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From Small Town to Small World: Salvy’s Story
Buried alive under a collapsed building after the Haiti earthquake, 26 year old Kesner “Salvy” Salvent lay in the dark, unable to move. It would be four long, terrifying days before rescue crews finally found him. Salvy suffered severe injuries to his spine and was paralyzed. Unable to move, Salvy spent several more days on a board being taken from one medical clinic to another by a friend. He would later say “I think they did not want to see me because they thought I was going to die.”
A world away in Cape Porpoise, Maine, family friend Pam Lee (connected to Salvy through her daughter’s Haitian husband) tracked Salvy’s whereabouts, advocating for him to ensure he got the right treatment. One of Pam’s many calls was to Equest, already an important part of her family’s life. Daughter Rebecca has participated at Equest for the past twelve years and is now a member of Team Equest. Pam also has been involved in Equest’s carriage driving program. Pam sought out support and guidance from program director and occupational therapist Sue Grant, who had experience working with people with spinal cord injuries.
Back in Haiti, events that were part small world and part miracle were unfolding. Salvy was admitted to the medical ship USNS Comfort to stabilize his spine, and later transferred to the Shepard Spinal Center in Atlanta for rehabilitation—but his journey did not end there. Salvy was discharged to Pam’s home in Maine where she could assist with his recovery. Salvy’s cervical injury had damaged the motor functions in his hands and wrists, a devastating condition for him because his passion and livelihood is painting in colorful acrylics. Pam encouraged Salvy to enroll in Equest’s therapeutic carriage driving program, an activity that would strengthen his grip and increase dexterity in his hands. And so began Salvy’s days at Equest. With reins in each hand, and his new friend “Kenny” in the harness, Salvy was in the driver’s seat. He spent the fall semester improving his hand function, perfecting his carriage driving skills and winning the hearts of all who met him. Today Salvy remains with the Lee’s. He still does the exercises Sue prescribed for him and his hands continue to improve. As he anxiously awaits approval of the extension of his humanitarian parole status, Salvy is taking classes with a goal of getting his GED. It is his fervent wish to become a productive citizen and put the pieces of his life back together. And, perhaps most importantly, he is painting again. As Salvy puts it himself, “I can paint, I’m in life now.”
Equest’s “Horses for Heroes” awarded $20,000
Equest, a NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association) premier accredited center providing adaptive riding and carriage driving to individuals with disabilities, is pleased to announce that it has received $20,000 in grant money in 2010 to continue its program for disabled U.S. veterans.
NARHA created “Horses for Heroes” to provide guidance and oversight to member centers interested in offering equine-assisted services to wounded service personnel, veterans and their families. Inspired by NARHA’s mission to reach out and serve this most deserving population, Equest piloted its own Veterans program in 2008. “It was very important to us that we respond to a community need to assist Maine’s veterans suffering from physical and emotional disabilities as the result of their service to our country” said Nick Armentrout, Equest’s co-founder. Equest’s “Horses for Heroes” program, in collaboration with Southern Maine providers of veteran services, is provided at no cost to veterans of all ages—from those recently returned from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan to those who served in World War II. Equest has provided equine-assisted services to over 40 veterans from Maine since the program’s inception in 2008.
The recent awards ensure that 10 additional veterans will receive scholarships for this helpful and successful program during the remainder of the year. The Elmina B. Sewall Foundation of Brunswick donated $7,500; and the Maine Community Foundation’s York County and Cumberland County funds provided a total of $3,600. State and individual donors contributed the remainder of the $20,000 needed. These funds build upon the success of last year’s Veterans program, which was fully funded with a $40,000 State of Maine Community Development Block Grant to Equest.
“We can’t thank these donors enough,” says Sarah Chappell Armentrout, Equest’s executive director and co-founder. “We’ve seen how Horses for Heroes has had a profound healing effect on the lives of the veterans who have participated and on the lives of their families, too. We are proud to be able to continue this program to help those who have made so many sacrifices for the rest of us.”
Horses That Save Lives
“My goal is to someday leave my wheelchair and walk again. I really long to get my life back.”
These are the words of Equest rider, Ryan Towne. Ryan’s story about Carnival King, his Equest therapy partner, is one of twenty-five true-life accounts of horses rescuing people in Cheryl Dudley’s new book “Horses That Save Lives.” Ryan began riding at Equest in the spring of 2002 after a car accident left him with a severe brain injury.
