“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” For Tammie Schluter, these words from Winston Churchill ring true. Schluter, vice president of Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center has been around horses since she was 9 years old. Inspired by Danielle Steel’s novel Palomino, she decided to share her passion for horses with children with disabilities. Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center, RTEC, became an idea that would soon become a reality.
The year was 1994 and Schluter found herself busy making phone calls, filling out forms, raising money and awareness, and making more phone calls to get started. “I don”t know why I did it,” said Schluter, “it was a lot of work. But it was enjoyable and fulfilling.” Just a year later, in the spring of 1995, RTEC held its first class of 35 mentally and physically handicapped children. The non-profit organization would grow through volunteers and donations of money and time. The RTEC has become a home to all breeds of horses and a variety of volunteers.
A class through the RTEC might include hand-eye coordination exercises on top of a horse, vocal demands directed to the horse by the student if possible, ie., “walk on,” and “whoa,” and guided obstacle courses. Each class is lead by a certified Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International instructor (PATH). The instructor is responsible for assessing each student and assigning a specific goal to each student. Depending on the child’s needs these goals could be small. Schluter pointed out, “There’s always little milestones that are huge. One time an autistic child said his first word during a class.”
Jenny Bachelder, PATH instructor and barn manager, reflected on an experience that keeps her coming back.“I saw a student that had been coming here for years and years and years. Basically he just walked around and didn’t accomplish a lot, but one day at the end of one our sessions, I saw him on one of the biggest horses we have and he trotted it around the arena 3 times all by himself. It was one of the most bone chilling experiences- we were all standing there in tears because this kid accomplished something that for most people is simple. But for him it was huge. That sort of thing just keeps you coming back.”
By the year 2000, Raemelton attracted as much as 111 students per week. In fact, it was almost too much; more students means more work for a limited staff and number of horses. Schluter said, “We found that 85 [kids per week] is our comfort zone.” But demand for a different type of therapy was so high so the Raemelton team developed Children At Risk Equestrian (CARE).
This program is specially designed for children with mental disabilities. The instructor still asseses the student on an individual level, but CARE does not involve riding the horse. Instead it involves the student in grooming, observing equestrian behaviour, and leading. “All of these activities are aimed at developing a bond between the horse and the student,” said Suzanne Faver, instructor and CARE supervisor. CARE has seen success in easing the common anger issues the students deal with and often times a special friendship is prompted.
“Animals do something that we can’t sometimes,” Schluter said. She also adds that CARE is the biggest opportunity for growth in the RTEC program and members of the community are encouraged to participate.
Readers interested in strengthening the efforts of the team at The Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center should call 419-756-6825 or 419-756-0400. You can also check out this video. The address is Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center, 569 South Trimble Road, Mansfield, Ohio 44906.
“Animals do something that we can’t sometimes.”