UW–Madison’s Beth Fields, an associate professor in the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology, was recently featured on a Badger Talks podcast alongside Jolie Hope, executive director of the Three Gaits Therapeutic Horsemanship Center in Stoughton, Wisconsin. The two discussed Riding in the Moment — a community-based program using horse interaction to improve the quality of life of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Fields first became involved with Riding in the Moment as a volunteer while she was a graduate student in Colorado. She said the experience changed her perspective as a clinician: “I really just wanted to learn as a clinician how to better interact with those folks,” she said. “Volunteering for this program, and it had just started that year, really opened up my eyes to… the fact that these people would come alive when they got to the ranch and were interacting with the horses and the people around them.”
After relocating to Wisconsin, Fields partnered with Three Gaits to bring the program to Dane County. With funding from a Community Impact Grant awarded by the Wisconsin Partnership Program at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, Riding in the Moment brings a tailored approach to dementia care — integrating outdoor activity, social interaction, and horse-assisted therapy.
“I’m so appreciative that the Wisconsin Partnership Program saw something in Riding in the Moment to bring it to Dane County,” Fields said. “We get so many emails and calls from participants who are interested in joining… the powerful thing about this program — beyond just interactions with the horses and being outside — is that it’s tailored to the individual’s abilities.”
“It’s not just about the riding,” Fields added. “It’s really just about coming together in this unique community space and allowing people to do the things they love and want to do… just being in touch with nature and animals and the farm.”
To hear the full conversation, listen to the full episode of the Badger Talks podcast.