Miracles happen at REINS

Lexington Howe

Intern

The mood was light, smiles radiating off families and guests as they watched three of REINS young student riders mount horses that had stars on their flanks and braids in their tails, while the riders held up bright colored signs that read "Empowerment," "Above the Crowd" and "Confident."

"We are unstoppable, right!" executive director Deborah "Debbie" Shinner said as the crowd cheered.

Western attire was worn all-around: cowboy hats, blue jeans and multicolored flannels. A young girl in pink cowboy boots ran toward the horses as the warm breeze began to grow cooler, the sun just beginning its descent behind the hills as the evening's festivities were just beginning.

REINS Therapeutic Horsemanship Program celebrated its 35th anniversary at their annual Country Hoedown, Oct. 12, which included a silent auction, catered barbecue from Firehouse Que and Brew, dancing, live music, carnival games and a riding demonstration by three of the student riders in the program.

REINS is dedicated to therapeutic riding, helping assist disabled children and adults whether it be physically, mentally or emotionally. They provided over 8,000 therapeutic lessons in 2018, and there is an average of 1,000 volunteers annually. There are currently 20 therapy horses and 22 therapeutic riding instructors.

"We have 200 weekly students," Deborah Shinner said. "Our youngest is 2, and our oldest is 79 right now."

Their therapy horses are donated to the program.

"We couldn't do what we do without volunteers," Shinner said, who has been with the program as executive director for 25 years now. "You only have to be 12 to volunteer, and you don't need to have prior horse experience."

Andy Kyle started volunteering with REINS this summer.

"I had some spare time on Fridays, and I volunteer around four hours," Kyle said. "I help out with the kids and make sure they ride safely and get the full experience that REINS has."

Kyle commutes about an hour currently to volunteer.

"Seeing the kids heal and grow, recover – to tell you the truth, when I first came here I thought it was really cool, and I thought it was just a matter of lifting the kids' spirits," Kyle said. "When I saw the kids confidence grow and their physical health improve after experiencing this, that's when I really saw what REINS is all about."

Nikki Harmer has been on staff with REINS for almost five years now.

"I originally came here for the horses," Harmer said. "Then I fell in love with the students."

Harmer has been riding for 20 years, since she was 3 years old.

"It's the confidence," Harmer said on the impact of the program for her. "So many of them are not very confident when they're on the ground, or they feel they are different, and as soon as they get on the horse it completely changes. They're so confident, just willing to try anything."

Kimberly "Kim" Shinner, marketing and business development manager for REINS, handles the social media and marketing, and also does most of the grant writing and fundraising, working with donors to make sure all they do at REINS is possible.

"They (donors) are a big part of what keeps this program alive, and we couldn't have done it without the support of the community," Kim Shinner said. "I began volunteering when I was 13 years old, when my mom took over the program as executive director, so I grew up with it. I went away to college, got my own career and decided I wanted to come back here and really pursue what I loved doing here growing up."

"We see miracles performed here on a daily basis," Deborah Shinner said. "We've seen, in my 25 years here, children that could not walk, talk or sit up that now do. It may not happen in six months, one year, it may happen in six years," Shinner said.

The horses are a tool, according to Deborah Shinner.

"Where physical speech and occupational therapists use their tools in their therapy room, our tool is the horse," she said. "These families watch their child and/or adult do something typical, this is something their child can do, again they may not be able to play baseball or soccer, but they can certainly ride a horse."

For Kyle, it's been a big impact on him.

"It's just so much more than the surface of riding a horse, it's empowering. It really hits a soft spot for me," Kyle said. "When I see those kids really grow and improve and have a smile on their face and that they can have more mobility now, it's unreal."