Area children ‘Ride With Pride’ at Chartiers Township horse farm
Photo courtesy of Easterseals
Owen Shallcross, center with his back turned, shows off his gold medal to his new friends at the Easterseals Ride With Pride graduation ceremony at Coventry Equestrian Center in Chartiers Township. Also pictured, from left, are volunteer Pierson Fleming of Wheeling; Dr. Ellen Kitts of Easterseals in Wheeling; Peyton Geary of Wintersville, Ohio; Aubree Reed of Weirton; volunteer Katrina Kirby of McMechen, W.Va.; Tristan Zaliponi of Cranberry Township; Ernie Bonitatibus of Hickory; instructor Lorie Ulman of Wheeling, and Michelle Lippencott of Colerain, Ohio.
Photo courtesy of Easterseals
Lorie Ulman, certified therapeutic riding instructor from Wheeling, adjusts a stirrup for Peyton Geary, 11, of Wintersville Ohio, who was riding Blu at the Easterseals Ride With Pride program at Coventry Equestrian Center in Chartiers Township.
Four children with physical and developmental disabilities graduated recently from Ride With Pride at Coventry Equestrian Center in Chartiers Township.
The free, five-week equine-assisted therapy program was run by Easterseals Rehabilitation Center in Wheeling.
Easterseals medical director Dr. Ellen Kitts teamed with certified therapeutic riding instructor Lorie Ulman to teach participants proper horseback-riding posture and commands with the goal of improving strength, coordination, confidence and communication skills.
The children and more than a dozen volunteers came from throughout the tri-state every Thursday evening for five weeks to participate. The children practiced techniques such as standing up in the stirrups (two-point), and played games, such as Park the Pony, a sort of musical chairs on horseback.
At the graduation ceremony, Kitts noted each child’s gains and presented them with gold medals and unicorn-emblazoned T-shirts. Afterward, pizza and cake were served.
“Look, I’m a champion!” said 5-year-old Aubree Reed, showing off her medal to her father, Scott Reed of Weirton.
Aubree was born with hip dysplasia. The horse therapy has strengthened her core and boosted her attention span and confidence, both on and off the horse, Kitts said.
Tristan Zaliponi, 11, has autism spectrum disorder and refused to mount his horse Patience on the first night.
“It took 40 minutes to get him on the horse,” said his mother, Maggie Zaliponi of Cranberry Township. When he finally got on, he slumped forward in the saddle.
At the last session, he got right on, sat up straight, followed directions and chatted to the volunteers assisting him. He told his mother he’d rather ride Patience than go to school. Zaliponi and husband Aaron are thankful for this opportunity.
“I really appreciate (Easterseals) doing this. He would never have had exposure to this,” Maggie Zaliponi said.
Easterseals has operated Ride With Pride since the mid-1980s. The program is provided for free because of grant funding. Kitts moved the program from the Ohio Valley to Washington to follow longtime Ride With Pride instructor Ulman, who started teaching there during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ride With Pride was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.
Kristin Hermann, Coventry owner, was thrilled to offer her stables to Easterseals. She previously hosted equine-assisted therapy to Special Olympics participants. Hermann also helped recruit Ride With Pride volunteers, the majority of whom are riders at Coventry.
“We just want to share the love of horses with the little kids,” said Ernie Bonitatibus of Hickory, formerly of Colerain, Ohio. Ernie and his wife, Pat, have volunteered with Ride With Pride for over 15 years. They own three of the four horses at Coventry that were used in the program.
Volunteer Cheryl Etchison of Valley Grove wanted to give back after her grandson, Jax Irwin, an Easterseals client, participated in 2018 and 2019.
“I like being with the kids, and I like helping Dr. Kitts because she helped us so much,” Etchison said.
Additional participants were Owen Shallcross, 5, son of Brett and Easterseals Speech Language Pathologist Kelli Shallcross of Bellaire, Ohio, and Peyton Geary, 11, son of Jake and Melissa Geary of Wintersville, Ohio. Both children improved in the areas of balance, attention span, confidence and communication skills, Kitts said.
“When he gets on the horse, he just totally changes,” Jake Geary said of Peyton, who has Down syndrome and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. “It helps him focus and follow directions.”
Peyton previously was afraid of animals and now frequently asks to visit the farm animals near his home.
Owen receives speech therapy and has received occupational and physical therapy at Easterseals. His mother noticed a big improvement in his speech.
“He just loves to tell us all about it. He calls his grandparents from the car on the way home,” Shallcross said.
Ride With Pride will take place again at Coventry in the spring. Easterseals operates a second program for Parkersburg-area clients each summer. For more information or to volunteer, call Kitts at 304-242-3900.