Saddle Up

A therapeutic ride on the Big Island

WORDS ANDY BETH MILLER

Strong, yet gentle. Horses have long been an enigmatic infatuation of the human race. Far from seeing these mysterious creatures as mere beasts of burden, the people of Hawaiÿi have embraced equines as a cohort of sorts, with which we labor alongside, learn from, and seek to symbiotically thrive with in this life. Such a synergistic perception of horses is not a new phenomenon, especially in regards to Hawai‘i’s rich history, which is marked by the many hooves that have helped to pave the Rainbow State’s road to abundance.

It all started when Westerners began arriving to the islands via ships; and Captain George Vancouver brought with him a gift to bestow upon Hawai‘i’s King Kamehameha I in 1793. The Hawaiian royal was given a herd of cattle, from which grew the cherished tradition of cowboy and ranch culture that still thrives today.

In 1803, an American, Richard Cleveland, was credited as being the first to gift horses to the present king. All accounts report that he brought a stallion and two mares (one with foal), and the rest is history. Several years thereafter, in 1832, King Kamehameha III took the first step that later spun into the paniolo (cowboy) culture that is prevalent throughout the Hawaiian Islands still to this day, particularly on the Big Island. The king tasked his high chiefs to journey to California to hire a trio of authentic Spanish vaquero to return with them to the Big Island and begin rounding up the cattle, while also teaching the locals how to handle the cattle and horses.

And while horses were first utilized as helpers by Hawaiian ranchers in order to reign in cattle and provide labor for sustainable livelihood, the use of equines in the islands have since evolved into many areas of assistance for the people of Hawai‘i. Today, not only does Hawai‘i boast a thriving ranch community, but it also has a surprising wealth of horses that are actual healers.

These days, through the practice of equine therapy, instead of wrangling cattle, some Big Island horses help individuals to harness emotions, break negative bonds, and heal their bodies and hearts. One specific program that provides certified equine therapy to island residents is the Therapeutic Horsemanship of Hawaii (THH), which has several branches operating throughout the islands.

Nancy Bloomfield, who works with the Kona branch, was gracious enough to sit down with us and share a bit about just what her program—and its equine healers—are all about. When asked to give a nutshell version of THH, Bloomfield shares, “The program provides therapeutic riding and equine facilitated educational activities to Hawaiÿi Island’s population with special needs. Our community outreach program involves visits to schools, nursing homes, and other community programs, and participation in various community events, such as parades, fairs, and fundraisers with our two miniature horses, Peaches and Calypso.”

THH branches are all affiliated with and certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International, which Bloomfield explains is “the organization that provides credentialing for therapeutic riding programs.” Bloomfield goes on to describe THH-Kona’s specific niche of clientele: “THH- Kona is geared toward individuals with physical, intellectual, visual, social, behavioral, communication, and other functional challenges. Our riders range in age from 4 to 70. Participants build core strength, improve balance, learn fine and gross motor skills, develop listening skills and build confidence and self-esteem, improve even endurance and cardio/respiratory functions. In addition, they are participating in a therapeutic activity that is fun and socially inclusive.”

According to famous psychologist Carl Jung, horses symbolize the natural forces that are mastered by human beings, and similar to how we harness a horse in order to ride it or to utilize its power, we can also harness our own energy in order to serve us, while improving ourselves and our lives.

During her time with THH-Kona, Bloomfield has seen many life transformations thanks to the healing therapy of horses. “I have seen riders struggle with crutches or a walker to reach the mounting ramp to mount their horse, or riders assisted from their wheelchair onto the horse, who have then turned around and won a walking race on their horse. The horse’s legs become the rider’s legs, which put them on a level playing field with their peers. We also see riders who have no speech or communication skills, who will actually speak their first words on a horse.”

Since the THH-Kona program doesn’t have its own facilities and is completely supported by volunteers, Bloomfield explains a little bit about their facilities, their schedule, and how they operate, “We operate out of Horseplay Equestrian Center on Sunday mornings, which is located in Honalo. We are an all-volunteer program and use volunteers as horse leaders and sidewalkers, as well as for our miniature horse visiting program.”

She then explains, “Our riding sessions are all group sessions. With prior notice, we can sometimes accommodate guest participants if a group is not full, or often we can do an individual rider session after the end of our group sessions. Guest participants with certain disabilities may need to have physician’s clearance or, if they have been involved in a therapeutic riding program elsewhere, a summary of their riding skills and/or level of assistance needed is helpful.”

As for how to volunteer, should the community or guests want to get involved, Bloomfield explains, “We have a formal volunteer training twice a year, but we do accept new volunteers in between trainings on the first Sunday of each month for an abbreviated orientation and training.”

There are also many opportunities to accompany the two miniature horses, Peaches and Calypso, as they venture out into the community on various outings to schools, nursing homes and other facilities. THH-Kona operates on Sunday mornings from 8:30 to 12:30 for its regular scheduled program, while Special Education classes can sometimes be accommodated for a special mounted riding session during the week if the facility is available. Miniature horse visits are scheduled on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.

Michele Kinoshita, who helms the sister program in Waimea, also shared with us a bit about her work. “We are a non-profit organization, who work with children and adults with special needs on an appointment only basis. Our program is geared towards anyone who has a physical, mental or emotional disability, and participants have their doctors fill out our registration packet and return it to us.” The lessons are 30 minutes each, and include catching the horse, grooming the horse, and leading the horse into the arena, as well as riding and stretching.”

Just like Bloomfield, Kinoshita has also seen amazing transformations that have resulted from her program. She shares one story that is near to her heart. “One specific client sticks out in my mind. He was a nonverbal, autistic young man, about 6 years old, who said his first words on a horse. His grandmother couldn’t stop crying, as she couldn’t believe what had happened.” According to Kinoshita, this is not an isolated incident. “We have seen so many instances of horses helping and changing our participants’ lives for the better.”

Kinoshita adds, “Seeing the participants smiling, laughing, and enjoying this experience is what keeps us coming back. We see how empowering the experience is for them, and that’s the best reward for us.”

For more information on the Kona and Waimea programs, as well as other THH branches, including programs on Oÿahu, visit www.thhwaimanalo. org. Yet another program that offers a wealth of equine therapy options is Kohala Youth Ranch. Run by Joe and Kelly Vitorino in Kapa‘au, this program offers free programs of equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) and equine-assisted learning (EAL) to qualified groups from Hawai‘i Island. For more information, visit www.kohalayouthranch.com.