Shaping the future for accessible therapeutic riding

Sunny South News Photos by Kristine Jean. WHEELCHAIR CART: Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association (LTRA) Executive Director, Kale Hayes, right, was joined by LTRA board member, Nancy Purkis, left, for a demonstration of a new powered wheelchair cart during the association’s 50th anniversary celebration in July. The cart provides an accessible riding experience for those in powered wheelchairs and powered scooters. Pulling the cart was Joseph, a Norwegian Fjord horse.

By Kristine Jean
Sunny South News

The Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association (LTRA) is providing more  opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to connect with horses and experience the joy of horseback riding. 

For the first time in Canada, the LTRA, with help from industry professionals and health experts, has created a one-of-a kind powered wheelchair cart to allow children, youth, adults and seniors with disabilities and limited mobility a chance to ride a horse.  

“We designed and engineered an adaptive cart where power wheelchair users and scooter users can drive right onto the cart … so they‘re able to get right in and experience a form of mobility where they’re able to cruise around,” said Kale Hayes, executive director of the Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association.

The LTRA works toward independence, teaches skills and provides accessibility for everyone, noted Hayes, pointing out the ultimate goal of the powered wheelchair cart is to teach users how to drive it, build up some independence and teach a skill.  

“Ultimately, the goal is that they are the one controlling the unit so they’re best positioned to drive it,” said Hayes, noting the centre seat for the powered wheelchair. “We want to provide meaningful opportunities and some skill-building pathways for those who are looking for it.” 

The wheelchair cart provides a safe option for everyone, he noted, including people with limited mobility or conditions like uncontrolled epilepsy or advanced arthritis, that make it unsafe to get on a horse.    

“For the individuals who are completely restricted to a wheelchair, particularly those that can’t do mounted riding, they do experience a sense of freedom,” said Hayes. “They’re in the driver’s seat and they can control the movement completely. It’s teaching a new skill and giving them an activity that might not otherwise be possible.”

The Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and was built on community partnerships, shared impact and volunteers who had a vision to make a difference for children, youth and adults with disabilities. 

In a demonstration during the LTRA’s 50th anniversary celebration in July, Hayes used Joseph, a Norwegian Fjord horse, to pull the wheelchair cart – which contains three seats  – one centre spot for the powered wheelchair or powered scooter, and a seat on either side – one for a support person and one for a coach. 

The wheelchair cart has already been in use for several weeks and is helping ensure more people have an option when it comes to therapeutic riding, and can be served by the LTRA, noted Hayes. It is also providing an opportunity for senior populations – that includes a program that the LTRA is excited to launch this fall.     

“We’re exploring a partnership with the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization (LSCO) to bring some of their clientele out here and look for a way to engage some of the older adults who are looking for an activity but may not be able to do mounted riding,” explained Hayes. “Our first pilot project this fall is for seniors, and from that, we’re going to expand out to different populations.”

Hayes said the LTRA doesn’t just serve people with disabilities and noted how the association examined accessibility and what it means for different populations. That involved expanding accessibility to engage with seniors and included financial accessibility as well.  

“We have internal subsidies where we can cover the cost of programming, because one of the things that we realized was that older adults, particularly those with disabilities, are often on fixed incomes and even a nominal fee sometimes is out of reach,” said Hayes. “So we’ve expanded that accessibility to say, if it’s beneficial for you, we’re going to find a way to make it happen.”

The wheelchair cart took several months to build, from design and construction to completion, noted Hayes. There were several contributions from industry experts, health care professionals and community members. 

“It was a long-standing project, it took over a year of planning,” said Hayes, noting substantial financial contributions from the Lethbridge Rotary Club and the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta. “They worked with us to fund it. We then worked with Alberta Carriage Supply and some health care experts, mobility experts to design and put it together.”

Hayes noted the LTRA’s desire to build more powered wheelchair carts and while it’s the first-of-its-kind anywhere in Canada, it’s a project that may expand in the future – providing more carts for more people. 

“One of the things that we’ve been really big on is collaboration. So, if there’s other groups, particularly therapeutic riding groups, who are looking for some options, we’re more than welcome to share the decisions we made, have them come down and check it out,” said Hayes.