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Here’s some good news from this short Legislative session.
In many of Oregon’s rural settings, you will find
innovative equestrian training facilities that specialize in providing
therapeutic programs for adults and children.
These programs allow children and adults of all abilities
and backgrounds to develop horsemanship skills, fitness, empathy, and
self-confidence. Additionally, these facilities may also provide therapeutic
and clinical programs, including counseling services.
Counseling services in the rural environs widens access to
the real world by providing the opportunity to get dirty, connect with animals
and gain very specialized therapeutic training using the natural beauty, grace
and gentleness of horses. The power of this environment for counseling gets
leveraged because it bypasses the sterile, and sometimes threatening, clinical
type setting.
Additionally, the typical outdoor farm and ranch setting
provides more than just exposure to dirt and horses. Anyone who has spent time
in Oregon’s rural landscape knows that there is typically a myriad of other
animals on the property from dogs and cats to chickens, cattle, goats, sheep
and pigs. All of this deepens the experience for the children and adult clients
as well as the instructors and counselors.
Rural property is typically zoned as Exclusive Farm Use
(EFU) land. This means that any business taking place on this land must be
related to farm, ranch, or an agricultural enterprise. This zoning was designed to ensure that high-rise office centers or strip-malls didn't get built in the middle of a potato field. However, this has sparked some bureaucratic confusion
regarding the legality of providing counseling services on EFU land.
I was happy to support a Senate Committee bill, SB
1533, that will clarify a vague law restricting where and how
equine therapy centers offer counseling services.
There are nearly 20 of these centers all over our state
doing extremely valuable work. They work with Veterans who may be dealing with
the after-effects of a battlefield injury or PTSD and they provide needed
therapy and counseling to children and adults with physical, emotional or
mental needs.
These therapeutic riding centers have all been caught in a bureaucratic quandary – how would one
provide hippo-therapy in a clinical setting? This is the classic problem where
the County Zoning Departments must simply follow the statutes even if they recognize
that the rural setting is obviously the appropriate place for horses,
therapeutic horseback riding and complementary counseling. This therapy has been found to be extremely valuable and is
simply impossible in a downtown medical center or it’s parking lot.
This bill simply clarifies that facilities that offer
equine and equine-affiliated therapeutic and counseling activities are
permitted to operate on EFU zoned areas. Problems arose when some counties were
interpreting the law so that as soon as a patient was no longer physically
touching the horse, the therapy was no longer permitted because counseling
services were not permissible on EFU land.
This bill brought some common horse sense to the situation
and removed the ambiguity about whether a patient had to be in physical contact
with the horse.
My daughter is a Licensed Therapeutic Riding Instructor at
Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center, in Bend, OR. Healing Reins is one of many
outstanding facilities. They average about 15-20 horses that they use for riding
therapy with 8 Licensed Instructors and about 150 volunteers. Additionally,
they currently have 3 Mental Health Counselors and 2 Physical Therapists on
staff. The barn and arenas are buzzing
with activity six days a week 10-12 hrs. per day.
Therapeutic riding centers typically offer a variety of
therapy and counseling services, including traditional physical therapy, equine
assisted psychotherapy, eco-therapy and therapeutic riding to improve balance,
listening skills and the ability to stay focused on a task. The children and
adults bonding with their horse is truly magical.
Jeff Campbell, whose wife co-founded Healing Reins
Therapeutic Riding Center in Bend, said, "This very important legislation
will provide a valuable platform from which our therapeutic riding centers can
continue to serve our fellow Oregonians most in need due to physical,
cognitive, and emotional challenges without the constant concern of the rug
being pulled from under us due to some ambiguities in the current exclusive
farm use code"
Campbell added, “Thousands of Oregonians across the state
will continue to be effectively and seamlessly served in our centers, thanks to
this valuable legislation.”
SB 1533 received unanimous support from the Oregon Senate
and now moves to the House for further consideration. Let’s pray that common
horse sense will prevail during the remainder of Oregon’s 2018 legislative
session.
Remember, if we don’t stand for rural-Oregon values
and common sense - no one will!
Best Regards,
 Dennis Linthicum
Oregon State Senate 28
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1728
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-305, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: sen.DennisLinthicum@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/linthicum
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