Riders, horses in step together through local equine program

There's an unspoken connection between horse and rider that has existed for thousands of years, a timeless a bond formed between man and animal based on trust.

This inherent faith is an inexplicable phenomenon that has endured through the ages, its innocent simplicity perhaps even more evident today as the relationship has evolved into something deeper than a means of practical transportation.

At the Sierra Therapeutic Equestrian Program (STEP) ranch in southern Washoe Valley, the dance performed between horse and rider is more than a thing of beauty.

It's a miracle.

Where medical and mental health professionals have failed to connect at such a rudimentary level to their patients, horses have succeeded.

On a warm Monday morning in late June, STEP Founder and Executive Director Konnie McGruder has called together her team of volunteer therapists to brief them about the clients due to arrive any minute.

She reviews proper safety procedures -- such as mounting and dismounting -- and stresses the importance of having a therapist on each side of the horse in the event the rider loses balance.

"What I have found with kids like this," she tells them, "is that they are so preoccupied with the horse, that we need lots of volunteers."

Many of the volunteer therapists, including McGruder, are certified and registered through PATH International (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship), which is the governing body for equestrian-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT).

"There are three registered instructors here today," McGruder said. "We have some real qualified people here helping us."

The process of becoming a registered PATH therapist is rigorous and time-consuming, McGruder says, while the cost of accrediting a program is steep.

But ask any one of the therapy team and they'll say the efforts are well worth it in the end.

"The clients don't just get a lot out of this," McGruder said. "But the volunteers and the animals get a lot out of this as well."

Alissa Burns has been a volunteer therapist at STEP, Inc., since September 2015. But before that, she had spent several years teaching in other PATH organizations in California.

It's a therapeutic modality worth believing and investing in, Burns said.

Fellow volunteer Vince Pirozzi has been PATH certified for five years, but only with the STEP program for six months, he said.

Pirozzi devotes three days a week to teaching riders how to trust the animal and let it guide them toward healing, combining his love of equines with a desire to help others.

STEP seemed like a natural fit for Pirozzi, a Washoe Valley resident since 1997, not only because of his horsemanship experience and certification, but also his close proximity to the McGruders' property.

"I live three blocks from here. I lived here 20 years and I never knew she was here," he said. "I just found out about it about six months ago, and I ride my horse up to here."

Konnie McGruder grew up around horses. Raised on a ranch, she learned about riding at a young age.

"I'm an old cowgirl from Northern California," said the retired educator, who worked as a teacher and later a reading specialist at Bordewich-Bray Elementary School in Carson City for 25 years. "The first time I rode I was about seven or eight. I also showed horses a little bit as I was growing up."

These days, Konnie and her husband, Terry, operate STEP, Inc., from their southern Washoe Valley property off Bellevue Road and Old Highway 395.

Their eldest son built the home they currently live in, Terry McGruder said, and he helped them develop the ranch property specifically for a riding program.

"We selected the property on purpose to service Lyon, Storey, Carson City and Washoe counties," Konnie said.

Started in 1997, STEP has remained a small venture, but it has also weathered storms and stood the tests of time.

"It's just been a real mom and pop operation," she said. "I've really tried very hard to take this to the next level."

But there had been setbacks over the years that needed to be addressed first.

The largest corral, an open arena located at the back of the property and directly behind the barn, was originally supposed to be a state-of-the-art indoor riding arena, complete with eight indoor stalls, built-in heat and air conditioning, Terry McGruder said.

"We had all the money for that, and we were ready to put it up," he said.

That's when Konnie was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, the type that is usually terminal, she said.

"Doctors said they couldn't do anything for her," Terry said. "They told her to get her affairs in order."

But the McGruders weren't willing to give up, so they traveled to Houston, Texas, and enrolled Konnie into the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, a world-renowned research and treatment facility.

Eleven months later, following a series of treatments that culminated in the removal of a lung, Konnie McGruder returned home to Northern Nevada as a cancer survivor.

The money the McGruders had reserved for the indoor arena had to be used to fund the cancer treatment, but that was a minor inconvenience compared with what they had just fought through.

In her recovery, Konnie remained undeterred and determined to devote herself to STEP.

"I made the decision not to continue with teaching, and to take the program to next level," she said.

She saw to it that STEP, Inc. attained full 501(c)3 nonprofit status, which allowed the organization to reach out to more funding sources.

STEP has worked over the years with physical and occupational therapy facilities, the Veterans Administration in Reno, nursing homes and hospices to bring the unique kind of therapy that only an equine can to a suffering patient.

"This all started out working with the kids, their speech therapists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists," Konnie said. "The sky's the limit with what you can do with one of these programs."

