May's Charity of the Month

May’s Charity of the Month: Shadow Equestrian Inc.

Worldwide, animal therapy has been used to help children for years overcome their physical, emotional and learning disabilities. On a 19-acre site in Monroeville, New Jersey, Shadow Equestrian Inc. (SE), provides horseback riding lessons as a way to assist children between the ages of 2 to 12 to overcome their physical and mental challenges.

Donald Benedetti (on right) at Shadow Equestrian

On April 23, 2005, Donald J. Benedetti, a 24-year MDRT member and Platinum Knight from Yardville, New Jersey, presented SE with a $5,000 grant on behalf of the MDRT Foundation. This grant will be used to fund Therapeutic Riding Scholarships for families who need economic assistance to pay for their children’s equine therapy lessons.

SE was started by Kay Drissel, a former elementary school teacher and certified North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) instructor, in 2001, as a way to provide therapeutic riding lessons for physically and mentally disabled children at a low cost through fundraising, lesson sponsorship and donations.
Today, SEI has six therapy horses, two NARHA instructors and 28 volunteers who serve 35 students year round. The children who take classes at SE live with a variety of disabilities, which include cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, attention-deficit disorder and attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder, multiple sclerosis as well as speech, hearing and vision impairments.

Many of the children who attend this program are unable to compete in more common sports. Horseback riding helps them prove to themselves that they, too, can succeed at an athletic activity; thus boosting their self-confidence and self-esteem.

“Not only has Iris’ balance and posture improved since she began riding, her self-confidence has blossomed and carried over into her everyday activities and social situations,” said Amy Lobel, whose daughter, Iris, participates in classes at SE. “I believe this comes from the sense of independence she gets while riding and looking ‘down’ from the horse as opposed to ‘up’ from her wheelchair. Iris’ morale gets a weekly boost at SE, and this has had more far reaching benefits than we ever anticipated.”