
Lilly’s puffy hairdo and dark eyeliner draw you in, but her patient, unflappable nature allows her to do her best work.
Whether the client is picked up and mounted by mechanical lift for an occupational therapy session at the SUNY Cobleskill Equine Center or is an independent rider learning to canter, Lilly takes good care of her partner.
Read More: [How a Therapy Horse Helped a Stroke Survivor Heal]
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She puts her head into the wheelchair of riders who cannot reach up to pet her and helps a rider with Multiple Sclerosis stand once more. She awaits her cue to “walk on” (by a programmed button) from a rider who is nonverbal and her movement provides the feeling that cannot be reproduced in the clinic and all in the form of a fuzzy friend. The therapy helps a young rider to gain core strength and balance to be able to climb the steps to the slide on the playground.
Later in the day she befriends a closed off veteran who needs her support, non-judgmental connection, and unconditional love.
Lilly thrives in her job, embraces the many roles she plays, and has an innate ability to provide what is needed. Her life’s work has been to improve the lives of others and she does it for animal crackers!
– M. Mansfield
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