Horses That Save Lives: True Stories of Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Rescue
By Cheryl Dudley
102-Year-Old Nursing Home Resident Gets ‘Back in the Saddle’
Lyman, ME – Nursing home resident Betty Libbey was back in the saddle today when her dream of riding a horse again came true at the Equest Therapeutic Riding Center at Spring Creek Farm in Lyman. An avid rider as a child and throughout her teenage years, Libbey, now 102, is officially the oldest rider at Equest. With the assistance of a mechanical lift and the able hands of Equest staff, Libbey was positioned onto a gentle Appendix Quarter horse named Dee who patiently obliged as Libbey and Equest staff members led them around an indoor ring and then for a walk outside. After the ride, Libbey celebrated her accomplishment with a champagne toast with family members who came to share in her dream.
A former resident of Eliot, Libbey currently resides at Sentry Hill at York Harbor in York. She recalls her father taking her horseback riding faithfully for many years and her passion for it never waned. Says Libbey, “Horses have always represented freedom to me. I wanted to be a jockey but women didn’t do those kinds of things back then. I can’t believe all this production today is just for me. This is a day I shall remember with great pleasure!"
Libbey’s wish was submitted to the Maine Health Care Association’s (MHCA) Live Your Dreams program by the staff of Sentry Hill at York Harbor. Live Your Dreams is designed specifically to encourage and help Maine’s long term care residents realize their hopes and dreams at any age, despite health challenges. MHCA member facilities submit requests to the program on behalf of their residents but ideas and wishes must be meaningful to the resident and come specifically from them. Examples of dreams are relationship-based wishes or lifelong aspirations like learning to dance, riding in a race car, riding in a hot air balloon, or going to a sporting event.
Dream fulfillment is made possible through a combination of long term care facility staff and volunteer support, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations of time and resources. This wish was coordinated by Sentry Hill, Equest and MHCA.
Equest Therapeutic Riding Center is located at Spring Creek Farm in Lyman and is a 501(c)(3) therapeutic riding program serving children and adults with disabilities in Southern Maine. As a Premier Accredited Center of NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association), Equest’s mission is to provide affordable, accessible, and effective equine-facilitated therapies within an exceptional learning environment that supports individuals with disabilities in reaching their fullest potential. Equest also runs a specialty program for Maine Veterans.
MHCA is a statewide non-profit organization representing 250 long-term care providers. Live Your Dreams is part of MHCA’s commitment to enhancing resident care and quality of life in Maine’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Equest Honors Veterans Participating in Unique Riding Program
(Lyman, Maine): American flags fly high and proud around Equest’s riding ring this week, celebrating Veterans Day and honoring the special riders participating in Equest’s Veterans Program. In an effort to give back to those who have served our country, the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) created its Horses for Heroes Program to provide guidance and oversight to member centers interested in offering equine-assisted services to wounded service personnel, veterans and their families. Wounded U.S. military soldiers returning from combat are suffering from injuries and disabling conditions such as traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and amputation.
As a Premier Accredited Center of NARHA, Equest answered this call to action with its own Veterans Program, piloted this summer. The program is open to not only injured soldiers recently returning from war, but also to all disabled veterans and their families living in Maine. With access to Equest’s ongoing programs such as Therapeutic Riding, Therapeutic Carriage Driving, and Therapeutic Grooming, participants have an opportunity to learn a new sport and successfully master a new skill, while providing a foundation for a positive self-image, improved physical well-being, and a brighter outlook in light of sudden traumatic changes that have significantly impacted them and their families. This program is made available to our participants at no cost, thanks to $18,500 in scholarships made available through the generosity of the following foundations: Virginia Hodgkins Somers Foundation; New Hampshire Charitable Foundation; Sam L. Cohen Foundation.
The 15 Veteran riders and their family members who participate in this program include those deployed in the Vietnam and Iraq wars, and even a cavalry officer from the Korean War—79-year-old Albert Camire. Mr. Camire, who was a member of the US Army 2nd Division Mounted Calvary (the last active Mounted Calvary Unit in the US) suffered physical injuries when an artillery shell exploded next to him. He sustained internal injuries, both eardrums were severely damaged and he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Since that time he has also suffered a stroke. As a result of his riding therapy at Equest, under the guidance of an occupational therapist, Albert’s wife Kathy said riding has “improved his sense of self-worth. He’s a happier individual and his PTSD has eased.” In addition to the emotional benefits, she states that “Albert’s balance has improved and, most importantly, his stamina has improved”. Mr. Camire came to Equest with a special goal—to gain enough leg strength and balance to walk his daughter down the aisle without his cane for her October wedding in Arizona. Mission accomplished!
