Healing horses

Healing horses

Therapeutic riding coming to Templeton Developmental Center
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

The Templeton Developmental Center will be the site of Forward Strides, a therapeutic horse-riding program.


TEMPLETON — The Templeton Developmental Center is going to get some new tenants, as Forward Strides Therapeutic Horsemanship, a nonprofit organization based in Athol, is planning to  move onto the grounds this spring, offering lessons for both able-bodied and disabled riders.

The organization will have seven or eight horses in the program, which will teach general horsemanship and both English and Western riding styles, depending on preference.


Sue Mysliwicz, an instructor with Forward Strides, explained that while the group will offer mainstream lessons, its main focus would be on both those with physical and mental disabilities.

“The horses are very calm and quiet,” she said. “They’re used to walkers and wheelchairs and we have the appropriate helpers there to help the riders mount a horse and tailor the lesson to their abilities.”

Forward Strides is the only organization of its kind in the area, and according to Ms. Mysliwicz, its central location in the state helps it reach out to those who need their services most. It works with riders who have a variety of physical and mental challenges, including cerebral palsy, autism, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, and veterans returning to civilian life.

Ms. Mysliwicz believes horses are the ideal animal to work with people with disabilities, and said the therapeutic riding program helps strengthen both the rider’s body and mind, improving their mood and building confidence.

“Horses are very tuned into people and when a person may not be fully able,” she said. “They seem to relate to them more, and open up a whole world of joy for them.”

Horses are especially responsive to a rider’s physical and emotional cues, giving those with an emotional handicap or dealing with trauma something they can care for and relate to.

“They’re not scary like a human being,” Ms. Mysliwicz said. “They look back at you with a pure and innocent love.”

The organization also partners with Hyridge Stable in Winchendon, where it also has therapeutic riding, as well as lessons and a day camp during school vacations.

Forward Strides hopes to begin the program at the Templeton Developmental Center in April, once the weather warms up. The center, a former state-run facility for the mentally handicapped, has been in the process of slowly shutting down for years after Gov. Deval Patrick in 2009 ordered the facility be closed due to budget issues and re-focusing treatment of those with mental disabilities. The facility sits on more than 2,000 acres of land and used to house a farm colony operated by residents at the center. There are several barns on the property, as well as an office building and a milk processing plant.