海角大神

Kristie Stokes sits high and proud on the reins as she guides Melody, a 1,000-plus-pound draft horse, around the barn. In her pink helmet, pink sweatshirt, and pink boots, Ms. Stokes follows a course set by her instructor, who offers instructions, and often encouragement, in the center. Melody walks on. Ms. Stokes talks to Melody.

鈥淪he鈥檚 a sweetheart,鈥� says Ms. Stokes. 鈥淎nd she listens to me.鈥�

Ms. Stokes, who has special needs, sees Melody each week at Dream Catchers, a therapeutic horseback riding center in Virginia鈥檚 James City County. For the last three years, she鈥檚 visited the 22-acre ranch for the physical and mental benefits of horsemanship 鈥� structured around programs from speech therapy to psychotherapy. Those benefits, experts say, are borne out of a trust between horse and rider, a relationship like the one Ms. Stokes has with Melody.聽

Nestled into back roads, Dream Catchers is one of a growing number of therapeutic riding centers across the country. Serving more than 800 participants since its founding in 1993, the center has been a respite for many seeking the mix of patience, honesty, and camaraderie that, advocates say, only a horse can provide.聽

That relationship, says Cher Smith, communications coordinator for the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International, can empower, teach, build trust with, and help heal participants 鈥� even if their partner is a 1,000-pound animal.

鈥淲hen you come to that animal with all of your junk, with all of your past issues, with who you are physically, that horse doesn鈥檛 care,鈥� says Ms. Smith. 鈥淲hat he cares about is, can I trust you?鈥澛�

A beginning with nurses

Dream Catchers鈥� story begins at the Cumberland Children鈥檚 Hospital in neighboring New Kent County. A group of nurses who realized the therapeutic value of working with horses started the program. The Cori Sikich Therapeutic Riding Center became its home in 2004, after a family donated the land in memory of its daughter Cori, an avid horsewoman.聽

Served by a full staff and small cavalry of almost 300 volunteers, the ranch is a collection of barns, fences, and pastures. Around 80 to 100 participants visit each week, says Executive Director Janet Mayberry.聽

The program鈥檚 15 horses 鈥� and two therapy dogs 鈥� all required careful selection, says Ms. Mayberry, for not every horse can be a therapy horse. It takes the right mix of personality and physicality 鈥� a blend of patience, sensitivity, and steadiness. There are no stallions on the ranch.

When Rhonda Hamlin, a mental health specialist, works with new clients, she says she first takes them to the pasture and lets them watch. Often, she says, a horse will come near, greeting a participant鈥檚 outreached hand near its nose 鈥� a 鈥渉orse handshake.鈥� Somehow, she says, horse and rider choose each other.聽

Dream Catchers has breeds ranging from miniature horses to medium-sized Welsh ponies to large draft horses like Melody. A physical connection matters because a horse鈥檚 gait resembles a human鈥檚, says Ms. Mayberry. That resemblance helps a participant build core strength and improve posture.聽

Once a rider finds his or her horse, it鈥檚 all about growing their relationship.聽

Courses with cones and poles

During a lesson in early February, Ms. Stokes takes Melody around the barn, weaving through cones and stepping over poles. A trainer guides the riders over a loudspeaker housed in the rafters, while volunteers walk with the riders for safety. Melody responds to Ms. Stokes鈥� commands of 鈥渨alk on鈥� or 鈥渨hoa.鈥� At one point, Ms. Stokes lets go of the reins and waves her arms from side to side above her head.聽

The courses may look like a simple arrangement of cones and poles, says instructor and barn manager Samantha Bannock, but they鈥檙e more than a pony ride. Trainers can quickly adjust based on a rider鈥檚 needs 鈥� changing the speed, stance on the horse, or maneuvers. Progress isn鈥檛 always linear, she says, but instructors can gradually push participants to build their confidence and trust.聽

鈥淭hey [horses] can pick up or perceive a person鈥檚 feelings or emotions even before the person themselves kind of acknowledges [them],鈥� says Ms. Hamlin. 鈥淪o in a very rudimentary sense, I can use them as a barometer and know immediately what鈥檚 happening with a client just by watching what the horse does.鈥�

Horses are prey animals, which means they鈥檙e extremely 鈥� even if imperceptibly 鈥� sensitive to their environment, she says. That enhanced perception also requires participants to be honest, says Ms. Hamlin. If a rider presents himself or herself one way but is feeling another, the horse will stay away.

In the present

Unlike a human, who may hold a grudge, horses remain in the present, says Ms. Hamlin. That quality allows riders to feel accepted more easily by horses than by humans, she says. Whenever participants make a mistake, she reminds them that the horses will always be willing to start over.

The same attitude is required of riders. Before Ms. Stokes came to Dream Catchers, her mother, Karen, says she rode at a different program closer to her home. Several years ago Kristie fell from a horse and had to have pins put in her knee, says Karen. But when she came to Dream Catchers, she didn鈥檛 hesitate to keep riding, her mother says.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not an easy thing to get up on that horse and ride. It can be terrifying,鈥� says Ms. Mayberry. 鈥淪o it requires trust in the people that you鈥檙e working with and strength of character.鈥�

Karen Stokes says she sees the change in her daughter when they come to the ranch. Kristie smiles more, talks more, and parades around her confidence.

Kristie 鈥渆ngages with the horse. She talks to this horse. They have such a great relationship. She鈥檚 in control of the situation,鈥� says Karen Stokes.聽

But for Kristie, a visit to Dream Catchers is just a visit to Melody 鈥� or 鈥淢el,鈥� as she calls her.聽

鈥淚鈥檓 happy when I see her,鈥� she says.