Some ride horses for relaxation and others for sport, but an August conference at Mississippi State is training people to use horses as treatment tools.

The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association is holding its Region 5 conference in Starkville Aug. 3-5. Hosted by the MSU Extension Service, much of the conference will be held at the Mississippi Horse Park, Agricenter and Fairgrounds on Poorhouse Road.

"This is the first time this annual conference has been held in a university setting instead of at a therapeutic riding center," said Mary Ford, Extension youth development specialist and conference coordinator.

Therapeutic riding is a universal term used to describe one of four aspects of riding for persons with any type of disability. Some riding is simply for the fun of it under the supervision of a trained instructor.

Other therapeutic riding helps those with learning disabilities become more skilled at sequencing. Sequencing includes following directions and knowing the difference between right and left.

A third type of therapeutic riding is for those who can ride alone and may want to compete in the Special Olympics or other organized events.

Therapeutic riding also involve hippotherapy, or using a horse as a physical therapy treatment tool.

The NARHA conference is designed for anyone interested in learning more about therapeutic riding.

Registration fee for the conference is $75. Certain continuing education credits are available to conference participants.

For more information, contact Mary Ford at 325-3350 or maryf@ext.msstate.edu. A conference agenda and details are available online at http://msucares.com/4h_Youth/trconf.html.