. good luck, happy riding
10. My first thought is that this is a lawsuit waiting to happen. My second thought is that if she won't got to a therapeutic center.. you go. Ask all sorts of questions, watch how they do things with their clients. Of course, she doesn't want to be told how to do things but she has to remember that she KNEW (past tense) how to ride when she had an unbroken body. That way of riding no longer exists for her and she needs to learn what is going to work for her NOW. This is where the experts come in. There is a good possibility that she could get to a point when she could ride without someone telling her what to do. I don't want to discourage either you or her but given the situation, you need to look at this realistically.
11. There used to be a paralyzed saddle maker in Hereford Texas USA. He made saddles for paralyzed riders. Try looking him up. Maybe he can answer all your questions. His name is Larry Bird