Therapy horses connect with seniors building mental and physical resilience

The Therapeutic Riding Association of Ottawa-Carleton hosts “Horse-Power for Seniors”. The event is geared at helping participants with balance, strength, and c

Seniors at a rural Ottawa riding centre are finding strength, balance and connection with a program that pairs older adults with therapy horses to help build strength, confidence and social connection.

The Therapeutic Riding Association of Ottawa-Carleton (TROtt) hosted an event on Friday at its stables on Bank Street in Greely, highlighting its “HorsePower for Seniors” program, providing activities with horses meant to support physical and emotional well-being.

Friends Nahia Cudi and Ibtisan Abdul-Rahim, along with many others, spent the afternoon grooming, leading and interacting with the horses.

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“They are special to me. I’ve been raised in a small village, and we used to always have a horses,” says Abdul-Rahim, who felt an instant bond while walking alongside one of the therapy horses. “I don’t know how to say it, that feeling with the horses is so good for me.”

“I was a farmer’s daughter, and I used to ride before moving to Canada when I was 19,” says Cudi. “Being with the horses is beautiful, I love it so much.”

Programs manager Alanna McLelland says the equestrian activities can help improve balance, mobility and confidence while also reducing social isolation.

“My grandmother had Alzheimer’s, and I think this program would have really benefited her,” she says. “It makes me really happy to see other seniors involved in the program and to be able to have access to our facilities and our beautiful horses and if that just makes their day then I’m excited.”

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Carleton MP Bruce Fanjoy and MPP Geroge Darouze attended the event. The TROtt program receives support through government grants, including the federal New Horizons for Seniors Program and the Ontario Seniors Community Grant Program. Both provide funding to community groups and organizations to run activities designed to help seniors stay active, socially connected and engaged in their communities.

“We get a chance to make a difference here. We had a chance to make a difference in the community that that we’re with, and we get a chance to meet some individuals every day and occasionally make a difference in what they do in their lives,” says John Ross, TROtt chair of the board. “For a lot of our clients, the physical benefits, the mental benefits of riding or participating in our ground-based program here, those things also come into play.”

The riding centre, located at 6362 Bank St., has been operating for 50 years, offering therapeutic riding and other equine-assisted programs for people with disabilities.