Pippa greets me with a warm smile and elegant British accent, while maneuvering her electric wheelchair like an Indy 500 driver: strategically analyzing her surroundings but without the speed. A skill she no doubt developed when she was an Administrator of the National Ski Academy in England.
We take a few moments to chat before her class at Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association. Pippa shares her story of how a muscular sclerosis (MS) diagnosis 30 years ago made an abrupt left turn in her active lifestyle. While it may have been easy to give up, instead, she gave herself a pep talk, “Well now, what else can I do to keep my mind and body active?”
After moving to Canada, Pippa tried sailing for persons with disabilities until a friend suggested therapeutic horseback riding, which, initially, she was not too keen about.
“Growing up in England, one took riding lessons, which I didn’t care for, but after moving to Canada, I did have experience working on a cattle ranch and I knew I loved horses,” she says.
For five years now, Pippa has been coming to ride her “sweet Danny” every Wednesday at Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association.
“Danny and I have a very special connection,” she says. “He seems to know that I cannot use my left side and he tends to compensate for that. He gets me. He also has an issue with one of his eyes, which appears to enhance our connection together.”
Danny is a beautiful golden Haflinger horse, which is a breed perfect for therapeutic riding and is one of 11-12 horses in the herd.
“Danny and I love each other, and he has filled a huge gap in my life physically and mentally,” says Pippa. “After riding him each Wednesday, I’m completely exhausted but I’m also so very happy and thankful for this organization.” An interesting side note: Pippa’s birth name is Philippa, which means “love of horses.”
For almost 40 years Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association (VTRA), a non-profit charitable organization in Saanichton, has been providing “equine-assisted” learning programs to more than 200 children and adults with a wide range of disabilities throughout the Greater Victoria area.
Seniors’ lessons are tailored to individual needs that include physical movements and mobility and, during the pandemic, VTRA also focused on improving mental health at the facility, while acknowledging that depression, anxiety and loneliness has escalated. That’s where being around a beautiful gentle giant and stroking their mane or quietly talking to them can have positive impact on one’s outlook.
VTRA is a tight community with a loving home environment feel. People buzz around the stables and property, all filling an important role, from volunteers, participants, staff, dogs and horses. And they all have one thing in common: bright, warm smiles.
Sue and Carol are two volunteers among a team of 275, who dedicate their time so participants can benefit in so many ways each week.
After retiring from a 35-year career as a teacher, Sue wanted to continue giving back to her community. She has a talent for fundraising, which is a much-appreciated skill that VTRA relies on to ensure they can continue offering first-class service.
Sue has witnessed amazing changes in people that participate in the variety of classes offered at VTRA. “Results from sitting on a horse for a person with disabilities can be amazing,” she says. “I saw the transformation of one such person that began arriving in a wheelchair and graduated to a walker, all because of the core strength needed to stay in the saddle. I had to fight back tears when I saw him walking.”
Carol has been a volunteer for 18-months. She is a Sidewalker, which is a person that supports the handler while taking a participant out for a ride.
“You don’t have to be a ‘horseperson’ to volunteer here. I wasn’t very experienced with horses, but since joining VTRA, I have noticed some beautiful transformations in children and seniors,” she says. “The physical ability and self-confidence transformations are inspirational for all to witness. It forces me to stay in shape because I also have to ‘trot’ to keep up with the horse or I might become airborne!”
VTRA takes great care to match a horse and participant by size, personality and a connection. They are constantly brainstorming ideas to grow and answer the needs of the community in exciting and fun ways. An emerging program is one for seniors with dementia. Guests are brought out to the grounds for a picnic and the pleasure of interacting with and viewing the horses in their environment.
Also in the works is a literacy program for children, and an ‘Adaptive Driving Program’ that will involve people with disabilities who cannot ride a horse but can be trained to drive a cart. VTRA has worked diligently to raise $10,000 so far and only has $3,000 more to reach their goal towards this specific project.
The energy at Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association is electric! From the newest volunteer to the executive director and everyone in between – including the equine – enthusiasm for the work they do and care for the people they serve is second to none.
For more information, visit www.vtra.ca or email contact@vtra.ca
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