44 / HorseandRider.com
It
takes a special kind of horse to handle
the job of a therapeutic riding horse.
These horses provide emotional support
while also building a rider’s physical strength
and improving balance and motor skills. They
need to have patience when a beginner rider
is learning how to put on a halter or saddle a
horse, and the ability to shift their weight to
keep an unbalanced rider safe and secure in the saddle.
In its 37 years, Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, a
PATH International Premier Accredited organization located in
Loxahatchee, Florida, has seen horses from all walks of life. In
previous years, a couple of Vinceremos’ horses have been used
for local and state Special Olympics, and have even
helped a couple riders qualify to represent their home
country at the Paralympics.
When Susan Guinan, chief operating officer at
Vinceremos, got the call that a Finland dressage
rider was looking for a horse to help her qualify for
the 2012 Paralmypics, she knew she had the perfect
horse.
Hidden Creek’s Jones was a retired grand prix show
jumper that had never seen the inside of a dressage ring before,
but because of his patient personality, Guinan suggested using
him. On top of having no experience in dressage, Jones had also
never worked with a rider who carried two whips to act as leg
aids. However, it proved not to be a challenge for the former show
horse.
With only a couple days to prepare for the event, Jones took
everything in stride, helping his rider qualify for the Paralympics
in dressage and freestyle.While it’s a common mis-
conception that therapeutic
horses don’t need to be fit to
work, Guinan says that’s far
from the truth, “Therapeutic
horses are carrying riders with
poor balance and problems
with coordination. They need
to balance themselves and the
rider. Physical strength and a
good attitude are only possible
when a horse is physically
and mentally fit. That’s only
possible with good nutrition
and condition.”
To ensure that horses like
Jones are fit for any task,
Vinceremos depends on Puri-
na Animal Nutrition® to make
sure their horses stay happy
and healthy at all times.
“The overall management,
nutrition program, equine
health, and volunteer team all
support the horses on a daily
basis,” explains Shiela Conde,
the local Purina representa-
tive who works closely with
Vinceremos. “This is one of the
hardest working professional
disciplines for an equine.
It’s a demanding job, and it’s
our job as the caregivers and
managers to support them and keep them in the best physical
and mental condition we can.”It’s also important to tailor a nutrition program to fit each horse
individually, without making the feeding program overly com-
plicated. “There’s no real one-size-
fits-all approach to feeding therapy
horses,” says Kelly Vineyard, PhD, a
senior equine nutritionist for Purina.
“Because these horses come in
all breeds, ages, shapes and sizes,
tailoring a program to their individual
needs is key for maintaining good
health and longevity. However, many
of these programs have multiple volunteers feeding horses, so
having a simplified feeding program is also important.”Thanks to Purina Animal Nutrition and the hardworking staff at
Vinceremos, these therapeutic horses are able to make riders’
dreams come true, whether it’s competing at the Special Olym-
pics, Paralympics or successfully navigating around the arena
for the first time. Purina believes every horse is extraordinary.
Learn more at purinamills.com/horse.It takes a special kind of horse to
be a therapeutic riding horse.
To keep their horses ready for
any task that comes their way,
Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding
Center gets a little help from
Purina Animal Nutrition.Special
Kind of
HORSE
SPECIAL ADVERTORIAL SECTIONThese horses provide
emotional support while
also building a rider’s
physical strength and
improving balance and
motor skills.