Testimonials
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A message from Tim Greene,
MGH Arena Coordinator,
Health & Clinical Services:
“Welcome to the MGH web site.
Every day the Marianna
Greene Henry Special Equestrian
Program impacts the lives
of the disabled children
at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and
Blind by allowing them to
experience the joy of riding horses
not just for recreation,
but for therapeutic challenges,
confidence, physical strength
and pride. Hippotherapy
(physical therapy on horseback)
can accelerate students’
accomplishments that would
normally take months in
traditional physical or
occupational therapy. The horse motivates
riders to use their hands,
legs and voice in ways they’ve never done
before. Children who
are deaf learn
to balance better.
Children who are blind learn good posture,
which strengthens their
muscles to help them hold their heads
up. Children with
Cerebal Palsy break their tendency to bend
their legs inward because
they’re forced to stretch their
muscles outward to stay
atop the horse. But often more
important than the physical
accomplishments is that riding
horses increases a sense
of self worth and self-esteem.
It seems as though it was
just yesterday that we had started a
pilot program in the side
yard of a farm with only 8 students
from the Helen Keller School.
Now, we are the largest center
in the country serving the
Deaf, Blind and multi-disabled students
from all 4 campuses of AIDB.
We are also proud to be a Premier
Accredited Center with the
North American Riding for the
Handicapped Association
(NARHA) serving literally hundreds of
students.
Our professional staff of
NARHA Registered Instructors, management
and coordination teams,
equine professionals,
Physical and Occupational
Therapist and a slew of volunteers
are not only dedicated in
their jobs, but in their hearts as well.
This can be seen from the
reactions of the students while on the horse,
to the dramatic results
long after dismount, knowing they
are on their way to a healthier,
more productive, happier life.
Personally, I do not see
working at the MGH Arena as a job, I see
it as a privilege.”
A very fitting quote for
AIDB and the MGH Arena is one mentioned
by Dr. Terry Graham, President
of AIDB, “At AIDB we focus on our
students abilities rather
than their disabilities.”
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The Marianna Greene Henry
Horse Arena is a wonderful place for students on the E.H. Gentry campus
of AIDB to get away from their demanding academic classes and cut loose,
relax and enjoy the horses while having a wonderful learning experience
at the same time. My name is Sondra Corbitt and I am the Recreation Therapist
at E.H. Gentry. I have watched several of our students benefit from the
services the MGH Arena provides. One student in particular named Thomas
Taylor started the class and had never been up close or even touched a
horse in his life. I will never forget the first class; Thomas was ready
to have a change of schedule because he was so nervous before we even got
there, but after the first class Thomas looked like a kid at Christmas.
The staff at the arena had introduced him to something he would love forever,
horses. Thomas was not nervous once he saw the horse up close, he learned
under the direction of the staff at the arena how to get on the horse and
how to change directions and how to stop and start the horse and also grooming
skills. Thomas felt free as a bird when the volunteer at the arena was
able to take the lead rope off the horse and Thomas was independently riding.
Thomas told me that not many people had taken time with him during his
life and at the arena he felt special and it was a feeling he couldn’t
explain he knew he just looked forward to every class and that he had a
new love for horses. Thomas has come a long way since he started classes
at the MGH Horse Arena, with the horses and socially as well, the horses
have give Thomas Taylor an adult student at E.H. Gentry a new boost of
confidence. He believes in himself because of his experience at the MGH
arena. One day, we only had Thomas on the bus to go to the arena; I asked
Thomas if he wanted me to cancel class because there was only one person.
Thomas just motioned for me to go and he said, I’ve waited all week for
this class; the horses are waiting on me. Thomas is an adult student and
does not talk a whole lot, but the MGH Arena means so much to him, he wanted
to go for his class and it didn’t matter that he was the only student;
he loves the horses and the staff at the MGH Arena.
Sondra Corbitt
Recreation Therapist
E.H. Gentry
MGH Horse Arena has been
a Godsend for the children of AIDB. I can speak specifically for
the Deaf kids I work with as an Adjustment Specialist. The impact
on their lives has been tremendous. I think of the young student
whose own energy and strong will has posed problems for her in the dorm
and classroom but at the Arena her energy and strong will makes her an
outstanding worker and horse rider. The confidence, self esteem and
joy this program brings to the lives of the students is precious.
My other 8 year old student ask me everyday about going to horses.
And on the days he knows he is going he is ready with cowboy boots, a big
red cowboy hat and a smile on his face. It has become part of his
identity, how he defines himself. Other students may approach the
horses with a little more fear or uncertainty. For them it is truly
rewarding to watch them blossom from frustration to confidence. The
instructors at the Arena encourage this growth and independence.
They have learned the language and how to communicate with the children
and reached the minds behind the wall of deafness. They know their
students as individuals each grappling with their own life story.
The Arena with its horses, its instructors and its approach is bringing
God’s hand into the lives of AIDB students and for that I am grateful.
