MSNBC Host Ridicules Ann Romney's MS Therapy

One writer put it better than I can when he said, "In what could possibly be this campaign season’s most sickening example of a gross liberal media pundit exuding ignorant garbage, Lawrence O’Donnell, host of MSNBC’s The Last Word, ridiculed Ann Romney’s method of using the equestrian sport of dressage as a type of therapy for her case of the degenerative disease, Multiple Sclerosis."

Every time I start to think that liberals can't get any lower, they surpass themselves and slip deeper and deeper into the gutter. This time, MSNBC Host Lawrence O’Donnell decided to ridicule Ann Romney's choice MS therapy.

There is no logic when it comes to the liberal media's love for Obama, but why make their bias so obvious, so blatant, and so classless as to stoop to new lows in attacking the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and his family.

On MSNBC's The Last Word Monday, host Lawrence O'Donnell decided to ridicule Ann Romney by mocking her use of therapeutic riding. She uses therapeutic horseback riding, just like millions of other Americans do, to combat physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. In her case, she used horseback riding to combat her MS (Multiple Sclerosis).

The MSNBC host made no mention that earlier this month, on a three-day campaign stop in Florida, Ann Romney visited a Therapeutic Horse Riding Facility where she told patients that she was unable to walk at one point because her Multiple Sclerosis symptoms were so severe.

"But," Ann Romney said on her visit to the facility, "the excitement of getting on a horse helped" her build her strength and caused her symptoms to ease.

I understand what a liberal dunce like Lawrence O'Donnell is doing. He's trying to paint the Romney's as rich country club types completely out of touch with everyday Americans.

All he has succeeded in doing is show his ignorance and sheer stupidity by knocking down - someone with MS who uses a form of therapeutic riding.

I used to volunteer at a facility that put on therapeutic riding for handicapped children. Granted, it wasn't dressage - but it was therapeutic horseback riding and those kids loved it.

As for the sport of dressage, while O'Donnell tried to make it sound like it was only a sport for the wealthy in America - I can tell you that I've seen first hand a few make-shift dressage arenas where blue-collar folks try their hand at that very hard, very disciplined sport.

And yes, whether he likes it or not, it is a very common technique for helping various types of disabilities, and is one of the few that tends to work for many problems that lack effective treatment.

Therapeutic Riding is a major event and is an absolutely fundamental component of the Special Olympics. But then again, maybe O'Donnell only wealthy kids participate in the Special Olympics. Heck, maybe the idiot thinks that the Therapeutic riding at the Special Olympics is as big a joke as he apparently thinks it is.

I read where in Maryland, over 100 riders participated in the Special Olympics Therapeutic Riding event earlier in June.

As one person said, "Dressage is not for rich people." It is for everyone who wants to move to another level of horsemanship. It is a sport, but it is also used to address illnesses or conditions where other treatments may have failed.

Someone, anyone, should tell O'Donnell to hold his ridicule of the Special Olympics for their therapeutic riding program.

Most of the Special Olympians come from lower income families. Most participants are just honest people who enjoy a very popular sport. And yes, horses make a big difference in their recovery.

Therapeutic Riding, or Therapeutic Horseback Riding, is also known as Equine-assisted Activity or Equine Adaptive Riding.  It is used to teach riding skills to people with disabilities. Therapeutic riding is beneficial for children and adults who present with any of a wide range of cognitive, physical, and emotional conditions.

Most Therapeutic Riding Facilities are non-profit organizations. Most use certified instructors, licensed therapists, volunteers and specially-trained horses. Most offer high-quality horseback riding programs geared to help heal children and adults with a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional challenges.

Horses have been used as a treatment for rehabilitating a range of physical, mental, and emotional disabilities.

Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH), which was formerly the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA), is a non-profit organization based in Denver, Colorado that promotes the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding and other equine-assisted activities and therapies for people with physical, emotional and learning disabilities.

PATH certified instructors use the horse as an instructional tool to teach riding skills and reach individualized goals and objectives. Conditions served include: cerebral palsy, spina bifida, neuromuscular disorders, post-traumatic brain injury, autism, ADHD, and cognitive disorders.

Riders see an overall improvement in their quality of life. They experience improved self-confidence, strength, balance, coordination, attention span, the use of language, and even social skills.

For me, after working so much traveling around the country working, when my back was getting worse and my head needed a rest, I bought a horse. I remembered that great saying by Sir Winston Churchill, "there is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."

My horse Murphy saved my life in many ways. And no, I'm not the only one who has found that sort of relief. therapeutic horseback riding is used to help our wounded troops, our wounded warriors coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan improve their balance, coordination, and hone other valuable physical skills.

And yes, it helps with the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It calms, it reassures, it motivates and gives hope. It is better than most medications.

I read where one person on the web asked "shouldn't an MSNBC anchor either know of the medical and psychological benefits of therapeutic riding or have someone on his staff investigate it before mocking a presidential candidate's wife for claiming it helped her overcome her serious illness?"

Well, we would think so wouldn't we! But he didn't. Instead he attacked a lady who has done him no personal harm, all to appease his liberal masters.

To ridicule Ann Romney or anyone with MS, for any reason, is classless enough, but then to do it to someone who is making an effort to get well by doing a form of therapy  - and go out of your way to attack and ridicule her all because of the type of therapy she picked - well, Lawrence O'Donnell can be proud that he is about as classless as they come!

Lawrence O'Donnell is about as worthless an individual as I've seen in my life. Like most liberals, he apparently doesn't care how he prostitutes himself - all so he can support Obama and the Democrat Party.

It seems that he sells himself pretty cheap!

Story by Tom Correa