A local fundraiser is hoping to raise enough money to purchase a therapy blanket for the Peace Area Riding for the Disabled Society.
Emily Henschel has been boarding her horse at PARDS since 2018 and works with the local organization as a volunteer. She says they are putting on a 50/50 for a BEMER therapy blanket, which is like a heating pad that goes deep into the horses’ tissue.
“The horses do therapeutic lessons and a lot of the riders participating in these are a little bit unbalanced and maybe don’t have the coordination,” she explains. “It can be hard on a horse’s back. This blanket heats up those muscles, speeds up the recovery process after injuries.”
Therapy blankets usually cost around $6,000. Henschel hopes the community sees the value of what PARDS offers, which is Equine Assisted Therapy.
“I think what PARDS does is second to none. It gives people a place where anyone can go and feel better. The way horses walk or jog mimics our body movements, which helps with physical therapy.”
The fundraiser goes until January 29th. Henschel says that she’s excited to see how the fundraiser unfolds.
“I think if we can raise enough money for one BEMER therapy blanket, that would be amazing. If we raise more than expected, PARDS would use that extra money to put towards a purchase of another therapy blanket for the horses.”