HorsePower: Unique equine therapy program getting people back in the saddle

An innovative program is getting people facing physical and mental health challenges back in the saddle — literally.

For more than 45 years, thousands of West Aussies have taken part in HorsePower’s unique equine therapy program.

From children with Down syndrome to teenagers struggling with emotional stress to adults recovering from strokes — there’s “opportunity for everyone” at HorsePower, said Paula Patricelli, a coach who has worked at the Telethon-sponsored Swan Valley centre since 1983.

“We certainly see a change in the participants we work with,” she said.

“We provide a place where they can be valued, and included for who they are.”

The program provides physical and emotional therapy, offering everything from and walking with horses to equestrian vaulting.

But it isn’t just a therapy program — it’s a community.

“One young lady with multiple disabilities has been coming to us since she was a little girl. She rides, she drives the carriage, she does our walking with horses program,” Ms Patricelli said.

“Now that she’s an adult she helps out as a volunteer. This is her life.

“It’s somewhere she can come every day, somewhere that she belongs. She can come here, feel valued for every bit she puts in.”

HorsePower was previously known as the Riding for the Disabled Association of Western Australia. Founded in 1977, it boasts a simple yet powerful purpose — “To empower people living with diversabilities to develop new skills, discover new abilities and define the life they want to live.”

But the program doesn’t come cheap. Every year, the organisation’s 125 horses eat 357 rolls of hay and 875 bags of feed.

For the centre, Telethon funding is essential.

“The money is what keeps us going,” Paula said.

“Without that, we simply wouldn’t be able to survive.”