Equestrian therapy program gives a lift to the disabled
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Spending the day with horses at Pete Peters' Handicapped Equestrian Learning Program (HELP) is enriching not only for the disabled participants but also for the volunteers who assist the riders during the therapy sessions.

The relaxed atmosphere at the rustic ranch overlooking green hills above Walnut Canyon Road is a welcome reprieve from the daily routine, said 17year-old Lexi Gray, who's been participating in the program for about nine years.

"I just love it up here. It's a place to get away and relax," Lexi said.

The Simi Valley resident, a practiced rider, is preparing for an upcoming show at Peters' ranch on May 31.

"I'm an athlete,' she said as she saddled her horse, Buddy.

"Riding has helped Lexi with her fine motor skills, and she's so much happier since she started to come here," said her mother, Eileen Dyck.

The horseback therapy program is geared to serve young people who have disabilities.

"I started the program in the early 1970s and have been doing it ever since," Peters, 87, said.

A small but regular group of disabled children and young adults visit the ranch once a week for riding lessons.

"Riding is very therapeutic," said Deidra Contino, a Moorpark resident who's been volunteering for the program for about a year and a half.

Shawn Blackwell, 24, has been coming regularly since he was 10 years old.

The autistic young man likes routine, said his father, Dan.

"The horseback therapy is one of the main things he looks forward to every week."

Moorpark residents Jeff and Trish Ferguson also like to spend their Saturday mornings working at the Peters ranch, helping participants and taking care of the horses.

"I know horses quite well, so I use my experience to help kids," said Jeff, a retired truck driver.

Trish, a former horsebackriding instructor, was prepping a horse a few feet away while Blackwell anxiously waited for his ride to be ready. Once the young man got up in the saddle, he settled down and flashed a smile while Trish led him around in the corral.

"The horses seem to sense who the riders are," said Trish, who also volunteers for the Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship program in Newbury Park.

For many years, Peters and his wife showed horses throughout the U.S. When they eventually sought a new challenge, they began to work with disabled children, Peters said.

"I wanted to quit showing horses because I wanted to spend more time at home," said Peters, who purchased the Moorpark ranch in 1970.

The Ventura County Special Olympics no longer includes equestrian programs because it's too costly, Peters said. The Thousand Oaks Kiwanis Club is sponsoring the May 31 horse show at the ranch, he added, but additional sponsors are needed.

Interested groups and individuals are asked to call Peters at (805) 529-1888.

Disabled riders from local therapeutic horsebackriding programs will demonstrate their skills during the horse show event, Lexi said.

"We're hoping to have 150 kids at the horse show," Peters said.