Horsepower Has a Dramatic Effect on Riders in Special Program at Ranch in Agoura Hills

Nancy Diederich is a mentally handicapped woman in her 30s. She is shy and apprehensive around strangers and often hides her face in her long, uncombed blond hair.

When Diederich sits on top of a horse, however, her face is wreathed in smiles.

“It’s my favorite thing to do,” she said. “I really love the horses.”

Phil Hovsepian, 45 and also mentally handicapped, says of all the activities he participates in at the boarding facility where he lives, horseback riding is his favorite.

“It’s so much fun,” he said. “It just lets me be me. The coaches are so nice and the horses are like my friends.”

Diederich and Hovsepian are among about 40 disabled riders who participate in Hearts and Horses, a program created by Lynda Ryan in 1993 for disabled adults and children.

A longtime rider and instructor, Ryan runs Hearts and Horses with the help of 10 volunteers at the Agoura Hills ranch she has owned since 1971. She grew up around horses and got the idea from her father, who was involved with a riding program for people with disabilities while working on an Arizona ranch.

“Riding is physical and emotional therapy for children and adults with handicaps,” Ryan said. “It boosts their self-esteem and it’s an activity that’s enjoyable for them. It gives them a sense of achievement.”

*

Ryan’s three-acre ranch houses 20 horses, and 10 of them belong to the program, which offers lessons six times per week. Hearts and Horses is supported by students’ fees, which vary from $15 to $45 per week, and fund-raisers Ryan conducts throughout the year.

All of the horses are more than 25 years old and most were donated from a rescue program that saved the animals from being destroyed.

“It works out great for everyone because we have a place here for those horses,” said Phil Batwin, a volunteer from North Hollywood. “Those are the kinds of horses we need here.”

That’s because many of the riders are blind, autistic and deaf. Some have muscular dystrophy--a disease characterized by progressive wasting of the muscles--or cerebral palsy.

Something magical happens, though, when many of these disabled students mount a horse from a three-foot platform--with stairs on one side and a wheelchair ramp on the other--built by two volunteers.

“For some of them, this is the only time they smile,” Ryan said. “They get excited and do things they don’t otherwise do.”

Initially however, it’s not always easy to get the students on the large animals that they may see as intimidating. Usually it takes a couple of lessons, Ryan said, before they begin to enjoy the ride.

Some never get used to it. For others it becomes the highlight of their lives.

“Some are very timid and afraid to get on a horse, but when they become less afraid, they become much more outgoing,” Ryan said. “It’s incredible to see it.”

*

The big event this week for Ryan’s students is the ninth annual California State Championship Horse Show for riders with disabilities. It will take place Saturday and Sunday at the Heritage Park Equestrian Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

More than 150 riders from around the country are expected to compete in dressing equitation, obstacle, jumping, features, pole bending and challenge cup.

The event is hosted by California Network for Equestrian Therapy Unlimited, the American Competition Opportunities for Riders with Disabilities and the U.S. Cerebral Palsy Athletic Assn., which is the governing body for riders with physical disabilities.

Eighteen riders from Hearts and Horses are scheduled to compete this weekend and eight from a similar Chatsworth-based program called Ride On.

“They start looking forward to the show in September and talk about it every day,” Ryan said. “It’s their big outing and they feel very proud.”

Earlier this week a group of students practiced for the show with dedication and intensity. Ryan stood in the middle of the arena instructing them and dishing out last-minute tips.

Some appeared serious and competitive. Others were just having a good time.

“I really want to win at the show,” said Mike Hail, a mentally handicapped man in his 40s who is deaf. “That’s my favorite thing.”

Ryan informed him that he’s already a winner for learning to maneuver a horse despite his disabilities. He smiled and steered the animal in a circle.