Whisperings

A confession: the closest I've ever been to a horse is the merry-go-round. Somehow I had managed to spend my entire New York girlhood without ever succumbing to the romance of National Velvet, velvet riding coats and My Little Pony. It was a world that had no place - or appeal - for me.

Yet here I am on the road to Damascus (really) about to undergo a conversion of my own, about to get up close and personal with a horse. Several horses, actually, all belonging to...

A confession: the closest I've ever been to a horse is the merry-go-round. Somehow I had managed to spend my entire New York girlhood without ever succumbing to the romance of National Velvet, velvet riding coats and My Little Pony. It was a world that had no place - or appeal - for me.

Yet here I am on the road to Damascus (really) about to undergo a conversion of my own, about to get up close and personal with a horse. Several horses, actually, all belonging to Great Strides, a therapeutic riding program located 31 miles north of Washington, DC.

Spread out over 23 acres of riding rings, stables and open fields, Great Strides is the ideal place to find emotional equilibrium. The co-founders, Terry and Brad Lewis, horse lovers, social workers and the parents of a very junior rider, fully subscribe to Winston Churchill's theory that "there is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." Engaging the horses as "co-therapists," they and their staff often succeed where traditional therapy fails, helping adults and children discover within themselves the ability to trust, grow and develop healthier relationships.

What is it about horses that make them so well suited to this task (among others)? "Dogs, cats and humans are predators. Horses, in the wild, are prey," Brad explained. "They have to tell in an instant if they're safe or in danger. So they've developed this 'sense intent' (horse sense?) to predict the behavior of creatures around them. Are those lions are coming to eat them or just passing through? Horses can tell. Same with humans. Our horses can feel and reflect the emotions around them - so if someone is tense or angry, the horse therapist can mirror this back in a way that the client can see and react to it. A real-time emotional bio-feedback device."

It sounds like magic but it works. One young patient who refused to talk found his voice and a new outlook after slowly accepting help and a sense of community with the therapists, horses and stable-hands. Another young girl, a chronic runaway, learned the value of trust when working with a horse who ran away from her.

Most of the work comes not in the riding of horses, but in creating a relationship with them. A good thing too because when it was my turn to meet the equine docs I was way too scared to even approach them. Riding was out of the question. The horses knew it too. They gave me the most skeptical of looks as if to say, "What are you doing here? You have no clue." They were so right. And I learned another lesson. When you bring a treat for one horse, you have to bring enough for all. One apple doesn't cut it.

But they were gracious to this novice and very kind. They tolerated my tentative horse handshakes (palm down) and pats on the muzzle. And those eyes - no one has ever looked out on the world with such benevolence and understanding. Particularly Topaz, whose one blue eye and one brown eye gives him special insight into both the spiritual and real worlds (according to Native American legend).

I could have sat in that stable for hours. I was smitten.

So many thanks to Linus, Roo, Bodie, Topaz and Oz for your patience and gentleness. In response to all my high anxiety, you radiated only peace.

I'll be back. With enough apples for everyone this time.

Great Strides is located in Damascus, Maryland. www.greatstrides.org.