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Miles of Smiles brings therapy, joy to the ill and disabled
Published 6/18/2011 in Local News
By ANGIE HAFLICH
ahaflich@gctelegram.com
Horses generally are utilized for work on farms and ranches, as show or race horses or along with their riders, to wow rodeo fans.
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram Miles of Smiles client Ron Phillis grooms his pal, “Paint,” on Friday morning at the Miles of Smiles facility.
Horses bring smiles to faces for many different reasons.
Joyce Adams must have recognized the impact that horses can have on humans when she founded Miles of Smiles in 1997.
Miles of Smiles is a nonprofit organization that, with the use of horses, provides therapeutic riding programs for people with various forms of disabilities or illnesses, including but not limited to: muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, autism, multiple sclerosis, emotional disabilities, attention deficit disorder, deafness and spinal cord injuries.
Sara Brown, who is the current part-time director and an instructor for the program, also recognizes the unique bond that can develop between the horses and students. She says the biggest thing she notices in the participants, who range in age from 4 to 60 and older, is development of self-esteem.
"So many of our riders come, and they've never been able to take part in an activity. They've never been on a baseball team or football team or whatever, so for them to be able to accomplish that is really rewarding — to see that smile on their face," Brown said.
The program attempts to accommodate people with different needs.
"We have people who just need to talk to the animals," Brown said. "Like the guy who came Friday. He and the horse named Paint have a special bond, and he will talk to that horse and the horse just stands there and listens to him."
"Paint's kind of a clown, too. There for a while, every time we took his picture he would stick his tongue out at the camera," Brown said. "He's just goofy."
Another program is vaulting, which basically is gymnastics on horseback. Brown said it's instrumental in helping people who are ADHD or autistic.
"I heard a story once, it wasn't here. A woman who taught vaulting had two little autistic boys who were tactile defensive — they did not want to touch anybody or have anyone touch them. And she put them on the horse together. They had to hold on to each other or they were both going to fall off, so they learned to depend on each other," Brown said.
Recently, a grant from The Finnup Foundation helped the organization pay off the remaining balance of its mortgage on its 11.2-acre property at 901 W. Maple St.
With the mortgage paid off and more funds freed up, Brown hopes the program can expand by adding onto the existing arena, which will include a new office and storage, as well as a separate viewing room.
There currently are four certified instructors: Brown, Jennifer Standley, Tiffany Schmidt and Ellen Lynn, who are available only on a part-time, volunteer basis. Another of Brown's goals is to begin paying them, which she hopes also will attract other instructors, allowing for the program to operate full time.
There currently are spring, summer and fall sessions. There are 32 students in this summer's program and a waiting list of 20 to 25 more.
"I wish we could accommodate more of them because at least once a month I get probably at least one phone call from someone wanting to be added to the waiting list," Brown said.
Brown works afternoons as the director at the organization, in addition to working mornings at Victor Ornelas Elementary School.
The organization is a member of and operates under the rules of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, a national nonprofit organization that promotes and ensures safety and quality of therapeutic riding programs.
The organization receives private donations and also generates funds through boarding fees, as well as grants.
The horses used in the program generally are donated, but of the 13, three belong to instructors who "volunteer" their services, as well. The horses usually are retired work horses or show horses. Brown said that show horses generally do the best because they already have the right disposition for it.
"Show horses make really good therapy horses because they are exposed to so much that hardly anything spooks them, which is what we need. We need them to become what we call 'bomb proof,'" Brown said.
For more information about the horses, as well as the program, visit Miles of Smiles' website at www.miles-of-smiles.org.
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