Horses as therapy for children of first responders in new Philadelphia program

NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA (FOX 29) - First responders put their lives on the line for the public every day. That type of stress can impact their whole family.

But, a program just launched at a Philadelphia-based riding academy is all about stress relief for children, courtesy of horses.

The children of some local first responders will spend the next eight weeks working with horses for free.

The new program, "Stepping Forward," kicked off on Sunday at Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Academy on Bustleton Avenue for children of Philadelphia Firefighters and Paramedics Union Local 22. The goal is to teach the children, through horses, different stress coping mechanisms in a fun and supportive learning environment.

Many people do not realize that a first responder's job is not only stressful for that person, but for their family as well.

"Mental health issues are on the forefront for firefighters and police officers across the country," says Tommy McKiernan, a trustee with Local 22. "We sort of left our children in the dust not realizing that our stressors are directly affecting our children."

He pitched the idea to their executive board and they agreed to cover the costs for the children of Local 22 families who wish to participate.

Pegasus' Program and Equine Director, Teresa Doherty, says she came up with the idea after seeing how wonderful certain members progressed in the program who also happened to be the children of first responders.

She wanted the program to be a proactive approach to coping with stress as opposed to reactive.

"Horses use body language and they teach us to focus on how we're expressing ourselves, and they react and respond to that," she says. "Their heartbeat mimics our heartbeat when we feel calm and joy, so our heart syncs with their heart and it mimics that feeling."

Among those to participate in the program is Emma Reed, the daughter of a Philadelphia firefighter, Justin Reed.

She has been involved with Pegagus programs since 2016. Emma suffers from spina bifida, which prevents her spinal cord from working properly.

"It's amazing what this program can do not only socially, but developmentally," says Emma's mother, Sarah Reed. "I think it's a definite necessity in the city, especially for our first responder families."