GREENE – Having operated for two years with mostly volunteer hands and the financial help of scholarships from multiple organizations, Verde View Equestrian Center, Inc. (VVEC), a nonprofit therapeutic horse riding center in the Town of Greene, is reaching out the community for help.
A golf fundraiser will be held for the organization starting at 3 p.m. Saturday at the River Run II golf course in Kirkwood, NY. At $75 per team for 18 holes of golf and a dinner, VVEC hopes to raise the money necessary to continue its mission of providing independent riding for individuals with physical, cognitive or social disabilities.
“There are so many benefits to therapeutic riding,” explained VVEC Program Coordinator Lori Piccirilli. “Not only is there the benefit of being with a large animal and learning confidence and proactive safety measures, but there's also the core strength that comes from riding, and the motor planning that comes from steering, stopping and facilitating movement of the horse.”
Other advantages include learning the steps and procedures of riding, and exercising physical, social and mental features while having fun doing it, Piccirilli added.
“What we generally see afterward is a more amicable person who's willing to work on other things. I think the empowerment from them being on the horse transfers into their daily life,” she said. “It might be as simple as being more patient, or as dramatic as actually walking as opposed to sitting in a wheelchair.”
Being a relatively new facility that opened in 2012, VVEC tailors to the demands of its special needs riders. Piccirilli explained it all starts with a site visit and an application process. “They really need to know what they're getting in to,” she said.
After a visit from a potential rider, Piccirilli, with the help of Executive Director Marissa Piccirilli, undergo a strenuous process of pairing the individual with the right mix of volunteers, the right horse, and an appropriate riding lesson plan. And with more than 90 trained volunteers and 8 horses on hand, they can always find a good combination, Piccirilli said.
