MISSISSIPPI

Heart's Desire Therapeutic Riding Center Senatobia, MS, now has 10 riders for AQHA competition and has attended 3 shows this year and will attend their 4th October 28. The riders are taking top awards and we have had 3 new registered quarter horses donated for the competition efforts. These riders also make up the Hoofbeats Drill Team and are performing across the state of Mississippi. They are truly representing four years of advancement and the achievement of independence.

Freedom Reins @ SW MS Therapeutic Riding Center, Inc. in Brookhaven, MS is now offering hippotherapy in partnership with the King's Daughters Therapy and Fitness Center.

The Brookhaven Public School System continues to bus 16 students out on Fridays for therapeutic riding.

The 1st Annual Fall Fest was held at Freedom Reins on October 7th. There were approximately 350 people in attendance. The Junior Auxiliary of Brookhaven provided games and prizes. A motorcycle poker run was part of the day's activities as was a Miniature Horse Plop Drop.

Mississippi State University STATE 4-H TEAM, Starkville, MS, is hosting another Instructor Workshop and Certification June 6, 7 and 8th.

Gaits to Success Therapeutic Horsemanship Center, Kiln, MS, is pleased to announce that, beginning with our fall program, we are back to full operations since hurricane Katrina. We are serving four school districts and private students for a total of 50 students a week. More good news includes receiving a grant from His Way for a new truck and trailer, and a grant from the Favre Fourward Foundation for operating costs. While we are down to only two instructors, we have three instructors in training, Kathryn Goodloe, Jennifer Toepfer and Amber Hopkins.

R.I.D.E.S. Therapeutic Riding Center, Caledonia, MS, has added 36 volunteers to our program from Columbus Air Force Base. An Airman Leadership School Class of 17 did a community work day at R.I.D.E.S. A Boy Scout troop built a classroom in the barn, so we can have a better place to conduct the classroom component of therapy sessions, and they added thresholds for three stalls. We have added a volunteer coordinator and four equine specialists to our volunteer group. We are fortunate to be included on the CFC (Combined Federal Campaign) list for receiving contributions from government employees. We have a new, professional brochure that was done for us by one of the Airbase officers, and funded by a federal grant. We are preparing for a Halloween fundraiser staged by a board member, beginning some new riders, and considering requests to add an at-risk youth program and a drug recovery program for women. We have an international volunteer with us-a foreign exchange student from Germany has just begun at R.I.D.E.S. We are starting some of our volunteers working on instructor certification.

TENNESSEE

Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding in Knoxville:

- Our second building (education/administration) is going up with finish date set for January. This will provide covered access to the stable, classroom and office space, meeting rooms, an apartment, multiple bathrooms and a therapy room.

-We have hired our first full time instructor, Jamie Link who is a graduate of St. Andrews College. She has lots of new ideas and energy to help our program grow.

- We are proud of Sally Moyer who is the Region 5 Volunteer of the Year.

She is one of those great volunteers - you all know the type!

-We have hired a new Development Director, Fiona McNally. She has many years of non-profit work and can do it all. We are lucky to have her.

Saddle Up! in Franklin, TN

Cheryl Scutt joined the staff as Executive Director.

Happy Trails!

Lynn K. Petr

Executive Director

Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding

Lenoir City, TN

865-988-4711

ALABAMA

MANE in Montgomery, AL is hosting a NARHA registered instructor workshop and on-site certification on April 28, 29, and 30. Master Level Instructor Sandy Webster Stolte, Executive Director of CARD in Ontario, Canada and Advanced Level Instructor Mandy Branton, Executive Director of Chastain Horse Park in Atlanta, Georgia will facilitate the event.

Marianne Green Henry Update

JEOPARDY! The game show visited the MGH Arena recently to film a category and clue for one of their upcoming shows (to be announced). The Field Producer made us promise not disclose the category or clue until the episode has been aired. We will keep everyone informed!

PBS - The Travels of Buster Bunny - Has also visited and filmed a segment at the MGH Arena (to be announced also) about Hippotherapy and to help our youngest viewers to be educated and understand what the horse can do for the disabled.

The recent documentary "Riding In Heaven" filmed by SONY Pictures Television on the Marianna Greene Henry Story and the benefits the program started in her name has won first place in the Houston Film Festival and was also shown at Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival. Both Animal Planet and PBS are very interested in airing the documentary.

