COLUMBIA - The paths that lead people to Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center are all different, but what they get out of the horse riding experience is the same emotion.
Body and soul, horses make them feel better.
While some of the former veterans-turned equestrians did not feel comfortable giving their last names, they were not shy about talking about their favorite past time.
Keith, who lives near Fort Leonard Wood, was confined to a wheelchair before he started riding about 10 years ago.
"It takes you out of the realm and four legs are walking for you," he said.
He served 25 years and five months in the U.S. Army from January 1961 to June 1986, his wife, Ann, recalled. He made five trips to Germany in that time, which is where he and Ann met.
Since then, he's had five strokes. Riding, he said, helps loosen up his muscles.
"He rode horses before the military," Ann said. "He worked in the rodeo."
She added he had been in his wheelchair full time before he started riding, but no longer.
"He can use a walker," Ann said. "The only reason we're using the wheelchair today is he can't use the walker in the riding arena."
Morris, who claims to be an Easterner but now lives in Columbia, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1970-77. He went from Okinawa to Thailand, and on to Vietnam as a combat engineer in the Third Marines. He said he joined the Marines rather than being drafted.
"I started riding when I was 16 years old," he said. "Horses - they're beautiful animals and very intelligent."
He's been riding Lady recently, and said they've developed a strong bond.
"I feed her apples, and she nudges me," he said. "She's gentle, very gentle and obedient, and she's got plenty of energy."
Riding, too, keeps him flexible, especially his right leg which gives him trouble. Riding does more for Morris, too.
"It helps me with my memories about the war and the things that I have seen," he said. "I feel comfortable with the animal. I feel much at ease. Being out here helps me."
He said 18 of his classmates from his Philadelphia high school went to Vietnam.
"Only three came back," Morris added.
Paige Speers, 35, of Fulton, was in the Equestrian Studies program at William Woods University, and studied dressage. She also studied dance.
In May 2016, she suffered a cardiac arrest from blood clots that moved from her lungs to her brain. She's using the friendship of a Percheron/Haflinger mix, Buddy, to improve her physicality.
"This is the most fun therapy I've ever had," Speers said. "The horses are an excellent connection. It's peaceful to be in communication with them."
She started with therapeutic riding at BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding Center in Illinois and then came to Cedar Creek. Speers said she will always ride.
"Therapy horseback riding is complimentary medicine for me," she said, adding she is also trotting with Buddy and recently cantered. She's participating in advanced classes.
Like the horses at Cedar Creek, there are riders of all shapes, sizes and ages at Cedar Creek. Owner Karen Grinder said people can ask their doctors if they think riding is right for them, and contact her as well.
There is a program 11 a.m.-3 p.m. today at Cedar Creek celebrating the center's 30th anniversary. The Kay Brothers and the Burney Sisters will perform along with Paul Weber and the Scrappers, and there will be burgers, kettle corn and more. Kids are free but a $10 donation from adults will be accepted. The center is at 4895 E. Missouri 163, Columbia, just west of U.S. 63.
Grinder said her center started off small and is now the only certified therapeutic riding center in Mid-Missouri.
"We opened in the spring of 1988 with 12 riders, four horses and a small group of volunteers," she said. "This fall, we have 116 riders a week, 22 horses and 188 volunteers. Every week, we change lives through the power of a horse. "
PTSD is wide spread
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, almost 31 percent of Vietnam veterans battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Symptoms include nightmares; flashbacks; depression; anxiety; guilt; and the sense one is not in control.
PTSD doesn't just happen to war veterans; it can affect anyone who has had a traumatic or life-threatening experience.
A study release in February at the University of Missouri has found veterans had a significant decrease in PTSD scores just weeks after starting therapeutic horseback riding (THR).
"Results showed that participants in the program experienced a significant decrease in PTSD scores, almost 67 percent, after just three weeks of THR," said Rebecca Johnson, a professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine and the Millsap Professor of Gerontological Nursing in the Sinclair School of Nursing.
"After six weeks, participants experienced an 87 percent drop in PTSD scores. Interestingly, the veterans who self-identified for the study all were from the Vietnam War era meaning that some of these military veterans had been experiencing PTSD symptoms for 40 or 50 years. It may be important for health care systems to support THR as a viable complimentary therapy."
People can read her paper at bit.ly/2GBeOPv.
Dr. O.E. "Barre" Robinson is a 1964 Westminster graduate. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1966-71. In his earlier years, he became a serious rider jumping and steeplechasing and a prodigy of several high profile competitors.
He said he was asked if he would be interested in joining an American Olympic team as a rider.
"I decided to stay in school," Robinson said. "It was the hardest decision I ever made."
It worked out as he is a senior professor of philosophy at Central Methodist University in Fayette. He's done a study about death, and is embarking on a study of happiness. He already knows horses bring happiness to many people.
"I love them," he said. "I can't tell you emotionally what it means to be back on a horse. I feel more comfortable around horse people."
In Vietnam, Robinson served as an intelligence analyst "for a whole bunch of places. Cambodia was my area of expertise."
He was injured in Vietnam, but the effects of Agent Orange is what bother him the most. He guides his mount with his thighs. Robinson admits dangerous sports appeal to him, and he pledges to jump again.
"I'm an adrenaline freak," he said.
This summer's horse was Zippo, a quarter horse from a long line of famous quarter horses.
"He's a wonderful horse; he's a heck of a horse, and he's a heck of a horse in his 30s," Robinson said.
Robinson started counting up the numbers - the horse is 5-6 feet tall, then there's the rider's torso and the rest of their body.
"So when you're riding, your head is 11 feet in the air and you have to stay under control," he said. "You keep your elbows in and your heels down, and try to throw your heart over the fence."