Equine Therapy Connects in Dennis Township

CLERMONT—On a crisp autumn afternoon at Star Hollow Stables, Bridget O’Conner pushes a wheelchair bearing her 34-year-old son into the barn. Patrick has cerebral palsy and today is a special day for him. He has come to the stables to visit a friend.
A head slowly pokes out from one of the stalls lining either side of the barn. Curious, 20-year-old Poco, a brown and white pinto, examines Patrick. The two reach out, tentatively at first. But before long, Patrick touches Poco’s snout and the pinto nuzzles his outstretched fingers.
Connection.
Enabling those special moments of connection to occur is what it’s all about for Pat Moran, Cheryl Moore, and Bonnie Phillips, partners in SELF, Seaview Equine Learning Facility. SELF operates out of Star Hollow Stables on a 7.5 acre farm located on Route 83 in Dennis Township.
Moran recently purchased the property specifically for the SELF program. The stables are managed by Abby Revoir, who is assisted by her fiancé Matt Sykes, an Avalon police officer who grew up in nearby Ravenwood. Abby handles the horses while Matt is the on-site jack-of-all-trades. The extensive corrals, sturdily enclosed with new fencing, is part of Sykes handiwork.
Eventually, the couple hope to purchase the property from Moran.
SELF began several years after a chance meeting at a local stable, according to Cheryl Moore.
Moore has worked with special needs youth for 20 years at Cape May County Special Services School. The former Cape May County (now Cumberland) resident is an equine specialist. The day she met Moran, she was working with students in a program called EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association).
“EAGALA is a non-profit professional organization engaged in equine therapy with individuals having mental health and development needs,” she explained.
Moran, who was at the stable to visit her horse Beau, was immediately curious about the program, Moore recalled.
“She did her research, took the requisite training, and asked about forming the partnership that led to the creation of SELF.”
SELF is about much more than horseback riding, Moore pointed out.
“On the ground, eye to eye with a horse, so many feelings come into play with the horse-human interaction,” she said.
One need look no further than the expression of obvious joy on Patrick’s face during his connection with Poco for proof of Moore’s assertion.
“It can really impact changes in a person’s life.”
There are no age restrictions for inclusion in a SELF program. Moore noted that current clients include a five-year-old autistic child as well as a 42-year-old woman with Downs Syndrome.
“We set up activities designed to encourage self-esteem, team building, and communication,” Moore said. And of course, there is the invigorating effect of that connection with another living creature.
The connection between human and horse is apparently powerful enough to be felt by the federal government. The US Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program felt it and recently awarded a $39,000 Community Facilities Grant to SELF to help support its work with equine therapy and education.
The money is being used to purchase operational equipment such a tractor and a specially designed therapy saddle. And some of those hard to come by federal dollars will also go to finding suitable co-workers for Poco.
USDA Rural Development State Director Howard Henderson visited Star Hollow Stables on Sept. 20 and, sharing Patrick’s moment of connection with Poco, was obviously pleased with what has already been accomplished.
“This is clearly a wise use of taxpayer money,” he said. “Based upon the success we see nationwide using horses for therapy, we were willing to make a large commitment of the limited funds we have available for New Jersey.”
According to Henderson, the program has allotted a total of $160,000 for New Jersey. The USDA Rural Development Program administers a variety of housing, business, and community infrastructure projects, all geared to improve the quality of life for a broad spectrum of rural America. The USDARD’s decision to grant 25% of that amount to SELF was made in part because the program is the first of its kind in the Garden State.
“We tend to localize but this program will be available for folks from a large area, in Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties,” Henderson said.
Pat Moran was instrumental in obtaining the grant for SELF. While her first love may be horses and the freedom of working out of doors, her previous work history has been anchored in the world of business.
Along with husband John Oldham, she has owned and operated the Sea Lark Bed and Breakfast in Avalon, where the pair have been full-time innkeepers for 20 years. She has also enjoyed a long and successful career in corporate sales.
“I rode competitively when I was younger,” she explained. “Then I sold computers for 25 years. Between that and the Sea Lark, I was looking for something to do that would give me more time with Beau.”
Moran handled the paperwork involved in creating a business plan for SELF. That effort enabled the program to obtain non-profit corporation status last summer.
In addition to the USDA grant, SELF has earned recognition from the New Jersey Department of Human Services as a qualified service provider.
Currently, SELF serves clients who attend weekly one hour sessions of equine assisted therapy (Wednesdays) and therapeutic riding (Saturdays).
“We’ve had four intakes (new applicants) in the last week,” Moran said, confirming that SELF is already becoming known and will fill a vacuum for a needed service.
In the weeks ahead, the farm will break ground to build a new barn since the existing structure has a badly leaking roof and is in such a state of disrepair as to be unsalvageable.
“And we’re looking for horses,” Moran added, noting that she has been scouring the Internet in search of candidates.
What kind of horse makes a good therapist?
“We’re looking for horses that are big-boned, big bodied, about sixteen hands,” she explained.
“The horse we need will be extremely calm. We’re looking for horses under ten years old but preferably not ponies.” Moran added that volunteers of the two legged variety are also welcome. “We’ll train. No experience necessary,” she said. “Horse knowledge not essential. All you have to do is interact with clients.”
Horses and humans have long enjoyed a special relationship. Programs such as SELF take that relationship a step further. Equine assisted activities such as those offered by SELF have helped people with such severe conditions as traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and Downs Syndrome.
Moran looks for SELF to expand, with projects like a first time Special Olympics Equestrian program in the tri-county area. She also hopes to reach out to veterans.
“We encourage veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder to see what equine therapy can do to help them cope with their experiences.”
Watching the exchange between Patrick and Poco on a perfect autumn afternoon in Dennis Township, no one doubts the healing potential of the connection.