Equine therapy helping students with disabilities in San Tan Valley

PHOENIX — Children with disabilities in San Tan Valley are discovering new ways to thrive thanks to horses trained not just to trot, but also to teach.

Manes and Miracles, an equine therapy center near Friend Avenue and Ranch Road, works with children with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other conditions.

Executive Director Lindsey Pittman said sessions include certified therapist instructors who ride alongside students. Students with disabilities benefit because the sessions combine skill-building with movement.

“We’re able to see profound things happen in the growth and development of children as they sit on the horse,” Pittman told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

“The movement of the horse engages just about every system of the body. We see … improvements in balance, in core strength, flexibility, emotional regulation,” she added. “It activates the cardiovascular to the respiratory.”

Counselor says equine therapy helps her Arizona students

Sarah Rollinger is a middle school counselor at Gateway Academy, a school for children with high-functioning autism. She said her students attend equine therapy twice a month, and the self-confidence that comes from the program is evident in the classroom.

“A lot of times working with horses, kids get frustrated, things don’t go smoothly. Horses have minds of their own, right? And so, when students learn how to interact with the horses and push through those challenges that really kind of… rolls over into the classroom,” she said.

The impact of equine therapy is also shown in the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account handbook, which lists any certified equine therapy program as approved for purchase using ESA money.

Rollinger said one reason these programs are so effective is that horses express emotions and respond to experiences in ways children can relate to. That emotional mirroring helps kids connect more deeply and learn to regulate their own feelings through the horse’s behavior.

“The therapist teaches the students that if you start taking deep breaths, that actually also helps to calm the horse. So really just being in tune with themselves as well as being in tune with the horses, there’s really a dynamic relationship there,” she said.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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