Back in the saddle

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For Alison Dolan, who loved horses and rode competitively during her teen years but lost her sight due to childhood diabetes, being the first certified blind therapeutic riding instructor in the nation is something she”™s not only thrilled about but hopes will be an inspiration to others.

Back in 1994, Dolan had a new husband, an exciting career with the Central Intelligence Agency and plans for the future; those plans didn”™t include losing her eyesight. “It all happened so quickly,” said Dolan. “Within a matter of weeks of visiting my ophthalmologist, because I noticed I was having some vision problems, it was almost totally gone.” If that weren”™t enough of a life-changing adjustment, she also had a kidney and pancreas transplant the following year.

For the Pearl River resident, this double whammy not only ended her career with the CIA ”“ she had to take an early medical retirement ”“ but wondering about her future.  “I”™m very blessed,” said Dolan, whose diabetes left her legally blind: she  has severely limited vision in her right eye and none in her left. Dolan”™s husband, Larry, “was and continues to be my number one supporter, along with my family. He”™s a phenomenal person and keeps me on my toes. I wasn”™t allowed to get depressed about my situation.”

But Dolan did need help getting around and turned to Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown Heights for help. She got her first guide dog through the organization in 1997 and received her new canine companion, Winnie, in 2005. While Winnie allowed Dolan to do many of the things she did as a sighted person, there was one thing Dolan lost as a result of her blindness: her ability to ride a horse.