An equine miracle in Milford

“Cured by a horse? Impossible! No Way,” I said to Martha Dubensky, the owner and senior Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor at GAIT (Genuine Alternative in Therapy). As a textbook author who sits in front of a computer for more hours a day than is healthy, I haven’t been able to alleviate the pain inflicted to my sacroiliac when I was thrown from an Icelandic horse about 15 years ago. That lower back pain has increased with age and the inevitable onset of arthritis. So it has been my lot in life to endure the pain, and not always in silence. One day when I was with Martha in a social setting, I dropped something on the ground and bent over to pick it up with my usual grunts and groans from the lower back pain. Martha, in her most professional voice said, “You know, we can cure that. One of the horses, Skye, has a perfect gait for loosening your back muscles and helping to rid you of this pain.“ Being a life-long accomplished cynic, my response was incredulous. “This pain and I have been together for 15 years. How can it work?” Martha, however, was certain. She said, “ Just try it. We will walk you on Skye. No Galloping. No cantering. Just you, the horse, myself and two trained side-walkers. Just sitting on the horse, relaxing your body and following the rhythm of her gait will help you. On the appointed day, I came to the stables. My heart was racing. This was the first time I’d been back on a horse in 15 years. “What, no saddle? No stirrups? Omigod,” I said. Martha was calm, determined, and confident. She had control of the horse and Lena Dubensky, herself a certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor, was one of the side-walkers. Dr. Richard Dubensky, local veterinarian, was just helping out as the other side-walker. I was sure he was there in case I tried to hurt the horse. The three of them walked the horse with me on it and Martha instructed me in various movements and relaxation techniques while seated on Skye. This marvelous display of accomplished professionalism ended in about 30 minutes. They helped me off the horse, a pain free person, deeply in awe of the expertise and highly skilled approach of these instructors and very grateful that we have a certified therapeutic center like GAIT accessible to us. For me, it was a miracle right here in Milford.