Like many college students, sophomore Mary Nicholas has several interests, and she changed her major to reflect those interests.

When the Geneva resident enrolled at Keuka as a psychology major, she wasn’t sure what field of work she wanted to pursue, but she knew she wanted to help people.

“As I continued to study psychology, I found that I really enjoyed learning about it, but I didn't want to become a psychologist,” said Nicholas.

Then she heard about Keuka’s occupational therapy (OT) program.

“The more I asked and learned about [the OT program] the more interested I became,” said Nicholas. “After looking into that field of work, I decided I would truly enjoy working as an OT. I switched psychology to my minor and decided to pursue OT as my major. I have been happy with that decision ever since.”

That switch led to a summer Field Period at Everybody Rides in Newark, where Nicholas was able to combine her desire to help people with her love of animals. 

At Everybody Rides, a non-profit therapeutic riding program, professional staff and trained volunteers provide recreational and therapeutic horseback riding to people with developmental disabilities. The program is home to 14 horses and serves more than 150 adults and children every week, year round.

“When I heard about hippotherapy, I thought right away that might be something I would love to do,” said Nicholas. “My mom told me about Everybody Rides after learning about it from her co-worker. I wanted to see if it was a field of work I would want to look into after I graduate. Through this Field Period, I have found that I do love working in hippotherapy, and I will definitely consider it as a future work field.” 

Hippotherapy is a type of physical therapy that utilizes the natural movement of the horse to help riders regain physical strength, mobility, and coordination. The similarity between a horse's pelvic movements at a walk, and the movement of a normal human pelvis, enables the rider to physically learn or re-learn skills and movements that may have been lost or compromised.

“Riding horses provides the same motor stimulation for the upper body as walking,” explained Nicholas. “This strengthens and tones those muscles that generally are longer being used. It also gives the individual a sense of control. Feelings such as these can give confidence to the clients and allow them to try harder.”

During her Field Period, Nicholas learned how to handle the horses, care for them, and how to help the different riders.

“I was a side walker during some sessions,” said Nicholas, “which means I would walk beside the individual on the horse while someone else led the horse. This allowed me to either stabilize the rider or remind him or her to hold the reins properly. Sometimes, when no side walker was required, I would lead the horse.” 

Instructor Jo Anderson, Nicholas’ supervisor, provided valuable training and feedback during the therapy sessions.

Nicholas discovered that "different riders require different horses, reins, saddles, and speech, such as sign language.” She also credited her Keuka classes for helping her understand the riders’ needs.

 “My psychology classes really helped me with this,” said Nicholas. “I was able to distinguish many of the disabilities through watching the individual. My applied anatomy courses helped me see what muscles were being worked while the rider was on the horse. I could tell which riders had less tone in their arms by the way they could not hold their reins. If they could not sit up properly on the horse, I could discern some of the muscles in their trunk that were weak.” 

Completing a Field Period at Everybody Rides has made Nicholas more interested in seeing how different therapies work.

“I want to make sure I understand my clients’ needs, the best therapies for them, and how to get them interested in doing those therapies,” added Nicholas. “The people who ride at Everybody Rides love it. They enjoy being on the horse and do not see it as therapy. Instead, it is just something they love doing that helps them.”

Added Nicholas: "Jo Anderson was always ready to answer any of my questions and explain things further. I know the experiences I have gained there will stick with me and benefit me throughout my career.” 

-- Gretchen Parsells