The sun shines brightly overhead, warming the ground beneath it. This hot July day provides the perfect pool conditions for most, but senior Annika Krizmanich has other plans. Clad in riding boots and a durable pair of jeans, she prepares to spend her day surrounded by horses.
Krizmanich spent much of her time this summer with Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy (HETRA), a barn located in Gretna, NE. They offer hippotherapy, a form of therapy that uses horses and their natural movements to aid clients in the processes of physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy.
“It’s been a really moving thing to work with all these horses that do therapy work. Prior to this summer, I hadn’t worked with or seen anything of that sort,” Krizmanich said.
Founded in 1989 by Steve and Janet Henthorn, HETRA has grown to include 28 trained therapy horses and over 150 participants.
“HETRA’s mission is to improve the quality of life both physically and emotionally of adults and children of all ability levels through equine-assisted activities, ” HETRA Riding Instructor Cassidy Godden says.
Krizmanich began shadowing at HETRA in April of this year, and spent her summer fast tracking through the training program. Time well spent resulted in climbing the ranks and earning various certifications that allow her to complete multiple jobs around the barn, such as grooming the horses and walking alongside or in front of them during therapy sessions.
“I was definitely a little nervous starting the fast tracking process, but after meeting everyone the environment just felt so safe, welcoming, and supportive. I’ve always felt like I’ve had multiple homes, and now HETRA is one of them,” Krizmanich said.
Krizmanich became involved with HETRA by riding recreationally and competitively with HETRA CEO Edye Godden, the owner of Krizmanich’s horse, Summer. Although she’s spent the last three years at Godden’s barn, it isn’t where she started riding.
“I always like to say that my horse career in entirety, started with my mom,” Krizmanich said. “From early childhood I would be set on [my grandparent’s] horses’ backs and had that exposure to them.”
Such early experience with horses fostered a lifelong love for the animals. Krizmanich’s mother, Britt Krizmanich, played a large role in A. Krizmanich’s journey of becoming an equestrian.
“Annika was interested in horses from really early on,” B. Krizmanich said. “She always had some sort of horse toy around. By Kindergarten, I bought her a Groupon for a riding lesson, and we never left.”
Shortly after moving away from her mom’s family (and horses) in Pittsburgh, PA, A. Krizmanich began riding and competing with a barn called Miracle Hills in Fort Calhoun, NE, where she rode her first horse, Zip, until 2020. It was then that the owners made the decision to move to the Ozarks, taking their roughly 20 horses with them.
“Once we heard discussions of [the owners] moving and selling their property, my mom and I sat down and had a discussion about whether I wanted to keep up with riding,” Krizmanich said. “I told her ‘Mom, I don’t see a future for myself without horses in it. I would love nothing more than to keep riding.’”
Faced with the task of finding a new barn to ride at, Krizmanich and her mother reached out to Godden at her barn in Valley, NE. Since becoming involved there, Krizmanich has grown in her knowledge of and love for horses.
“Every horse that you work with is so different. They’re like people in the sense that they all have their own personalities, so it’s interesting to work with them and see not only how they react to you but to their surroundings as well,” Krizmanich said.
Through years of work and dedication, she and her horse Summer have grown together, each of them maturing over time.
“It has been such a rewarding thing to see [Summer] become more comfortable with me, and I can feel the trust that’s been built up over time,” Krizmanich said. “It’s also taught me so much patience, because it’s been such a long process of getting her comfortable, and I’ve had to change my mindset and how I respond to her behavior.”
As she’s made clear from a young age, Krizmanich has no plans to stop riding, and hopes to continue both her recreational/competitive riding and her work with HETRA into the future.
“After college I’d be interested in coming back [to HETRA] and seeing if I can have a job there as a therapist, actually leading those sessions,” Krizmanich said. “I enjoy it so much, and I feel like I’m giving back to the community.