Healing program focuses on horses


                By Lora Bernard
                The Texas City Sun

                Published August 07, 2000 12:11 AM CDT

                "A lot of people wouldn't know that
people
                with Parkinson's disease are angry,"
said
                Jerry Finch who has suffered from the
                disease for 10 years.

                Finch is the president and founder of
                Habitat for Horses, a non-profit group
                dedicated to creating a sanctuary for
old,
                abused and sick horses.

                This month, the group will host a
three-day
                seminar for people who suffer from
                Parkinson's disease. The seminar begins
                Aug. 18. Call 935-0277 for more
                information.

                Finch said he hopes to show Parkinson's
                patients that they can find inspiration
and
                comfort through the physical act of
caring
                for broken old horses.

                "They have problems and lose control
and
                shake a lot," Finch said about
Parkinson's
                patients. "They stumble a lot and they
                become depressed and feel like they
                cannot grab a hold of anything. Their
anger
                goes inward."

                He said that as he began to care for
the
                animals, he learned from them. Anger
                control and self acceptance topped his
list
                of lessons.

                "Mine is under control now and my
control
                is the horses," he said. "I've dealt
with it
                with the horses and watching how a
horse
                gets into itself. Parkinson's is an
inside
                thing a lot of the time."

                During the seminar, Finch said the
group
                will share personal experiences and
offer
                support to each other. But, he said he
                hopes that the relationships they
develop
                with the horses will offer them the
most
                comfort.

                "As far as the walking part of horse
care, if
                you get together with a horse and take
the
                horse out to the fence and lead
it...and
                then in the stall, you start to rub it
and
                start loving it and spend just minutes
with
                just you and the horse, there's a
                connection," he said. "That connection
is
                alive and something is given and you
learn
                that a horse can be humble with all its
                problems. And even more, they still
love
                and they forgive themselves."

                The horses in the organization's care
have
                either been abandoned, neglected or
                abused. Others have just gotten too old
                for their owners to care for.
--
Help us save the horses! Habitat for Horses, Inc.
A lifetime home for abused, endangered horses.
http://www.habitatforhorses.org/