We’re deeply grateful
to everyone who’s shared their experiences. Your kind words, trust
in our team mean a lot to us.
The Shining Horizons Team
“From my first ride,
I wasn’t looking up at the world anymore - I was looking down
from a great height.”
Sarah Woollven
My name is Sarah Woollven; I have Cerebral Palsy and I have used a wheelchair for many years.
When I was 13 years old my parents and I went to England to visit my grandmother and while there we spent some time with her sister, who owned a large equestrian centre. She asked me whether I had ever ridden a horse and I said no. “Right then” she said “we will soon fix that” and shortly thereafter I was seated on a large dappled horse called Smokey. Suddenly my view of the world changed – I was no longer looking up at people but looking down from a great height – and at that moment I knew I had to spend more time with horses.
A few years later our Cerebral Palsy association in Saint John opened negotiations with the Fredericton Therapeutic Riding Association to find out how we might set up a similar operation in Saint John and we subsequently formed our own group, which we called the Shining Horizons Therapeutic Riding Association. We recruited leaders, side walkers and an instructor and we made arrangements with local stables to use their horses and their premises. I loved riding and did so as often as possible.
Unfortunately, I developed scoliosis and had to undergo several major spinal surgeries over the next few years, as a result of which I was no longer able to ride, so I thought my horse days were over. However, last year my aunt paid us a visit from England – she is an avid rider and competitor and in her spare time she volunteers with the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA). We talked a lot about horses of course and she said that in her RDA group there were some members who never actually rode the horses but just liked to be around them; being in close contact with horses gave them great satisfaction and they saw an improvement in their mental health by doing so.
My aunt suggested that I should ask one or two of the local stables whether I could do something similar.
By this time, the original Shining Horizons organization had been disbanded for some years but we were aware of a large, recently built stables on Red Head Road that was also called the Shining Horizons Therapeutic Riding Association, so we made contact with them and asked whether they would consider taking me on as a client, to spend some time with horses and perhaps groom one. They invited us to visit and we were very warmly welcomed by all the staff. They showed us all around the splendid and beautifully kept facility and assured me that I was not the only one who wanted to just spend time around horses and that they were interested in developing this sort of activity.
It was arranged that I would visit on a weekly basis and spend 45 minutes a week grooming a horse called Abe. I did this until the weather turned a bit wintry and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I used to spend a lot of money visiting mental health counsellors but since I started at Shining Horizons I have not required any more traditional counselling services, as I enjoy the animal therapy much more. I plan to return to Shining Horizons in
the Spring of 2025.
I would like to thank all the staff of Shining Horizons for this opportunity, especially
Tomalyn, who keeps a careful eye on me every week.