By Cathy Miller

Located on a lush tract in Long Valley is a 65-acre horses’ paradise known as the Centenary University Equestrian Center. About seven miles from the main campus, it serves as a classroom for students enrolled in the university’s Equine Studies program. For the past 16 years, it’s also been home to Therapeutic Riding At Centenary (TRAC), a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International premier accredited center serving North and Central New Jersey.

Documented by physical therapists, occupational therapists, special educators, and the riders themselves, the merits of therapeutic horseback riding are many – improved flexibility, balance, strength, reflexes, coordination, sensory integration, visual/spatial perception, self-confidence, personal empowerment, and more.

Karen Brittle, Assistant Professor of Equine Studies and PATH Advanced Instructor, is also the new TRAC Director. Its two-fold mission provides equine-assisted activities, like therapeutic riding, to children and adults with emotional, physical or learning disabilities, along with education and training for future certified therapeutic riding instructors. These in-house instructors-in-training (ITs) take a combination of academic and practicum courses.

TRAC also provides volunteer opportunities to university students and others who are interested in assisting with the program, regardless of previous horse experience.

“I am faculty within the Equine Studies department, with about 150 students in the major, 10 instructors-in-training working on their therapeutic riding certification, and additional students involved as volunteers,” she said. With her busy schedule, she gets to know her students well: “In addition to teaching the courses for PATH certification, I also teach fundamentals of riding theory, a basic riding class, and a class called ‘Nature of Work in the Equine World,’”

This Fall, lectures may be online, but increased safety and health precautions, including smaller classes, ample time to switch out reins and other shared equipment, will allow for safe, hands-on experiences with the horses – “[the horses] need the attention and exercise too.”

Horses live around 25 to 35 years. Thanks to their life experience and the calming effects of age, older horses have lots to teach beginner riders or riders with special needs. There are 88 horses living at the Equestrian Center, including six used in the TRAC program.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

All About Karen

Karen was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Rhode Island. As a teenager, she owned horses and was active in 4-H and Pony Club. As a young adult she took a break from horses, but, going through a difficult time in 2008, she began volunteering at a therapeutic riding center to reconnect with them. She said, “I felt a calling – this was what I wanted to do with my life, and it’s what I’ve been doing ever since!”

She got PATH certified and found that it got her foot in the door wherever she went: “About 12 years ago, I met my husband, who was in the Coast Guard. I’ve been following him ever since, working at therapeutic riding centers wherever he was stationed – Connecticut, Seattle, Charleston, the D.C. area.”

It can be difficult to build connections when a military spouse, but these PATH centers created an instant community: “volunteers, riders, families, fellow horse lovers, instructors – I was able to build a great group of supportive friends.”

When her husband retired last year, Karen got to choose their destination. She applied for the role of TRAC Director and they moved in New Jersey earlier this year to take over the program’s reins from Dr. Octavia Brown, who co-founded the TRAC program in 2003 and was a founder of PATH International in the ’60s.

Karen has a Master’s Degree in English and creative writing. She previously taught English, working with college students with disabilities. “I never expected to return to academia, but here we are!”

“I’ve always been interested in teaching communication skills. Working with horses is a surprisingly related thing – you’re teaching people to communicate with the horse and the volunteers to communicate with each other and the instructors. There is common ground, it just isn’t that obvious.”

Horses and Humans

When Centenary acquired the 65-acre parcel in the 1970s, it became the primary facility for the Equine Studies department. It has two indoor arenas, an outdoor arena, a Derby field, and a covered round pen/horse walker. It’s also the site of two other programs: Operation Centaur, a grant-funded horsemanship riding program for veterans that was spearheaded by Assistant TRAC Director and veteran George W. Paffendorf, and a Youth-At-Risk program.

When TRAC was founded in 2003, a grant from the late Frances (Fay) Todd made it possible to purchase three horses, a mounting ramp and other equipment to get the program off the ground. TRAC activities take place primarily in the smaller indoor arena or outdoors and most TRAC horses live in paddocks with access to shelters, which allows them the freedom to move at will, day and night. It’s a natural way of living for a horse, and supports their calm behavior in the program.

Before a horse joins TRAC, there is a six-week trial period, which includes a general assessment and an introduction to the props and equipment used by TRAC. They also experience simulations of behaviors encountered in the rider population to make sure they’ll respond quietly. When they join the program, they first work with the more advanced riders. It takes about one year before the horse is fully integrated into TRAC.

It’s critical that therapeutic riding horses be really people-oriented since they’re surrounded by volunteers, riders, and families all the time. It’s not natural for a horse to constantly have that much human contact.

Karen further explained, “In therapeutic riding, if we’re serving individuals with autism, Down syndrome, or cerebral palsy, the relationship is important but the horse’s movement is providing the bigger benefit, so we may start by riding the horse and afterwards work on the relationship, depending on the participant’s goals.”

Do horses recognize the humans in their lives? Karen acknowledged, “Petey recognizes [TRAC participant] Vika, who’s been riding him about six years. Horses probably remember the people they see frequently. I think they recognize the staff and volunteers, particularly those who feed them. That relationship is really important to supporting the activities and making them more meaningful to the riders.”

“People like [predecessor] Octavia, George, and now myself, really believe in the power of the horse to expand human potential. Offering instructor education is one way of making this field of work a true profession,” she said. “It’s a career, as opposed to something to do on the side or just for fun.”

Karen Brittle closed, “I’m grateful to have the support of the Equine Studies department and Centenary University for helping to make therapeutic riding and equine-assisted activities available to so many people.”

For applications or information about TRAC, visit the Equine Studies website or contact Karen Brittle by phone 908-852-1400 x 2174 or email karen.brittle@centenaryuniversity.edu.

FOOTNOTE:
Inside Warren readers may recall a recent story on Diana Dove wherein she spoke of riding Belle in the TRAC program and nominating her as National Horse of the Year 2020. Karen Brittle explained that judging should happen about now, but “PATH International, the national judging association, is working hard on their response to Covid-19. The awards might have taken a back seat, but hopefully we’ll get word soon.”