and want a unique form of exercise.
Established in 1976, LTRA helps over 350
people in their rehabilitation efforts each
year through horse riding therapy.
healthy Communities
Heather Boychuk guides her horse
Reno around the brand new riding area
at the Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding
Association (LTRA) with ease, bantering
with LTRA program coordinator Eilish
Short as she is directed through a series
of exercises designed to improve her
balance and coordination.
According to Heather’s mom, Cathie,
Heather’s time on horseback over the
past nine years with LTRA has completely
transformed her daughter.
“We tried lots of things when Heather
was growing up,” Cathie said. “She was
nonverbal, so we took her to speech
therapy. She couldn’t walk, so we tried
physical therapy. Basically, if it had the
word ‘therapy’ at the end of it, we tried it.”
LTRA had to
start a $400,000
fundraising
campaign to
reach their goal of
$950,000 for a new
arena.
When Heather was nine, her physical
therapist suggested she try riding therapy
at LTRA, in addition to her traditional
HealinG tHrouGH
rIDINg TherAPY
Heather was born with Hydrocephalus,
a medical condition that causes excess
fluid to build up around the brain, and
can result in challenges with balance
and mobility, as well as delayed verbal
development.
LTRA’s programs are created to assist
people with various levels of disability,
or who are recovering from illnesses
8
therapy sessions. Although Cathie didn’t
know much about horse therapy, she
decided to enroll Heather in the next
available session.
do. The social skills Heather has learned
interacting with staff, volunteers, and
the horses have also helped her gain
confidence outside of the arena.
The physical aspect of horse riding has
been the perfect activity for Heather to
strengthen her core muscles, something
many of the other activities she has
tried in the past haven’t been able to
The skills Heather developed at LTRA
were the very ones that she would need
to help her through learning about the
devastating roof collapse of the LTRA
arena in November 2014. The riding arena