**Riding atop Huckleberry, a rider practices balance during a session at Reach For The Stars. The Seal Rock program aids children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.** (Cheryl Romano/Lincoln Chronicle)

By CHERYL ROMANO/Lincoln Chronicle

Everyone who bought a raffle ticket at this year’s popular Yachats Agate Festival helped someone with autism, mental health issues or cerebral palsy. That’s because the proceeds went to a new program in Seal Rock that uses horses to help people.

“Reach For The Stars” is the nonprofit brainchild of Marla Bowman of Toledo, a lifelong horsewoman with years of experience in what’s called “therapeutic horsemanship.” As the beneficiary of this year’s festival raffle, she’ll use the funds to keep her program going and growing.

“Horses can really benefit anyone in their own way,” says Bowman, who also works with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “This includes people with physical disabilities, people on the autism spectrum, people with a mental health diagnosis … therapeutic horsemanship isn’t for just one specific population.”

That’s why her 50 students, ages four into the mid-70s, come to weekly classes in Seal Rock to take part in a variety of activities: riding horses, of course, but also feeding and grooming them, cleaning stalls, and playing arena games as a team. In the process, they gain skills that might take longer to achieve in more traditional therapy.

The benefits of horse-human interactions have been clinically documented for years — simply being around a horse can lower heart rate and blood pressure and lessen anxiety. But for people with special needs, the rewards can be amplified.

According to the global credentialing body in the field, PATH International (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship), working with horses can help boost social skills, emotional balance, learning, physical fitness and self-esteem.

Bowman launched her nonprofit last spring after working with other, related programs in Oregon. Although less than a year old, her organization has already notched some notable successes.

“One boy about five years old had a lot of needs, including being non-verbal,” Bowman says. “After working with our horses for a while, he was more willing to make sounds and follow directions. Now he can say ‘Walk on’ to his horse.”

“His speech and occupational therapists came to a session, and said the boy was making more progress with horses than he was in their office. They told me ‘He’s so much more motivated’.” The therapists now use pictures of horses to aid in the boy’s in-office sessions.

Bowman has five horses in the program, selected after a trial period because they’re exceptionally gentle, calm, safe and not easily startled. They’re all on the mature side; the youngest is seven, the others in their teens.

**Before students enjoy the fun and (sometimes) games of lessons, they get to work brushing their mounts. Horse care is part of the learning experience for most riders at Reach For The Stars.** (Cheryl Romano/Lincoln Chronicle)

Question: Why is your program named “Reach For The Stars”?

Answer: Reach For The Stars Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies (the full name) was meant to give a feeling of hope and reaching goals through horse-related work. We opened last June with summer camps, and this winter officially became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We’d love to have more volunteers. There’s no specific experience required — you might help with horse care or be a horse leader in sessions.

Q: What types of sessions do you offer?

**“What we’re doing in the barn will help in other areas of life,” says therapeutic riding program executive director Marla Bowman. She oversees a feeding for one of her program’s five horses.** (Cheryl Romano/Lincoln Chronicle)

A: Our students can take part in therapeutic riding lessons, interactive vaulting and equine-assisted learning. The riding lessons (group or private, based on skill), take place either in the covered arena at Aurora Rose Stables in Seal Rock, in the pasture or on trails, depending on weather and students’ needs. The focus is on safety, riding skills and independence. Interactive vaulting involves a student sitting astride the horse on a blanket pad with handles, in the arena. The horse moves in a circle, attached to a lead line, which I hold. Students sit, kneel or stand on the pad while the horse is moving, increasing confidence and building teamwork and trust. Equine-assisted learning is non-mounted activities that help students learn and progress. This includes grooming and leading the horses.

Q: What qualifications do you have to teach your students?

A: I’m certified by PATH International, the global credentialing authority, in several areas: certified therapeutic riding instructor, advanced therapeutic riding instructor, equine specialist in mental health and learning, interactive vaulting instructor, and interactive vaulting faculty. In addition to being executive director of and instructor at Reach for The Stars, I also work with The ARC of Lincoln County, supporting adults with intellectual disabilities in community activities.

Q: How did you first become involved with the special needs community?

A: I grew up horse-crazy in Sacramento. As a teenager I volunteered with a therapeutic riding program for special needs children. Later, I worked as a teacher’s aide for kids with autism at a Sacramento school. I first became certified as a PATH instructor on the East Coast, and then 10 years ago moved to Oregon.

**Are their rooms at home this tidy? Barn and stall cleaning is a required part of pre-lesson activities for most riders at Reach For The Stars in Seal Rock.** (Cheryl Romano/Lincoln Chronicle)

Q: Why did you create Reach For the Stars?

A: I really wanted to start from scratch to create a program that operates on best practices in therapeutic horsemanship. I did not want this to be about the money — it’s about the specialized horse-based services that can help people. While we do bill insurance companies for participants who have a medical diagnosis and treatment plan, we have no out-of-pocket fees. That’s why we rely on grants and donations. We have a scholarship account to which people can donate. Also, on our website there’s a page where people can help buy food, supplies or veterinary care for our horses. There is no equipment expense for students. We provide helmets and simply require that they wear closed-toe shoes and long pants.

Tell us a secret

Most horses are social animals that like humans. But despite what you might think due to their large size, they are prey animals. That’s why you don’t want to walk up suddenly behind them, or make quick, surprise movements around their heads.

Reach For The Stars. 99 N. Wolkau Road, Seal Rock. Website: https://reachforthestars.info/. Marla Bowman, executive director. Email: [email protected]; Phone: 541-272-9717.