[Sportsandrec] Horse Back Riding

[Nella Foster]

Hello:

I'm totally blind, own my own horse and have been riding for several years.  I don't think I use alternative methods when riding.  I do prefer a lighter weight saddle so that I can feel the horse better and I direct rein so that I know what my horse's head is doing.  Riding is really about feeling your horse and understanding how to communicate with them.  I been in group classes where instructors ask the class to close their eyes and ride.  All the students start freaking out, which does amuse me.  This exercise is so that riders can really focus on how their horse is moving.

I do manage things differently when working with my horse on the ground, but will not go into all that unless somebody really wants to know.  You need to know quite a bit about horses to understand ground work.

Diane lives in California and she has given me a lot of good advice over the years.  She works at the Association for the Blind or maybe it is the Society for the Blind, which is in Sacramento.

Nella

-----Original Message-----
From: SportsandRec [mailto:sportsandrec-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Erin K Work via SportsandRec
Sent: Monday, March 04, 2019 3:08 PM
To: Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List
Cc: Erin K Work
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] Horse Back Riding

Anyone have contact information for Dianne Staren? 
I’m thinking of organizing a horseback riding activity for my students and I’m interested in the ‘alternative techniques’ mentioned.
Thank you,
Erin

> On Mar 4, 2019, at 3:50 PM, Peter Donahue via SportsandRec <sportsandrec at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> Hello again everyone,
> 
>    There are a number of totally blind individuals involved in horse 
> back riding. Dianne Staren once taught at a thereputic riding school. 
> She developed alternative techniques to enable her to ride 
> independently as a blind person and to teach others how to do the 
> same. If we're the federationists we say we are we can't allow fear to 
> rule our lives. Now get upon your high horse and learn to ride! This 
> is exactly why this division needs to create opportunities to allow 
> blind persons to experience sporting and recreational opportunities 
> such as horse back riding so they can know that horsing around is very 
> doable independently by the blind. Organizing a horse gback riding 
> camp or a golf outing would provide blind persons with such opportunities.
> 
> Peter Donahue
> 
> 
> 
> 
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