Copies of the documentary should be available in the next few months.

On a sad note. It's always hard to say good-bye to a friend, especially when that friend is a therapeutic animal, and the good bye is forever. Such was the case on January 1, 2006 with our faithful friend, Pioneer.

Pioneer began his career as a therapeutic pony at the MGH arena in Talladega, AL 1995. He proved to be an extremely faithful and trustworthy pony, enriching the lives of many children during his 10 years of service.

In 2004 Pioneer was recognized as the southeast region 5 NARHA Horse of the Year. That same year he also was inducted into the Alabama Veterinary Animal Hall of Fame, making him the first equine to join this list of honorees.

So it was a very heart-breaking day when Pioneer broke his hind leg, severing the cannon bone beyond repair. Human nature is to wonder why things like this have to happen, but there are no easy answers. The best we can do is to be thankful for the time we had with Pioneer and be inspired by his memory.

FLORIDA -

GEORGIA

The Georgia Horse Fair was held January 14-15, 2006, at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry, Georgia. Representatives from the following Georgia NARHA programs came to show their support of our booth representing NARHA programs in the state of Georgia: Calvin Center, Good Shepherd, McKenna Farms, Sonrise Camp, and Reece Center, giving us representation from every part of our state.

Our Georgia meeting for NARHA centers as well as NARHA individual members and invited guests will be held at the Calvin Center in Hampton, Georgia, on March 25-26, 2006. Invited presenters include Dr. Gary Heusner (veterinarian/UGA), Linda Heusner (Georgia Horse Council), Dr. Diane Febles (veterinarian/equine dentist), Anita Hood (Purina/nutritional specialist), Bob and Kellie Sharpe (equine massage/saddle fitting). An effort is being made to schedule a Special Olympics coaches training ession and a CPR recertification session during the two-day meeting. E-mail any requests for sessions you would like to see presented at the state meeting to Cathe McKinnon at cathe@joimail.com. as soon as possible.

Registration forms will be e-mailed to member centers mid-February; individual members can request a registration form by contacting the current state chair, Cathe McKinnon, at cathe@joimail.com. The new state chair, Carlene Holder Taylor, will take over during the Sunday afternoon session of the state meeting. Please plan now to come and show your support.

In 2006, Good Shepherd in Warm Springs, GA completely reorganized our program and integrated the residents in our adolescent boys home into the therapeutic riding program. Judy Cross-Strylke held two Centered Riding Clinics here and is consulting with us on fine tuning the therapeutic riding

services. AQHA National Director, Ron Smith joined us a Director of

Operations and has been stocking our barn with great quarter horses ever

sense. His show experience (having trained 5 World Champions and 12

Reserve World Champions) paid off. We took two riders to the Special Olympics - which was the weekend of the NARHA National Conference - and competed in 8 classes coming away with 5 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze medals and

1 4th place ribbon.

For 2006, we are excited to announce the arrival of our new Barn Manager/ Therapeutic Riding Instructor - Jennifer Coates. Jennifer comes to us from Canada and is a CANTRA Certified Instructor. She will be our first attempt at an exchange relationship between NARHA and CANTRA. We will be adding a EFMH group therapist in May to do specifically EFP groups with our residents, and a females group in our Eating Disorder specific outpatient program.

Jacobs' Ladder T.R.C. in Hahira, GA Taking riders to the Challenge Show in Weirsdale, FL . We are also planning our 3rd annual horse show for riders of all abilities for April 1st, here at Jacobs' Ladder.

We are continuing to provide services for 50-60 riders a week, sometimes more, sometimes a little less.

MISSISSIPPI

MSU TEAM will host an On-Site Instructor Workshop and Instructor Training in Starkville, MS June 6-8. The evaluators are Anthony Bussaca and Mandy Branton.

For more information contact: Mary Riley, 662-325-1695, or mriley@ext.msstate.edu

TENNESSEE

STAR in Knoxville is starting construction on Phase 2 of their building project - the Education and Administration Building. We are so excited as this will allow expansion of the entire program!

Lynn K. Petr, Founder and Executive Director of STAR was honored with the 2005 Sprit of the ADA Award for our community.

Joni and Friends, Inc honored Robin Bowen with their Above and Beyond Award for her incredible number of hours spent volunteering at STAR.