{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Radio Chatskill","title":"Horses Heal and Empower at Fair Hill Therapeutic Riding Center","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":901,"description":"At Fair Hill Therapeutic Riding Center, horses are more than animals — they’re teachers. Helping people build confidence, communication skills, and emotional connection, they offer lessons that traditional classrooms or therapy rooms often cannot.“Your ability to connect with the horse for the rider affects them deeply in areas we can’t even measure,” said Vera Remes, a PATH International–certified therapeutic riding instructor and equine assisted learning specialist. “At Fair Hill, the most important component is the horse.”Connection Comes FirstFair Hill’s one-hour lessons are structured to prioritize connection before skill. Executive Director Sally emphasizes relationship-building with the horse before teaching riding techniques.“They could do stuff we really can’t do with words,” Remes said. “There are skills, and then there’s connection for our riders.”During sessions, participants begin on the ground with breathing exercises and grooming, learning how their body language affects the horse.“When you get an equine involved, they affect everyone in the area,” Remes explained. “There’s even research that shows their heartbeat can lower the heartbeats of people in the lesson. It’s called heart rate variability.”Parents often notice improvements at home. “One little vignette,” Remes said, “is when a kid who’s never said a word tells their horse to ‘walk on.’ Your heart just swells.”Beyond Traditional RidingTherapeutic riding differs from standard instruction because the horse’s movement itself promotes healing.“If someone’s on a horse, it approximates the movement of the human body walking,” Remes said. “You’ll often see improvement in gait, balance, and coordination.”Fair Hill’s instructors ensure horses keep moving during lessons. “When they’re walking, you’re helping with balance and coordination — all the things you can’t really teach. The horse is doing that,” she said.Serving a Wide CommunityFair Hill serves children with developmental, intellectual, and...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/q7XXsnSXT_u4mZLCn3chUorwDmUD_kWiB272D6emB18/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80N2Uy/OGY5MWUwZThkYTEw/NDVkZGM2ZGZkZDIw/ZjliOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}