Honoring the flagship location of the TRF Second Chances Program and their partnership with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the fundraiser will commemorate 40 years of “Saving Horses and Changing Lives.”

To support its mission, a brick pathway will be constructed on the horse farm near the historical Walstein Childs House. Bricks will be available through the summer of 2024, with a planned installation and unveiling set for that fall.

Click here for more information and to purchase a brick.

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A partnership between Buffalo Trace Distillery and Stapleton's charitable fund Outlaw State of Kind, this special release celebrates the 1897 legislation which authenticates a genuine whiskey from other liquors. Considered the holy grail for distillers, a Bottled in Bond whiskey must be distilled in one season by a single distiller in one distillery and aged in a federally bonded warehouse for a minimum of four years. Barreled on Jan. 5, 2012, this 100% proof bottle is not available for retail sale.

Tickets are $100 and can be purchased at https://onebidpal.net/bourbonraffle2021.

Only 200 tickets are available and the drawing will be held at 12:00pm, Dec. 15, 2021 at CKRH's therapeutic riding center (4185 Walt Robertson Rd-KY Horse Park. License # EXE-0000237.)

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Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a common disability among children, characterized by abnormal gait patterns and the inability to maintain posture and balance. While the condition is incurable, physical therapy treatments can go a long way in improving movement and balance. One such treatment approach is hippotherapy (HPOT), which uses horseback riding to improve functional mobility in children with CP. Although supported by scientific studies as an effective treatment approach for (CP), there is, unfortunately, little data concerning how HPOT results in improvement.

Recently, a team of researchers from Korea and the United States addressed this question, investigating physical interaction metrics between horses and children with CP during HPOT. “My original research interests lie in the rehabilitation of people with neurological impairment, specifically gait and balance. However, I did not know about hippotherapy until  2016. After realizing how effective it is in treating children with CP, I was motivated to explore it further,” explains Dr. Pilwon Hur, who headed the study. This paper was made available online on September 6, 2021, and was published in Volume 18 Issue 132 of the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. 

The research team studied four children with CP over the course of eight physical therapy sessions. They placed sensors on the horses and children to record their movements and track their acceleration and angular velocity. They found that the data from the horses and children began to resemble each other as time progressed, indicating a synchronization between the horse and the rider. They also gave the children mobility tests after each session and observed improvement in their motor skills at the end of the experiment.

“We found that physical interaction between the children with CP and the horses, characterized by the children adapting to the horse's movement and vice versa, is extremely important for the rehabilitation to be effective,” says Dr. Hur.

Excited by these findings, the team hopes their work will provide a baseline for further research on HPOT. “To the best of my knowledge, ours is the first study to quantify these interactions and relate them to effectiveness,” says Dr. Hur. “Such an understanding would help us optimize physical therapy programs, improving the quality of life for children with CP.”

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“I've been obsessed with horses for as long as I remember,” said LaRue, who turned her passion into a position as Director of Equine Care at the Saratoga-based Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga [THS]. “I remember begging and begging my parents to ride – and that dream became true when I was 8 and I got to take lessons.”

LaRue rode through her childhood, competing in English show jumping. But at the University of Albany, horses took a backseat as she planned to turn a job working with at-risk youth at summer camps into a career as a psychologist or a counselor – that is until she discovered the growing field of equine therapy.

THS specializes in equine assisted therapy, which rescues and retrains retired racehorses for hands-on work with individuals in need. THS horses get a new purpose by serving as a source of support while engaging in confidence-building and improving coping abilities for people of all ages. Their assistance can cover the gamut from children dealing with anxiety to victims of domestic violence and veterans.

LaRue called it “the best of both worlds,” which combines her knowledge of and desire to work with both horses and people. Retraining the horses at the 27-acre THS farm off Lake Avenue means a new start for those in the 20-horse herd. Of those 20, 11 are therapy horses, a mix of retired thoroughbred and standardbreds.

