Capital Region Cares Capital Region Cares 2017-2018 | Page 59

Dr. Kristine Corn sits behind and supports Ava, a young client of the Ride to Walk program. Ava is building both muscle strength and
emotional strength on Ranger, one of the clinic’s therapy horses.
start to ride independently at around 7
years old, depending on their progress.
For Rebecca O’Callaghan, that
progress changed her life. O’Callaghan
was born a “Micro Preemie,” (she
weighed less than a pound at birth)
and is a former client of Ride to Walk.
When she came to Corn at 6 months
old, she fit in a Kleenex box. “At the
time there were not the same neonatal
facilities we have today, Micro Pree-
mies weren’t expected to be able to
walk or talk,” Corn says.
O’Callaghan was referred to Corn’s
physical therapy clinic, to aid her de-
velopment in building muscle strength
and independence before she could
even walk. Today she and Corn work
together in the clinic, where O’Cal-
laghan is an occupational therapist
who gives back to the community she
was a part of.
The Ride to Walk program has op-
erated since 1985, and they have been
improving their ranch since moving
in 18 years ago. Use of the property is
available to the public from dawn to
dusk. To keep up with costs, the ranch
also boards non-therapy horses, and
the lake on site is also open for catch
and release bass fishing for a $5, rec-
ommended donation. (The donations
help the ranch provide rides — Corn’s
clients pay half the cost and the ranch
pays the remaining half.) Volunteers
also help with therapy rides and main-
taining the property.
The program costs $500 a month,
but every client is given a scholarship
for half their costs, and it’s also possi-
ble to sponsor children’s riding or vol-
unteer to assist them. “It’s a program
that doesn’t exist without volunteers,”
Corn says. n
Danna Sweidan is a freelancer who
writes about travel, arts and culture.
She graduated from Sacramento
State with a government-journalism
degree, and works as an independent
travel consultant.
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