Fun--and Funds--for Disabled Riders

The Country Western Hoedown and Barbecue at the Iverson Movie Ranch on Sunday raised funds to keep horses used by the group Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship sheltered and fed.

But the event was not just a fund-raiser. It also gave clients of the group, which uses equestrian rides to teach mentally and physically disabled people muscular control, a valued outing.

Recreation therapist Grace Esquivel, who works with Project Headway--a Northridge organization that provides care for adults who have suffered severe brain damage--said she had been getting phone calls all day Saturday from her clients. The hoedown meant a great deal to them.

“They were nervous,” Esquivel said. “They were wondering if I was going to make it out.”

But she had no intention of letting her clients down.

“It gives me a thrill to see them happy,” said Esquivel, who brought about 20 clients to the event.

“They learn to stand up straight, rather than lean forward,” Esquivel said. Horseback riding helps build the muscular control and lets them feel better about themselves, she said.

The barbecue at the Iverson Movie Ranch--featuring country-western dancing, pony rides and a silent auction--is the major fund-raiser of the year for Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship.

One of the popular events was the “chicken drop,” for which participants would pay to place a bet on where the chicken would, well, relieve itself.

Funds raised at the event go toward feeding and caring for the horses used by Ride On. The group has made a big difference in the life of 11-year-old Daniel Martin of Simi Valley, said his mother, Adel.

“When he started, it took five people to get him on the horse,” said Adel Martin, whose son suffers from a severe seizure disorder. “Now, he smiles, he’s happy. We tried baseball. We tried bowling. They didn’t work. But he likes being outdoors on a horse.”