By Kim Hilsenbeck
Ask Cher Brock about Horse Boy therapy and her big blue eyes light up.
Brock, who is certified in the first level of Horse Boy therapy — a method of helping autistic children using horses — offers the treatment to families at no charge. Horse Boy is an organization in Elgin that certifies people in its own brand of animal-based therapy which founded by Rupert Isaacson to help his autistic son, Rowan, through connecting with nature and horses.
Brock funds her passion for helping children with autism through private horseback riding lessons at Feathered Grace Farms — what she calls her hobby farm — located in Manchaca. Truth be told, Brock said, her husband, who works at Silicon Labs, helps finance the whole operation though she would like to be more self-sustaining.
How did Brock get started in horse therapy?
“It was something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “My mom was a special education teacher. I’ve just seen what animals can do,” she said.
Brock also spent several years as a volunteer in the equine therapy program at Marbridge, a live-in facility for persons with a variety of disabilities. She was a substitute teacher at the facility as well.
“I still mentor one of their young women there,” she said.
Brock said her experience as a volunteer helped bring her dreams into focus.
“Seeing adults come into the (Marbridge) facility, it was almost too late to get the benefits of horse therapy.”
Brock wanted to bring the program’s benefits to children and their families. Knowing how expensive the treatment is, she decided to offer it for free.
Brock has seen firsthand the healing power animals have with people. That’s why she wanted to be certified in Horse Boy therapy; when she found Isaacson’s story, it not only moved her, it motivated her.
How does it work?
She said many autistic individuals do what’s known as stimming — stereotypy, or self-stimulatory behavior where the person makes repetitive body movements or repetitive movement of objects.
Though researchers have observed stimming behavior in many individuals with developmental disabilities, it appears to be more common in autism. Stimming can involve one or all of the senses.
“Put them on a horse and the stimming seems to stop,” Brock said.
These days she is offering help to a family from Round Rock. Their oldest child, whom they adopted, has Cerebral Palsy and is on the autism spectrum. Brock said the girl also has brain damage from an accident as an infant when she was an orphan in Russia. She is considered non-verbal because she doesn’t speak or pronounce her words.
“We have been working on pronouncing words and putting sentences together while she rides,” Brock said.
Many autistic children are nonverbal and withdrawn. The learning process is different for them, according to Brock.
“An autistic child in a [traditional] classroom involves florescent lights, a small boxed in feeling,” she said. “Take them into nature and they can relate and learn much better.”
According to a website on horse therapy, the soothing, calming repetitiveness of the motion of riding allow autistic children to focus on things like learning to speak, spell or talk.
Horse Boy Learning, as seen on the Horse Boy website, is based on intrinsic motivation — following the child in their interests. The premise of the training is that autistic children somehow connect with nature, which opens them to the possibility of learning and interacting with others.
The Horse Boy website describes the nonprofit as “a three dimensional universe, with autism and horses at our center, but radiating out to reflect all sides of kinetic and experiential learning that can be applied to autism, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety disorders – everything that has to do with the nervous system and the brain.”
According to the site, “Horse Boy uses a child-centered approach to get communication from children who are not motivated to communicate (this defines autism) by proving that we are worth communicating with. The importance of kinetic learning – learning through movement — is a key tenant of the organization’s approach.”
Based on research of several horse therapy sites, this kind of approach differs from Hippotherapy, which is physical, occupational and speech-language therapy treatment strategy that utilizes the dynamic movement of the horse to achieve therapy goals. Children with traumatic brain disorders and various forms of palsy can benefit from this style of treatment.
The Horse Boy methods seem more geared toward children with autism.
Brock eventually wants to expand and find a larger farm.
“I would like to be in the Buda/Kyle area, or Dripping Springs,” she said.
But she wants to find a set up similar to what she has at Feathered Grace — the arena, stables, fenced in areas.
“We built all of this,” she said, moving her hand around in a sweeping gesture.
Brock said she also plans to continue with higher levels of Horse Boy certification. Getting a few more private lesson clients on board will help with that goal, she said.
What else is special about this farm?
Feathered Grace, owned by Cher Brock, is also home to two Gypsy horses, three goats, about half a dozen chickens, two Kune Kune piglets named GiGi and Lori, two labs and Hank, a Dwarf horse.
As she describes the Horse Boy therapy approach and her goals of helping autistic children, she is holding Hank in her lap, her arms around his tiny body. A Dwarf horse who stands just under 22 inches tall, Hank came to Feathered Grace in April. A local horse breeder put him out to pasture. Brock stepped in to save the little horse from whatever his fate would have been with the breeder.
The shy horse wears braces on his front legs and special shoes on his back feet.
Because of the mutant gene that produces Dwarf horses, they are known to have medical and physiological problems. Brock knew when she rescued him that she would have to spend time and money to make him well. Fortunately, he won’t require surgery to help him walk correctly.
“The goal of braces is to get his tendons and ligaments stronger and loosened up,” she said. “His hooves were turned all the way in when he walked.”
Brock said the breeder should have put his legs in braces this within three weeks of birth; if that had been done, the horse would be walking fine now.
He also has an underbite that will likely cause problems, arthritis and low blood sugar. But Brock said he’s doing great these days. She uses Hank as part of her therapy sessions and even takes him to visit the residents at Marbridge.
GiGi (one of the pigs) is trained to walk Hank around with his lead rope.
“It’s hilarious,” Brock said.
A demonstration of GiGi walking Hank around the yard proved her point.
And while Hank and the rest of the tribe are adorable, it’s the two Gypsy horses in the stables, Lord Byron and Canterbury Rockstar, that allow Brock to realize her Horse Boy dreams.
