Jewel on her horse

Photos by Makena Gadient

Robin said that I needed more photos, so here they are Robin, and thanks for the suggestion.
Top photo is our Christmas shot with Billy aka Cookie dough. We did the dress up photo and we all looked so fake that we decided to take a candid shot with Billy and that is the photo we used for our Christmas card. This is a photo of our whole family, and Jewel looks like she has no disability here, Raven is acting as a back rider.

The second photo is of us working with Jewel while the horse is stationary. There are a lot of things that you can do while the horse stays still. Each hand is placed purposefully, we try to touch Jewel in a way that aids in her progress. If we do too much for her we hinder her gains. We place our hands gently but firmly applying minimal pressure. We consult with the O/ T and talk about how, what, where, when constantly. How can we move past the tears and the "no", how can we help motivate and engage her mind, how are we hindering and how can be better help. This is when I wish I had taken some psychology classes. As long as we can engage Jewel's mind and keep her happy, she can do so much more. Other wise beware of the body that complains. You see everything is very hard for Jewel, everything is work, even holding up her head and taking a deep breath. We use this great book; The Horse, the Handicapped, and The Riding Team In A Therapeutic Riding Program. A Training Manual For Volunteers by Barbara Teichmann Engel, Margaret Lois Galloway, Mary P. Bull, Amazon sells this book and it is reasonably priced and easy to read and comprehend. Check it out.