Horses Helping Wounded Soldiers Walk Again

AP ^ | 6-3-06 | STEPHEN MANNING

[Cagey]

Army Specialist Maxwell Ramsey, 36, from Hilton Head, S.C., who lost his leg from a 155mm Iraqi artillery round in Ramadi, rides Wiley, a Percheron horse, at the Caisson Stables, 3rd Infantry Regiment (Old Guard), at Ft. Myer in Arlington, Va., Friday, June 2, 2006, outside Washington. Selected amputee soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center are participating in a therapeutic riding program where horses become a living therapeutic apparatus that aids the use of prosthesis, improves the core muscle group, and increases self-confidence. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

[dakine]

courtesy

[Cagey]

Army Sgt. Christian Valle, 23, from Haywood, Calif., who lost both his legs in Iraq, is escorted by a horse leader at the Caisson Stables, 3rd Infantry Regiment (Old Guard), at Ft. Myer in Arlington, Va., Friday, June 2, 2006, outside Washington. Selected amputee soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center are participating in a therapeutic riding program where horses become a living therapeutic apparatus that aids the use of prosthesis, improves the core muscle group, and increases self-confidence. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

[livius]

What a great idea! Riding does wonderful things for the rider's balance. Plus being around horses does wonderful things for the spirit.

[MissEdie]

I'm glad to see this. I did my Master's Thesis on using animals (primarily horses but dogs too) to help with physical and psychological therapy in children. One of my professors wanted me to carry it on into a PhD thesis, which I would love to do but can't afford.

[Diva]

What a wonderful article, thanks!

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

Great story!

"I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse." - President Reagan

The Gipper would highly approve and wonder why it took so long to get this program started.

[Molly Pitcher]

Just "Wow"...

[Mr. Brightside]

Very cool.

I know horses are therapy to me. Glad to see soldiers enjoying them like I do.

[Dave Elias]

How lovely. It reminds me of the Mike Oldfield track 'I'd rather be on horseback'.

[secret garden]

Agreed. We have a group called Saddle Up! here that works with children with mental and or physical disabilities. It is a fantastic idea.

[PGalt]

wow

[Woodstock]

Cool post

[armydawg1]

This is great. Whatever it takes to help these heroes is what we should be doing.

God bless them all.

[Jemian]

This is very much like (if not exactly) the work the youngest and I do at Story Book Farm with children. It takes a lot of volunteers to maintain such an organization. The therapy is great for volunteers as well as those doing the riding.

[lysie]

Wonderful story. Tears in my eyes and goosebumps.

Thanks, you two, for the post.

[lysie]

Yes. I thought of you and your youngest as I was reading.

[ExTexasRedhead]

Thanks for a wonderful and uplifting piece. With all the billions that Congress is throwing away on useless nonsense, why isn't more being done for our brave wounded soldiers and for the families and children of those who sacrificed in the war on terror? All I hear is whining from the MSM, Liberals, and RINOs about poor illegal aliens and their trauma. We're definitely living in the Twilight Zone.

[MainFrame65]

William (Capt. Kirk) Shatner is promoting "riding therapy" for physically and mentally disabled children in Israel. I must confess to being uninformed about his Jewish activism. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1632246/posts