I just love the stories I find about horses helping children and adults with disabilities. Horse are great healers and listeners!! ~Declan
Healing with Horses [PHOTOS]
Almost 20 years ago, two friends went out for coffee. They were both horsewomen and one of the ladies had a child with special needs. She wanted to pass on her love of horses to her son, but didn’t know how to start. They brainstormed ideas and soon a group of Peninsula friends put together a program to teach horsemanship to people otherwise unable to participate. Later in the year, their afternoon of coffee turned into the South Bay’s only therapeutic riding program, called Ride to Fly.
“Horses are quiet and non-judgmental— it’s a safe place for them,” said instructor Lea Anthony. “These kids get judged everyday in their lives… These horses do what they want to do.”
Now, the program that is located in Portuguese Bend has helped hundreds of children and adults succeed in ways they never imagined possible.
“There’s this little tiny person and this big horse is doing what they ask,” said Anthony. “It gives empowerment to individuals that have virtually no power in their lives. It gives them something that they feel good and positive about and it radiates to other parts of their life. They get better at school and it goes out like a ripple effect.”
Visit ridetofly.com for more information on how to participate or volunteer.
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