The McGruders, married 48 years, have resided in Washoe Valley for 20 years. This is their third residence in the valley, Terry McGruder said.

Toward the back of the current property, there are multiple riding corrals. There's the large center arena -- where Monday morning's lesson will be taught -- as well as a corral featuring a handicapped ramp for individuals requiring assistive devices.

There are two horses and one donkey being prepped for Monday's therapy.

Frankie, the donkey, is the lovable face of the STEP program, Konnie said.

"Frankie is the ambassador for our program," she said.

Then there is Spirit, a 16-year-old buckskin mare, and a 26 year-old rescued mustang mare named Rose, both of whom have the sort of intrinsic strengths and intangibles required for STEP, Konnie said.

"You can't just use any horse," she said. "You've got to have the right temperament."

When the clients arrive, Monday's entire STEP therapy team greets them heartily.

Three boys -- Isaiah, Taren, and Jacob -- from the Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada in Carson City are going to work out with Spirit, Rose and Frankie.

This is their third session, and understandably, they are eager to get started.

But Konnie McGruder reminds them how to start each session.

"We always start with some stretches, and then review what we've learned in the last sessions," she said.

The stretches include yoga exercises to warm up with.

"You want to honor your body," she tells the boys. "You don't want to have it hurt."

Their review covers basic safety around horses, and the boys raise their hands when asked why they are always to wear a helmet when riding.

"Because if you fall, your head doesn't get hurt," one of them says.

McGruder said preparation is an important part of therapy before clients even set foot in a stirrup.

"We talk about safety and horse anatomy and all the important things they need to know," she said.

After warm-ups and review, it's time to ride.

The boys strap on their helmets and are escorted to the arena by their therapy team.

Each boy is assigned an equine to start with. He and his therapists practice saddling his mount.

First comes the blanket and then the pad before the saddle is cinched under the equine.

Once the equine is saddled, the team moves in unison to the mounting station, where each boy is assisted with getting into the saddle.

Taren is assigned Frankie first, and he can't help but hug the burro, latching onto him several times before the end of his ride.

As soon as he is secured in Frankie's saddle, Taren and his therapy team step off in a slow walk to make room for the next horse and rider at the mounting station.

Next is Isaiah on Spirit, followed by Jacob on Rose.

The boys are instructed to give verbal commands to their equines, as well as nonverbal signals that involve learning to use their heels in the stirrups and the reins in their hands to gently guide the equine in any direction.

Before the team steps off, though, there is a moment during which each boy and his equine make eye contact and that beautiful unspoken connection between horse and rider is made.

Sometimes the rider is nervous, and his equine will respond in kind sensing that anxiety, McGruder said.

At which point, it becomes a therapeutic teaching moment for the therapist to instruct the client on recognizing his or her own feelings based upon how the equine reacts to them, she said.

"The equine mirrors our behaviors," McGruder said. "So if we're nervous or uptight, they'll swish their tails nervously."

And when the rider relaxes, the horse naturally follows suit.

"You can just see them calm down and the horse calms down," she said. "They get instant feedback from their own behavior. The horse responds to our own behavior."

There are a few clients currently with the Boys and Girls Club, McGruder said, and she hopes to get more interested in the program.

Besides children, there are also several adult clients, too, suffering from a host of physical, mental and emotional conditions.

Many adult clients of PATH International-accredited programs, like STEP, are either active duty military or veterans.

The PATH web site states nearly 4,000 service men and women nationwide have been helped by equine-assisted activities and therapies.

McGruder said she is working with various area veterans groups and service providers to expand veteran access to equine therapies at STEP.

"I'm just hooked on working with the vets," she said.

In addition to riding therapies, STEP has also brought equine services to inpatient clients, including veterans at the Veterans Administration Sierra Nevada Hospital in Reno.

McBride has a miniature horse named Flash, whom she takes to inpatient settings for therapeutic petting sessions.

Veteran clientele have been mostly Vietnam-era, McGruder said, and their predominant diagnoses are either Traumatic Brain Injury or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

She said equine therapy is beneficial to brain injuries because sitting astride a horse helps restore the fundamental skills of balance and coordination.

For clients suffering from PTSD, equine therapy is a healthy distraction.

"It's a great escape from what's stressing them out," she said. "They forget about all the stuff that's going on with them."

McGruder said that while equine therapy can be expensive, her organization strives to keep it affordable.

Currently, STEP provides a $1,000 scholarship to veterans, McGruder said, and a $1,000 scholarship to clients through the Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada.

For more information about STEP, or to schedule therapy sessions, contact Konnie McGruder at 775-530-7073. She can also be reached via email at stepinc@pyramid.net.