Purple Pony Company provides
horse riding as therapy for disabled

Children and adults with disabilities, such as autism, mental retardation, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis can receive a variety of therapies. One of the therapies that might come as a surprise to some, is horse riding.

For decades, horse riding has been used to help disabled children and adults on a physical and social-emotional level. Most of all, this is accomplished while the person is having fun. With that purpose in mind, Lorrie Renker and Lee Morgan recently started a business called Purple Pony Therapeutic Horsemanship, Inc. Purple Pony is located in Spencerport on Whittier Road.

Renker is a master level instructor and is actively involved with therapeutic riding on the national level, where she presents seminars and workshops to other instructors. Her previous experience includes helping to establish the first four-degree program for therapeutic horsemanship at St. Andrews College in North Carolina.

Morgan has seven years experience teaching therapeutic riding. She has been a horse owner for 25 years and has competed in combined training, dressage and driving competitions, including shows at Walnut Hill in Pittsford.

"We created Purple Pony with the intention of providing real treatment to help those children and adults with disabilities," said Renker. "We also wanted to open up the opportunity of riding horses to those disabled children and adults who might have thought that riding a horse would be impossible."

Purple Pony is open to individuals who are four years and older. While Purple Pony can work with a wide range of disabilities, for safety reasons it cannot accept everyone.

Because safety is a primary concern and for those who are eligible to ride, Purple Pony utilizes various equipment to make the lessons as safe as possible. In addition to helmets and safety stirrups, the company provides ramps to help those who are in wheelchairs mount the horse. A Western-style saddle also might be used if a rider needs more stability.

The benefits of therapeutic riding are numerous. As the students learn various equestrian skills, they also improve their cognitive, physical, emotional, social and behavioral skills. Riding can improve posture and coordination, as well as increase a person's range of motion, muscular strength and flexibility.

Psychological benefits include improved motivation, self-esteem and confidence. Cognitively, a person's attention span can increase. Social skills also improve through team work and social interaction with other riders.

Purple Pony offers both driving and riding programs for participants. Because a disability affects each individual differently, Purple Pony tailors each lesson to the particular needs of the individual.

"The disability plays into what the lesson looks like," Renker said. "The bottom line is that we do not simply put a rider on a horse and walk around the arena. We want to positively affect him or her physically, cognitively, socially and emotionally and we want to do that in the least restrictive environment."

Purple Pony also has a special program in which it allows a person's sibling to participate in a riding lesson. "Often times people with disabilities aren't able to share activities with their siblings," said Renker. "It is possible to set up a riding lesson so both can share in the experience."
For those individuals who are timid or uncomfortable with riding a horse, as well as those who are physically unable to because of their disability, Purple Pony has a "driving" program. Instead of riding horseback, the person rides in a carriage or wagon type seat and learns to direct the horse with reins.

"What makes driving an important part of the program is the ability to include students who might not physically be able to ride and to give students whose riding progress is limited by a physical disability the opportunity to be challenged at a different level," said Morgan.

The horses

The stars of Purple Pony are the horses and interacting with them is probably the favorite part of the lessons for many of the students.

"The horses are the magic that make the program work," said Renker. "They provide unconditional love and acceptance and each of them have good temperaments."

Purple Pony has four horses that it uses for its riding and driving lessons. The youngest is a 15-year-old golden Palomino quarter horse named Rocker. The oldest horses are 22 years-old and are named Toy, a leopard Appaloosa, and Richard, a Shetland/Hackney pony. For the driving program, riders will get to know a 21-year-old Pinto pony named Sunny.

A typical program at Purple Pony is between eight to 10 weeks. The cost is about $25 per hour. Some insurance providers will pay at least a portion of the costs. There are also scholarships available. For information about Purple Pony, call 585-349-1481.