f Australian-born Barbara Heine had resisted moving to Woodside almost 13 years ago, she says, "I would have missed the greatest opportunity of my life."
Barbara, a physical therapist with a passion for horses and a special affinity for children, has been "the heart and soul" of the nonprofit National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy (NCEFT), located in Woodside.
She has made a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of children, many with cerebral palsy, and adults, some as old as 80, who have suffered from strokes, spinal injuries or multiple sclerosis.
As a dedicated volunteer and the center's executive director, she has shaped the program that serves about 90 children and adults each week.
"What we're doing is providing physical and/or occupational therapy, but we just happen to uses horses," says Barb with a smile. This approach, called Hippotherapy, uses the movement of the horse as a tool in the treatment of individuals with what's technically called "neuromuscularskeletal dysfunction."
Some of the specific benefits include increases in balance, coordination, trunk strength, hip strength and mobility.
The ability to receive information from the environment through one's senses -- sound, sight, smell, touch and taste -- also is improved through this therapy.
When a disabled child, confined to a wheelchair, is put on a gentle horse, with handlers and walkers at his or her side in the riding arena, the child comes alive, laughing, giggling, becoming one with the horse and enjoying an amazing sense of freedom and movement through space.
"I wanted it (the center) to be a real haven for families where for a half-hour a week they could see their kids having fun like normal kids," says Barb.
Under her leadership, the center has become the largest Hippotherapy program in the United States. Therapists, including an intern now here from the University of New Hampshire, come to the center to learn from Barb.
As president of the American Hippotheraphy Association, Barb is involved in teaching and training therapists nationally and internationally. The association is a resource in education, research and communication to any medical person interested in Hippotherapy.
Barb describes her initial involvement with the center as a "fortunate turn of fate." She answered a want-ad in the Country Almanac, that simply said: Wanted: A physical therapist for horse program in Woodside.
"I thought it meant providing therapy for horses, but found out it was therapy for disabled individuals, called Hippotheraphy," she says with a laugh. She liked horses and children and figured out how to combine these interests with her physical therapy skills.
Barb began volunteering four hours a week in February 1990 and has continued as a volunteer, devoting 60 hours a week to the program in recent years. Besides being president and executive director, she's the director of physical therapy, volunteer coordinator and the main horse trainer and fundraiser.
"We could not operate a program like this without a huge core of volunteers and fundraising," she says. No children have been turned away because of being unable to afford the treatment.
"So many families can't afford the type of comprehensive medical coverage that will provide for extensive physical therapy," she points out. "These children will have the problem, such as cerebral palsy, their whole lives. They will improve, but they require therapy for a long time."
"We need an angel," says Barb. The center relies on fundraisers, private donations and a few foundation grants. The center received a grant, for example, from the Bank of America Foundation and another from a grassroots foundation started by a Woodside couple, called "INNW," which stands for, "If not now, when?"
While her husband John Heine's decision to move his business, Solainternational, to Menlo Park 13 years ago, brought Barb to Woodside, his decision to retire is talking her back to Melbourne November 15.
They have three children, Peta, now 31; Kate, 29; Marc, 27; and a new grandchild back in Australia.
"It's time to go home, but it's a lot harder emotionally than I thought to actually leave," says Barb.
She was honored October 29 at a special celebration at the center by patients, their families, volunteers and staff.
The Barbara Heine Scholarship Fund was established to go directly to pay for the therapy for children whose families can't afford to pay.
"My overriding emotion is an enormous amount of gratitude for having this opportunity to make a difference," says Barb.
Contributions to the Barbara Heine Scholarsip Fund may be sent to the National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy, 5001 Woodside Road, Woodside, CA 94062. For information, call 851-2271.
