SIRE, Houston’s Therapeutic Riding Centers

SIRE is about success and we have as many stories of achievement as we have clients. Recently, several clients have demonstrated huge improvements in their skills—let us tell you about a few of them.

SIRE Hockley
Ignacio Murguia had surgery to straighten his legs, and he grew several inches. When he came back to ride, he had a “new body” that was difficult to manage. By working hard every week, Ignacio could sit up longer—back in September we were counting in minutes, and now he can sit up the entire session.

Choosing the right horse has helped Erin Brown, a longtime SIRE client, succeed after a setback. Erin fractured her pelvis in a fall at home, and had difficulties when she returned to riding. With lots of hard work, Erin has graduated to a horse with more movement.

It’s easier with a little help from your friends. Two girls, Yessenia Luna and Elizabeth Williams, encourage each other. Being a team has helped each girl learn new skills and share their friendship. Another team, Karen Abbott’s riders called the “Sensational Six”, has practically grown up at SIRE on horseback—they help each other and even have a group cheer at the end of class.

SIRE Spring
Progress can be measured in many ways—how well you hold the reins for steering, how many directions you can follow, recognizing yourself as a successful person.

Whitney Faerber’s family has watched her grow and improve while riding at SIRE Spring. She has been learning to ride without sidewalkers or leaders, and very recently she rode completely independent. The smile on her face lit up the arena.

Being able to sit upright on a horse is a huge accomplishment for some of our riders, especially for those in wheelchairs like Megan Fry. Recently, she participated in the Top Hands Horse Show, and demonstrated her abilities at the Horses & Humans Research Foundation’s Open House Presentation.

SIRE Fort Bend
Several Fort Bend riders have made great strides—some at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Top Hands Horse Show, and some right here in the arena at SIRE.

Five of seven SIRE Fort Bend riders had never competed before at the show: Sebastian Arizpe, Alyse Delph, Erica Haase, Lance Nicholson and Derrick Perkins. Together with our show veterans Allison Meyer and Cade Zimmerman, these riders performed beautifully in their classes and accomplished individual personal goals.

Our 2008 Child Rider of the Year, Alejandro Araque, is one of the hardest working riders at SIRE. His strength and ability to use his body effectively to communicate with his horse continue to amaze us all.

Brittany Ricco is having an amazing semester, as she is taking control of her movements as well as her horse. Brittany can now stop those spasms and work through them.

So many wonderful riders, we can’t mention them all, but they all deserve applause. It’s our pleasure and privilege to work with them every week. They truly are our inspiration.

So what is a Round-up and why is it important to SIRE’s development efforts?

Round-ups are the best way to introduce people to the magic of SIRE and its mission. Just by listening to our one-hour presentation, a person can understand the freedom from disabilities that therapeutic riding brings to our clients. Not talking about it, not watching a video, not handing out a brochure, but sitting in the bleachers as a part of a therapeutic riding lesson is more powerful than any other message we can bring to the community about the benefits of SIRE. It captured me!

Round-ups are usually scheduled monthly at each of our three locations, conveniently on Saturday mornings. While clients are participating in their regular classes, we describe what is happening in the arena. Round-Up attendees see first-hand the client-specific therapeutic session planned by the instructor, understand the role and interaction of the volunteers, and appreciate the special bond that forms between horse and rider.

Round-ups are informational only… we never, ever ask our guests for money. When they ask how they can help, we tell them the best way to help SIRE is by spreading the word about what we do—and by inviting their friends and business associates to our next Round-up. You can do the same!

—Richard “Whitey” White, President

JOIN US FOR A ROUND-UP

Leave your checkbook at home and
come learn more about our amazing
equine-assisted therapy for people
with disabilities.

2009 ROUND-UP DATES

Hockley
5/16, 7/18, 10/3 and 11/14

Spring
4/18, 6/13, 9/12, 10/17 and 12/5

Ft. Bend
5/2, 6/27, 9/19, 11/7

by Peggy Wagner

Take a walk (or trot!) with me down Memory Lane….back to 1984. I saw an ad in my neighborhood paper about the need for volunteers at a therapeutic horseback riding program called SIRE, Self Improvement thru Riding Education, in the Cypress area. This was right up my alley, since horses and kids were my loves. I had a very short stint with another program a few years earlier that, unfortunately, lost its funding after only 2 sessions. But that experience planted a seed and I knew this would be something perfect for me. I went to the Volunteer Orientation where I met Cindy Lindh, SIRE’s founder, President of the Board and instructor, and about 6 or 7 other new volunteers. Little did I know at the time the hold SIRE would have on my heart for many years to come.

That first semester I volunteered at SIRE, one of my jobs was to meet Joan Woodard, the first Volunteer Coordinator, at J Bar M Ranch on Kluge Rd. where she would bring a borrowed horse trailer to pick up Sam, our roan colored Welch pony. I helped load up Sam and followed them back to Oakhollow Equestrian Park on Grant Rd. where the owners, Karen and Greg Zalar, graciously donated the use of their facilities for our SIRE classes one afternoon a week. The stalls there were full, so there was no room to board Sam or our other pony, Sambo. Sambo, a brownish-gray pony a little bigger than Sam, lived in a backyard pen at a home across the street from Oakhollow. So another one of my duties was to help stop traffic on Grant Rd. while Diane Ardissono, SIRE’s first volunteer, walked Sambo across the road to come work in the classes. The walk over was usually uneventful; however, the walk back, sometimes after dark during evening traffic, could be especially scary! Either Cindy Lindh or Physical Therapist, Diane Kornett instructed the 2 classes, with 2 or 3 clients each riding Sam, Sambo and other horses borrowed from Oakhollow. The schedule was written on a poster board tacked up by the stalls. It wasn’t long before I was given the title of “Tack Master” where my job was to make sure that all of the bridles, saddle pads, helmets…basically all of SIRE’s worldly belongings… were neatly packed away in our one large tack trunk kept in the Oakhollow tack room. It was a very exciting day when that tack trunk was replaced with an 8’ x 10’ wooden building that would eventually travel with SIRE to two other locations. SIRE remained at Oakhollow for 5 years and grew to riding 33 clients 2 afternoons per week. Two of those riders were Gabrielle Powers and Erin Brown who are both still riding today. Diana Moss and Karen Abbott began volunteering while SIRE was at Oakhollow and also remain with us today. Read more

Students looking to bring mini therapy horse to school, routinely

By TANA ROSS
from The Magnolia Potpourri - Updated: 02.10.09

It did not follow them to school but students at Nichols Sawmill Elementary want Tess, a miniature horse, to visit them on a regular basis. The little horse that can, one of a stable full of equine therapy horses at S.I.R.E. in nearby Hockley, has a hoard of fans at NSE since visiting last December as part of a Gifted and Talented Community Problem Solving Program.

“My students choose this project after visiting S.I.R.E. (Self Improvement Through Riding Education),” fifth grade gifted and talented teacher Cherrie Edwards said. “When Tess comes into a school she becomes quiet, responsive and she knows she is a teacher.”

S.I.R.E. is a therapeutic riding center that uses horses to help children with disabilities. Tess was selected by Edward’s students to interact with eight students in NSE’s Life Skills class, and the results were remarkable. Read more