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and have been building up from there. I started with just my 2 horses, then rescued a
couple more horses and started doing trail rides and some lessons, and started getting
those horses very well trained. Then I got couple of boarders & a few more participants
and expanded on lessons. Then, in 2017 I started the Therapy Riding Program and
in 2021 created the Connective Horse Program. Now we have 11 horses here, 5 of
which are boarders. We provide trail rides, lessons, boarding, camp-outs, and jumping
lessons, in addition to the Therapy ”Riding (TRP) & Connective Horse Programs (CHP).
Q. Tell me about the Connective Horse Program.
A. The CHP is for people with early-stage dementia and their care partners. It is the only
program of its kind that includes the person affected by dementia (and all the diseases
which fall under that umbrella such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, etc.) and
their care partners. It is an unmounted program and I have gone through all the education
as the facilitator for this program. All the clinical trials for this program were done at
Standford and UC Davis. It is a unique program which enhances the lives of those
persons afflicted with that diagnosis and their partners, as the care partners have never
been included as an essential part of the lives of the persons afflicted by dementia. Only
the needs of the person with the diagnosis have been addressed before. The people
who developed the CHP are gerontologists and social workers who specialize in elder
care and focus on dementia. Once the trials showed success, then partners such as
myself were given the opportunity to put the program into practice. We share our data
to help improve the program, in hopes that in the future there can be more participation
in CHP.
Q, How does the Connective Horse Program work?
A. It works as a 2-week workshop; it is done in 4 sessions, each 3 hours long in the
morning. That is because people are sharper in the morning and because the weather
is more predictable too. We usually have 3 sets of patients/care partners, that have
been found to be the best number of paricipants per session, so that they can get all the
assistance needed. We don’t teach
anything to either the patient or their
care partner, our job as facilitators
and horse handlers is to provide a
safe bubble for people to experience
now which is where dementia is at.
So far, we have done 2 workshops,
but we are hoping to do more; we are
hoping that, through the CHP, we can
help remove the stigma associated
with dementia.
Q. Lynn, you are very passionate
about this program.
A. If I could get anything across from
this interview, it is to remind everyone
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