Horseback therapy makes miracles happen in Flathead
By JACOB DORNAN / West Shore News
People in Montana have always known that riding horses is good therapy, but a program called S.A.M.S. Riders, in conjunction with Human Therapy on Horseback, is proving that it is much more by producing result that boarder on the miraculous.
Founded in 1991 by Bob and Timothea Burmood, S.A.M.S. Riders has now provided more than 20,000 therapeutic horseback riding sessions.
With 34 years of experience in special education, including his time as director of Child Development Center for Mid-Nebraska Mental Retardation Services and as child development specialist for Western Montana Comprehensive Development Center, Bob designed and implemented S.A.M.S. as a therapeutic riding program in 1989.
S.A.M.S., which stands for Sensory and Motor Stimulation, benefits children and adults with a wide range of physical, mental and emotional conditions that including autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, scholiosis, motor and sensory impairments, accident and head trauma and even stroke.
Research has shown that individuals with impaired mobility benefit from horseback riding because the gentle and rhythmical movement conditions the rider's body in a manner similar to walking, thus improving balance, muscle control, strength and coordination. Besides the physical benefits, however, individuals with learning or mental disabilities often experience improved communication, concentration, self-discipline and social skills.
The results—like a young boy who couldn't even crawl because he couldn't put any weight on his legs, who in two years time could not only walk but run and play basketball—speak for themselves. In fact, many parents and family members call it downright miraculous.
Joining Bob in his work, Timothea (Timi), who is mother to a 17-year-old with special needs, brings 25 years of experience with horses to S.A.M.S., including the professional showing of American Saddlebreds. Today, she works as a therapeutic horseback-riding consultant and has conducted more than 1,000 sessions a year for the past ten years.
Their facility, affectionately referred to as "the barn," sits on seven and a half acres on Lore Lake Road, between Kalispell and Whitefish, offering the riders who take part in the program an indoor riding arena, where sessions can be held during cold winter months or when the weather is not conducive to outdoor exercises.
S.A.M.S. has operated in the Flathead Valley for 18 years and is currently the only provider of therapeutic horseback riding sessions in Flathead County and the surrounding area. For the past 11 years, Human Therapy on Horseback has partnered with S.A.M.S. to make therapeutic horseback riding more available, affordable and accessible to those who need it.
About 40 riders currently benefit from the program, ranging in age from 8 months to 81 years. Another eight riders are on the waiting list of those who want to take part in the program.
However, as one would expect, there is a cost associated with the program. The overall cost of providing horseback therapy comes to $95 per session, of which HTH pays $65 per session. As more funds become available, more riders are able to participate in therapeutic horseback riding. Last year, HTH contributed more than $57,000 to help families pay for horse therapy.
Since S.A.M.S. does not receive any state or federal funding and is not a United Way recipient, the program is completely dependent on the contributions of those in and around the Flathead Valley. For that reason, HTH and S.A.M.S. have organized an annual dinner and auction to help more families have the opportunity to use and benefit from this unique therapy.
A whopping 96 percent of the money donated to HTH, either directly or through fundraising, goes immediately to qualifying riders and never leaves the Flathead. Thanks to the generosity of local philanthropists and those who attend the fundraisers, HTH was able to pay for 882 horse therapy sessions in 2007.
Yet, despite the program's success and the generosity shown by donors in the past, the current economy is putting strain on HTH and S.A.M.S., just like everything else. In fact, the program has enough funding to operate for about one more month.
Fundraising volunteer Janeva Scofield, whose daughter Sierrah has been participating in the S.A.M.S. Riders program for two and a half years, says the program has done what no one else could do and that, due to the miracle she has witnessed in both of their lives, she will continue to fight for S.A.M.S. Riders to help other families, as well.
"We saw real changes within the first couple of weeks," Scofield recalls. "Her strength improved. Her muscle tone improved. It seems like every week we go in and there's a new breakthrough. The miracle is that those breakthroughs started very soon after beginning the therapy sessions.
"Being a parent of a child with challenges like Sierrah had, it is huge when something like this happens. It just doesn't change her life today, but it will change her life forever. She can go to a classroom now without having to worry about whether or not she's going to fall down every couple of seconds. That trickles down to the family. It has changed my life, as well."
The Fifth Annual "Making Miracles Happen" Dinner-Auction takes place this Saturday, May 3, at the Hilton Garden Inn. The event launches at 4:30 p.m. with a cocktail hour and silent auction, followed by dinner at 5:30 and a live auction at 6:30 p.m.
For more information on Human Therapy on Horseback or the Dinner-Auction call (406)881-4192 or visit the HTH website at www.hthflathead.org.