Melissa Irving
ASD Adjustment Specialist
“A Confidence Found Deep
Within”
By “Elizabeth Stanley”
Brittney Fisher was a very
small girl in appearance, only weighing maybe 40 pounds when I met her.
She had long arms and legs and a slender body, and her long black hair
was usually in tight beautiful braids. She came with her primary school
teacher from The Alabama School for the Deaf for therapeutic riding.
Normally with this class the students mount from a mounting ramp to help
save time and our horses’ backs. As we assisted her in mounting for
the first time we remember talking about how tiny she was and how it must
feel to be astride such a big animal. She took it all in stride and
followed each instruction. As she went into the arena with the rest
of her class she sat up very straight and listened to the lesson topic
for that day. It was the beginning of the year, and she was a new
rider; it was obvious she was trying not to act nervous. With time
and a lot of practice she learned to be pretty confident on the back of
the horses. She began to look forward to her two o’clock riding time
with her class.
However, even after she started
to gain more confidence on the back of a horse, her confidence did not
yet seem to spill over into other areas of her life. After she had
been riding for almost a year we remember seeing her sitting on the bench
waiting to mount when our very friendly barn cat walked past. In
a split second she had jumped up on the bench and nearly climbed the rail
behind her to get away from what was, in her mind, a ferocious student-eating
beast.
The next year we had decided to offer tryouts for an after school riding
program called Rider’s Club. In the program students learn all aspects
of horsemanship including horse care, riding skills, and competition, just
to name a few. But beyond the technical aspects we wanted the students
to learn to be a team with their horses, to learn self confidence and to
learn that the sky was the limit if they gave it their best. With
only 20 slots on the team we were a little surprised when we had almost
50 students from AIDB who came to tryouts. The students were
divided into groups and only a few tried out each day. The students
were asked to write an essay explaining why they wanted to be on the team,
and they were asked to demonstrate their horsemanship and riding skills.
When Brittney arrived at tryouts for the Rider’s Club she was very excited.
She quickly went and put on her helmet and went out to the bench.
She had learned a lot this last year and was ready to demonstrate her new
skills. However, her expression changed when she saw the first student
to tryout go and approach their horse from the ground. The other
student loved horses and eagerly walked up and gave their horse a nice
pat on the shoulder, untied him and led him over to the middle of the mounting
area. Brittney had practiced approach and leading the horse many
times in her riding class but was never at ease. She would lead with
her arm out-stretched as far as she could to keep the horse at arm’s length.
We had worked and worked on this, but she was going to have to decide whether
or not she was going to be afraid of her friend, a horse named Mia.
Brittney loved Mia; her teachers would often tell me how she would mention
the horse in class activities, but she just felt safer on the horse’s back
rather than leading her.
The time had come for Brittney to make a choice. She had good riding
skills but needed to be able to work with the horse from the ground also.
When it was her turn to tryout, Brittney was asked to go and get her horse
from the rail. She sat on the bench with her arms crossed in uncertainty.
It was obvious she wanted to go get Mia, but she just did not know if she
could. We encouraged Brittney that she could do it and reminded her
that Mia would not hurt her, but she could not bring herself to try.
Finally she was given a choice; she had to approach Mia and lead her to
the mounting area to be able to tryout. If she chose not to get her
horse and tryout then we totally understood, but she needed to face her
fear to continue with the tryout. Brittney got up and went to her
horse Mia and stood about 15 feet away from the horse’s shoulder.
She stood maybe 30 minutes just looking at the horse. The horse would
gently turn her head toward Brittney and look at small girl with her big
sweet eyes. As we stood and watched we couldn’t help but think
that the horse was encouraging the student. Quietly, personally,
and intimately, Mia was just whispering, “You can do this, you can trust
me.” You see, with deaf students expressions are incredibly important.
In those moments it was evident to me that the horse’s sweet demeanor and
gentle expressions were helping Brittney believe in herself.
Ten more minutes passed with no more instruction or encouragement from
the people nearby. Suddenly Brittney, with as much confidence as
she could muster, walked up to Mia. Mia stood just as still as possible
as the student touched her shoulder with what looked like only one finger.
Brittney stood a few more seconds and began to stroke the horse with one
hand. She nervously untied the rope and led the horse to the ramp.
When she handed the lead rope over she began to smile and exclaimed, “I
did it! I led her!” Brittney mounted and had a great tryout.
Brittney has been on team now for several years and is no longer afraid
of animals. She is now a leader on the team and will often help other
students with leading or grooming. She still has a very special bond
with Mia, and she was the only student who was able to compete in the Canter
division at the annual MGH Horse Show last year. Her confidence now
radiates through her beautiful smile, and it always brings a smile to our
faces when we hear her encourage another student not to be afraid.
Kay McCurdy, a registered
nurse, researched the MGHSE program before allowing her now-13-year-old
son Daniel to participate. Daniel, who has cerebral palsy and is ADD, attends
the Alabama School for the Blind and has been told all his life that “he
can’t.” “No competitive sports. No heavy activities. No. No.
