Guner began riding at Hope Horses in 2020! He was really nervous to begin with and didn’t want to go. I explained to him he wouldn’t have to ride or do anything until he was ready. The staff was so patient and put Guner’s fears to ease. They had him riding the first lesson. Guner is 19 and has Down Syndrome which is a genetic condition that affects him in all areas. Some of his needs are speech, fine motor skills and gross motor skills but I guess his biggest need is finding activities that will get him more involved in the community. Guner is very social and enjoys being around people.
Since riding at Hope Horses his listening and following directions has improved! His self confidence has improved tremendously. Hope Horses is his favorite activity he has ever been involved with!” - Guner’s mom
Impact from the Saddle!
Guner has been riding at Hope Horses for almost 4 years. Guner always arrives at the barn ready to get his horse Spots ready for the day. Guner is very determined to be as independent as possible in his lessons with grooming, tacking and riding. When Guner grooms he is very thorough which allows him to make sure Spots gets nice and clean for his lesson.
Next, Guner tacks his horse. Ms. Mariah has a specific order in which Guner grabs his tack and puts it on Spots, this allows Guner to work on his sequencing to ensure that Spots’ tack is put on correctly. Once a safety check is performed, Guner mounts from the block. Over the past four years, Guner has built up strength in his leg muscles from riding. This is a skill that has been necessary for him to be successful with mounting and using leg aids to communicate with his horse. Each lesson, Guner rides Spots independently (meaning without a horse handler connected). Guner enjoys learning new things with his horse.
In Guner’s lesson, he works on following instructions, and this allows that independence he gets in each lesson. Often, Guner has an obstacle course he must complete for his horsemanship goal of the lesson to be achieved. Making his way through the course helps Guner work on core strength, fine and gross motor skills and maintaining balance in his left and right turns. Guner is full of laughter when he is at the barn. You can guarantee that there will be plenty of jokes and laughs when Guner is at Hope Horses.
- Mariah Miles - Guner's instructor.
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