Equine-assisted learning is about rescuing horses, and a lot more. Partnering with the Saratoga-based ECS Psychological Services, THS works with licensed mental health therapists in making up a vital part of the mental health organization's animal therapy program, in which the horses play a vital role.

At the heart of the ECS animal therapy program is the belief that having a dog, cat or even a horse present in counseling sessions can be comforting – and that bonding with an animal reduces stress levels while increasing positive emotions. For children who are nervous about attending therapy, the presence of a therapy animal can make the experience less stressful and more fun.

“Time and time again, we've seen the proof that animal therapy works,” said Dr. Erin Christopher-Sisk, the founder and clinical director of ECS.

Dogs, Cats & Horses

After launching her counseling practice in 2004, Dr. Christopher-Sisk incorporated her two dogs as therapy animals. At the time, she and her husband Jim Sisk owned a trotter named DW's Regal; and a few years later when they started looking for a post-racing second career for their horse, they made him a therapy horse. At the founding of THS in 2015, DW's Regal was its first horse.

At the time, equine therapy was beginning to gain a real foothold in the aftercare community. But fortified by demonstrated success stories and several comprehensive studies that document the benefits of equine therapy for people with mental health issues, the field has gained a lot of adherents in the wellness field. Last year, the State of University of New York [SUNY] Cobleskill even added a Therapeutic Horsemanship program.

“There's nothing better than to give a horse a loving home while helping people with mental issues,” said Dr. Christopher-Sisk. “It requires licensed therapists and people with horse-handling skills. We have those people here and we have the horses – and it's really worked well.”

Horses getting a new start at THS include its newest arrival, the New York-bred filly Dr. Capote, who arrived last year. Bred and owned by Joe DiRico, Dr. Capote appeared headed to a good career on the track. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and ridden by Jerry Bailey, she was retired due to a tendon injury and, at 18, deserved “a new start,” as DiRico put it.

“I was thrilled to be able to find her this new home,” says DiRico of Dr. Capote. “Dr. Capote is a sweet and intelligent horse, perfect for working with people with mental issues. And with all the brushings she's getting and the attention, she thinks she's the 'Queen Bee.' I wish there were more places like Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga, which are really looking after the needs of retired racehorses.”

That commitment shines through in other programs as well. Working with ECS professionals, the organization uses members of the herd to provide team-building exercises to businesses, school classes, teams and other organizations. The THS program, HorsePlay, provides non-therapeutic, individually-tailored opportunities to learn horsemanship skills and how to care for horses. It also hosts birthday parties, where 5-year-olds-and-up can interact with the horses through obstacle courses and learn how to groom and lead them.

Strolling amidst the herd on a recent morning, trailed by DW Regal's best friend, Broadway Straight or “George,” a Standardbred gelding who wants his ears scratched, LaRue delved into what it takes to fulfill the THS mission.

“Growing up, it had been more about teaching a horse just to obey,” she said. “Here, we are working in partnership and helping a lot of people in the process. It's an awesome job and I love it.”

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The Equine Assisted Therapy major is an interdisciplinary major blending psychology and equine studies courses, designed to provide students with a thorough knowledge of human psychology and psychopathology and how horses may be used in order to improve the psychological functioning of a wide range of individuals.

“This interdisciplinary program blends the college's expertise in equine studies and psychology to create an opportunity for students who are interested in utilizing their knowledge and love of horses in order to offer therapeutic services to children and adults,” says Jessica Denniston, Clinical Assistant Professor of Equine Studies. “This major provides an excellent path for students interested in receiving graduate training in various mental health fields as well as allied fields such as occupational therapy.”

The program will be based on the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) model of practice, so students will be prepared to become an EAGALA certified therapist. EAGALA is recognized as the standard-setting organization in this field.

Graduates will be prepared for careers such as equine specialist for a therapeutic center, mental health specialist, working in a residential therapy setting, managing a therapy program as well as graduate studies in programs such as Emory & Henry's master's of Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

For more information, please visit www.ehc.edu/equinetherapy. To apply, visit www.ehc.edu/apply.

