Horseback riding might not seem like a typical New York City activity, but one program has several horse farms throughout the city's busy districts. GallopNYC provides lessons to veterans(老兵) and people with disabilities — horseback riding is their therapy(疗法).
Olivia Diver visits the GallopNYC location in the Howard Beach neighborhood in Queens. Diver has only been riding horses for a few months, but says she's already felt the benefits. "It helped me come out of my comfort zone and be less shy and less in my shell, " she said. Trying something new shows her she can accomplish other things as well.
James Wilson, executive director at GallopNYC, says there are many ways horses can be therapeutic. "The horse sees the world in the way somebody with post-traumatic stress disor-der (PTSD) might see the world, in a really guarded, sort of anxious way, " he explained. "So, somebody with PTSD and a horse can sort of partner together and see the world in the same way and kind of take care of each other." Horses can also help with physical disabilities. After two years of therapeutic riding, a teenager, who had so little core strength that his mother had to be in the bathtub with him, had enough core strength that he could be in the shower by himself. Wilson said, "The movement of the horse will loosen up muscles that might be really tight. And the movement helps stimulate other body parts and other muscles that you might not use. "
"CallopNYC has about 1, 000 people on is waitlist for lessons, but prioritizes people with disabilities and veterans. We believe that everybody benefits from the time on a horse, so if you want to ride a horse, come on, let's go, " Wilson said. Lessons are $55, but the non-profit fundraises to help cover or lower the cost for customers who may need support.
