HUNTINGTON BEACH : Therapeutic Riding Classes to Begin

The Therapeutic Riding Center of Huntington Beach, which advocates horseback riding as an exercise to help restore the health of disabled persons, will begin classes later this month at Huntington Central Park Equestrian Center.

The inaugural class will take place Oct. 16 as part of a fund-raising event at the equestrian center.

The therapeutic center will be the first in the northwest part of the county, said David J. Allen, its founder and executive administrator.

As part of the benefit, there will be an appearance by the American Indian Dance Troupe, which will depict the relationship between man and horse in America.

Some of the dancers appeared in the movies “Dances With Wolves” and “Thunder Heart,” according to event organizers.

There also will be equestrian performances, rodeo events, a gymkhana demonstration, American Indian storytellers, a display of Western art and a silent auction.

The program, billed as a Country Fair, will begin at 8 a.m. and continue until sundown.

Ticket are $7 for adults and $3 for children under 12, senior citizens and persons with a disability.

Allen said there is medical evidence that horseback riding can improve balance, coordination and flexibility and tone muscular structures of the physically disabled.

For people with emotional problems, riding can improve confidence and self esteem, he said.

The one-on-one relationship with an large animal can be especially beneficial to students at risk.

The idea of therapeutic horseback riding originated in Europe. There is one similar facility in the county, the Fran Joshwick Therapeutic Riding Center Inc. of San Juan Capistrano.

The Therapeutic Riding Center of Huntington Beach has been operating on a limited basis in Fountain Valley but is planning to move to the equestrian center on an interim basis later this year.

It hopes to win approval for a permanent site close to the Equestrian Center, near Ellis Avenue and Golden West Street.

The city of Huntington Beach and the county recently declared Oct. 16--the day of the riding center’s fund-raising event--as Individuals with a Disability Day, with the goal of raising awareness of the more than 300,000 county residents with some form of disability.