Volunteer Corinna Frankel guides 7-year-old Kylie Noorani around the arena on a horse at Ride On in Chatsworth, California, on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Ride On is a program that teaches adaptive riding to children and adults with physical or cognitive disabilities. (Photo by David Crain, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Los Angeles’ 2028 Olympic Games are still five years away, but Olympic planning has already begun in various parts of the city.
The nonprofit Ride On provides therapeutic horseback riding to adults and children with disabilities thanks to the PlayLA program, an initiative funded by the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the International Olympic Committee, which has invested millions of dollars to increase youth participation in sports at local recreation centers.
Participants have a range of disabilities and conditions, including those who have experienced brain injury, stroke, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.
“The benefits we see for some patients are improved strength, mobility and gross motor skills,” says Sarah Jones, CEO of Chatsworth-based Ride On. “There are a lot of physical benefits.”
Jones said that while in traditional rehabilitation centers, physiotherapists use machines and equipment to help patients with disabilities, Ride On’s physiotherapists use the movement of horses to improve patients’ abilities.
“Horseback riding provides a fantastic range of stimulation for patients, helping to improve balance, tone, strength and motor skills,” she said.
Ride On is a partner with the city of Los Angeles, offering horseback riding classes in Chatsworth, Pasadena and Thousand Oaks through its PlayLA program, which provides sports programming for youth ages 5-17.
The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced in 2021 that it would invest $9.6 million to fund youth sports ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This huge investment helped subsidize entry fees for leagues, classes and clinics in sports such as tennis, golf, basketball and equestrian.
“We have certified instructors who are specially trained to use their knowledge of disabilities to teach riding techniques and riding for a variety of ability levels,” Jones said.
The program is open to people of all ages: the oldest patient is over 80 years old, and the youngest is under 1 year old.
Angela Landeros moved to the San Fernando Valley in 2001 and began volunteering with therapeutic riding at age 13. She soon became a Ride On instructor.
But in 2013 she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and went from instructor to Ride On patient.
“I went back to them as a student because I knew their facilities were top notch, the education was great and they treated the animals well,” Landeros said.
Today, Landeros, who lives in West Hills, is in stable condition and can walk normally, though she needs a cane for long walks, and she credits diet, exercise and horseback riding for making a big difference.
Jones said the secret to Ride On’s success is that being with horses is therapeutic for humans.
“Physical therapy is usually done in an office, but we also get to ride horses outside,” Jones says. “The kids love it.”