No,” states Kay. “Now, he has something he can be proud of, and I can see
an improvement in his physical abilities. And, he loves it. MGHSE supports
him physically and emotionally. If what he experiences here did not transfer
over into home and school life, then he wouldn’t get to come.”
“These kids need all the
attention they can get. Some are severely impaired. My daughter can’t hear
and thus can’t speak,” explains David Whisnant, father of Alabama
School for the Deaf 11-year-old student Meesha, “but other than that, she’s
a normal little girl. She really benefits from Riders Club, so I know the
more-impaired kids do, too. In fact, we watched her in a show last year.
She’s doing so awesome, and we are so proud of her.
“Meesha had not ever
ridden a horse before coming to AIDB. She really enjoys riding and helping
the other students ride. If she gets into trouble at school, they call
me, and we use MGHSE to help her behavior,” Mr. Whisnant continues. “She
is doing so much better than last year.”
“I’ve seen things here that
I’ve not seen before,” states parent and volunteer Jimmy Seago, Roanoke.
“I thought I had problems. It’s a whole different world here. It’s amazing
to see the kids try so hard to do what is asked of them on a horse.”
Jimmy’s son Jacob,
a smiling and spirited eight-year-old, was born without ears and has attended
the Helen Keller School, AIDB’s unit for students with multiple disabilities,
for four years. Jimmy has served as a volunteer, every day for those fours
years, explaining, “Jacob participates in hippotherapy and therapeutic
riding. When he came, he didn’t slow down—he didn’t want to. Now, he literally
does school work on a horse! He went from wide-open to focused. This,”
Jimmy says, pointing to the arena, “calms Jacob. It gives him the release
he needs during the school day.”
Thanks to the Marianna Greene
Henry Staff
By Erica Fleming
My name is Erica Fleming.
I am 21 years old and use crutches. I am a student at E.H. Gentry/AIDB
and I like it because I have more opportunities than I had when I was in
High School. For example, riding horses at the Marianna Greene Henry
Arena. When I first started going to the arena, I was scared to get
on a horse so I would ride in a cart. Ms. Gwen would always encourage
me to get on the horse, so one day I told her that I wanted to get on the
horse. But I was still scared a little bit, so she stood there right
beside me until I felt comfortable. Now I have been riding horses for one
year, and I can ride Mia all by myself. Ms. Gwen and Ms. Elizabeth
showed me how to do 2-point, trot and how to take control of Mia.
I am really good at riding horses because they encourage me to have faith
in myself. And because of that, I was the STAR STUDENT of the month
at the MGH Arena. I won many ribbons in a horse show in Montgomery,
Alabama. I really enjoy going to the MGH Arena and being around all
of the staff. I would like to thank the MGH staff (Gwen, Elizabeth,
Tim, Carolyn & Greg) for being very caring and supportive of me.
I would like to let the staff know that I have really come a long way because
of them having faith in me and helping me to have faith in myself.
Volunteering at the MGH Arena
By Erin Lewis
Hello to all!
I have had something exciting happen this month and I would love to share
it with you. First of all, let me thank the Lord for all He has done
for me. He has given me so many opportunities to give a helping hand
where it is needed. As some of you know, here in Talladega we have
the AIDB (Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind). A part of this
school is the Marianna Greene Henry Special Equestrian Center (MGH). This
facility is used with the help of horses, to aid children with C.P., blindness,
deafness, and other disorders.
Let me start
from the beginning. Often we would drive by the arena and I would
hope one day that I could be a part. A full year passed and I was
still hoping. On March 11th, my younger sister Olivia and I were
in the schoolroom. Mom was on the phone. Mom came in and with
a smile said, “Erin, go get your work shoes on, I am taking you to the
arena.”
With just those
few words, my heart filled with joy as I raced up to the house. I
put my shoes on and before I could catch my breath we were on the way.
I was happy and nervous at the same time. When we got there we walked
to the lady in charge and filled out a form. Then she showed me around
the arena and stables. She told me what my responsibilities would
be and what I would do. I would start the next day!
The next morning
I was so excited. I got my work clothes on and put on my work shoes.
I ran outside and did all my chores. Then we were on the way to my
first volunteer job.
The first thing
I did was get the horses fed, groomed, haltered and saddled. At 9:00
the first class of children came. They were in kindergarten, I think.
I have to admit I was pretty nervous. Two of the children were in
wheelchairs, two could walk and the other one had to be held. I didn’t
know what to do. Then one of the ladies came to my rescue.
She told me exactly what to do. My job was to hold on to the child
and make sure that he/she didn’t fall. That went by very smoothly.
At 11:00 the
second class arrived. We put all these kids on horses and took them
outside. They enjoyed that very much. That class went by well
too. After both classes were over, I took off all the tack the horses
had on and then let them to the pasture. That was the end of my first
day.
I have been
going for several weeks now. It is a wonderful experience.
Every time one of those children smiles at me, it is like the Lord Himself
smiling at me.
God Loves You