About Emory & Henry College: 

Located in the Highlands of Virginia, Emory & Henry offers a community filled with engaged students who choose to contribute to society and make a difference. Consistently ranked among the nation's best private liberal arts institutions, Emory & Henry has more than 80 academic majors and tracks, including the new Schools of Nursing and Business, and an average class size of 14 students making individualized education a priority. Students are connected to the world of work through our distinctive van Vlissingen Center for Career and Professional Development and Student Success Centers. Through integrated liberal arts learning and hands-on experiences all students are supported to connect their classroom experiences and projects with domestic or global travel, internships and civic engagement. Visit www.ehc.edu for more information.

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The 60-year-old grew up in the shadow of storied Santa Anita, where his father, Richard, earned his spurs. Grandfather William trained primarily in New York. Chew took out his trainer's license in 1982 on his 18th birthday and trained primarily in the Bay Area early in his career.

Now Matt hopes the future has something perhaps even more fulfilling than conditioning a Thoroughbred to win a race: helping those with special needs through programs he plans to develop.

One of countless everyday trainers who are the backbone of racing, not with abundant stakes winners but with mid-level campaigners, Chew never waivered in his philosophy: do what's right by the horse.

Matt's game plan is to have a safe haven for those with special needs who can benefit from the emotionally therapeutic environment the horses provide those with whom they're in contact. Additionally, there will be room for a few more retired racehorses to thrive.

One local episode graphically reveals such a healing process.

Matt tells the tale: “Pete Siberell (Director of Special Services and Community Projects) arranged for a group from Pasadena called Ability First that aided the developmentally disabled to come visit Santa Anita.

“Candie and I brought the park's mascot, Fred (one of the equine stand-ins for Seabiscuit in the movie of the same name) to the paddock one morning and we saw this young boy, maybe 11 or 12, looking at him real hard.

“I went over and handed him the shank. He took it and started walking with the horse, talking to him, telling him how pretty he was and what a great horse he was; he was having a conversation with him.

“Candie meanwhile looks over and sees three adults in the middle of the walking ring and their jaws are dropped; they look almost horrified. She realizes they are with the boy and begins to apologize.

“'I'm sorry,' she says. “My husband does these kinds of things. We really should have asked permission before he gave him the horse.'

“One of the women—it turned out to be the boy's mother—was sobbing. She finally told Candie that Austin (her son) doesn't talk. He was technically what they call non-verbal autistic.

“He had been through a traumatic incident several years back and since had not said a word—until that day.

“So winning races is great, of course, but witnessing something like this is beyond special.”

Candie is Santa Anita's dedicated and gifted Director of Print and Graphics. Both she and The Great Race Place have flourished under her astute guidance now going on three decades. Her most popular creation is the Wall Calendar, a traditional staple given to fans every Dec. 26.

The good news is, while Matt is retiring, Candie is not. “I will be working for Santa Anita as long as they will have me,” she says, “partially from Idaho, but at Santa Anita as much as I need to be.”

Candie also is President of the Board for CARMA (California Retirement Management Account), a program that has facilitated the successful efforts of the state to retrain and retire thousands of race horses in new homes. “I'm going to continue working at Santa Anita, but Matt will spearhead the operation in Idaho,” she said.

“He is excited about it. We have been planning this for a while, but it got moved up when it seemed the right time was sooner rather than later.

“Matt has a lot more experience with special needs kids than I do. He volunteered for a group in the Bay Area that had a riding program (Hippotherapy) for kids with cerebral palsy and that was a game changer.

“It gave him a new perspective and led us to eventually having a means of 'giving back.' Our plan is to have retired Thoroughbreds, with a program for PTSD-stricken vets to start, then explore what the community needs for other groups seeking equine-assisted therapy.

“It will require a lot of research and development, but it seems like the right thing to do.”

Amen.

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