May is mental health awareness month. A group in Flour Bluff is doing their part to address this challenging topic using horses.
For many who drive on Flour Bluff Drive, it's easy to ignore the street with the sign that reads "dead end." But, if you're a student of Glenoak Therapeutic Riding Center, you know what lies behind that sign.
"Bryan's been with us a long time. He's been coming since he was a kid and oh gosh he's improved so much," said Joanne Montesano, an instructor at the center.
It's a place where the therapists have four legs, a tail, and a friendly face.
"It helps them with the simulation of walking. It's really, it's a whole body kind of quality of life and it benefits the soul," said Montesano.
The equine-assisted therapy helps those with physical and mental challenges.
"We also do see stress related riders, whether they're children, teens or adults, when riding you have to focus," said Montesano.
Riding horses like the ones at Glenoak, positively help improve the riders' mood by bringing down their stress levels. It actually helps our bodies and brains release a hormone called serotonin.
"If they are tense and they are stressed the horse feels it and the horse can react that way, that way we get our riders to relax. We do some deep breathing with them, sometimes we do stretching, because all of that enables the rider to relax," said Montesano.
It's a way to calm anxiety, allowing a moment to smile, something Montesano said so many needed as they faced the uncertainty of the pandemic.
"It's very calming to know even when I was virtual, I was still able to come out here and enjoy probably my favorite thing that I enjoy doing and that's riding horses," said Keifer Gunn, a rider at the center.
"The quarantine has been hard on everybody and this is only our second time so [we're] looking forward to see what comes out of all of this," said Angel Figueroa, a mom of two riders at the center.
Instructors at Glenoak said the most rewarding part of their job is seeing the improvement in the riders. However, they can't do it alone. They are always looking for volunteers. You can find more information here.