NARHAÔ
North American
Riding for the Handicapped Association, Inc.
Appreciating the power of the horse to change
lives Ô
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Region 8 Center News for 2008
Horses for Healing – Bentonville, AR
After 17 years of struggling with not enough space, plans are nearing completion to begin our Capital Project. We will be building a new indoor arena, a barn with 40 stalls, an office space with room to grow and a sensory path that can be used for mounted or unmounted activities. The project starts Spring 2008 with the completion of new horse-friendly perimeter and cross fencing, loafing sheds with running water and electricity and lights for the outdoor arena. With the extreme population growth in Northwest Arkansas our client waiting list is also growing. We want to build a facility that will take care of our needs for many years to come. – Debbie Studyvin
Right Path Riding Academy – Drumright, OK
We are still in operation and in our 12th year. We are a small operation, with miraculous facilities. 35 kids ride each week. One school brings 17 kids on the bus each Friday Morning. We call it organized chaos!! Elementary ages, these kids cover the spectrum from waling and talking to wheelchairs and tube fed. Between 10am and 1pm all 17 kids get their rides.
We are excited to have 2 home grown instructors in training. Vic and Karen have been volunteering with our Friday group for years and love it so much that they have taken on the arduous task of getting NARHA certified. As a rural program it is hard to find people willing to commit to this process and then make the drive every week to teach. Kudos to Vic and Karen
We have a 2-way ministry with inmates at a private correctional facility in our area. Their Rodeo Cowboy Association is helping us build our outdoor arena. They have provided A LOT of pipe for fencing and are now looking at our lighting and footing situation. We were invited to the first annual RCA awards banquet at the prison. About 40 men, a number of them “lifers” were in attendance along with me and 2 riders and their families. After the events of the evening ended, many of the men were moved by the experience, some to the point of tears. The Right Path plans to continue the relationship with the goal of having these incarcerated men see another way of life.
God always provides right on time. Out rural Oklahoma Association of Electric Co-ops raised $23,000 in a Dec. ’07 fund raiser and we were the recipients of 1/3 of this money. Were we thrilled!
Classes start again in Feb. and we are busy leggin’ up horses and training volunteers. And all the riders said, “walk on.” - Leslie Kirkland
We just did the 2nd APHA Challenged Rider class for the APHA Association in Oklahoma. We have partnered with Children’s Hospital and we took 12 precious children to ride. They were all given plaques and APHA raised over $11,000 for St. Jude’s and our cancer hospital. It was amazing! What a blessing to get to do what we do. – Jackie Wilkes
Sonrisas has a busy winter/spring on the agenda. Our spring riding semester began mid January and will run through April 17. On February 28, during the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo, we will have the eighth Sonrisas Special Rodeo consisting of specially tailored events for our riders put on by the PRCA – the actual rodeo announcer introduces and provides commentary and several rodeo contestants help out. This event is jointly sponsored by the San Angelo Stock and Rodeo Association (on whose grounds we rent our two acre riding site) and a local bank who over the years has provided T-shirts for the riders. We will round out the semester with our major spring fund raiser, Sonrisas Dinner Auction 2008 in May. This event, in it’s eighth year, features a variety of live and silent auctions and a gourmet buffet hosted by a well known Texas chef.
Stajduhar Stables – Bedford,
TX
Stajduhar Stables is planning it’s first ever fund raiser called
“Raise the Roof” on April 5, 2008. We just got approved from City
Council and we are extending our covered arena roof another 50 ft. We
will have a live and silent auction. It will be held in the Fort Worth
Stock yards at a facility called River Ranch. Wish us luck. We are
also raising money for our second project which will be an improved
treatment room for our clients. That’s all from us. – Lisa Stajduhar
Campfire Creek Therapeutic Riding Center – Waxahachie, TX
Campfire Creek TRC will be hosting an orientation for volunteers and for anyone with an interest in therapeutic riding. The meeting date is Saturday, April5. Call Emily Oliver 972-937-7265 or 469-337-9187 for more information and directions to the center. – Emily Oliver
We are Leap of Faith at the Conroe Family YMCA. We were essentially adopted by the YMCA in September of 2006 and have grown from 17 riders, 4 horses and volunteer based to 66 riders, 12 horses and 4 paid staff. We were accredited in June 2006 and are hoping for more development and growth for our facilities and programming in the years to come. We are working on getting all our instructors and some volunteers certified as NARHA Instructors, but only have two instructors certified currently. We would like to expand our activities to driving, vaulting, Hippotherapy and mental health in the near future. Our fees are lower than most centers and we provide scholarships. – Jessica Thomas
Therapeutic Riding of Texas (TROT) – Cedar Hill, TX
A TROT volunteer wrote the testimonial below and it is powerful. I just wanted to share it with you and to let you know that we have many volunteer needs this year and our sessions will begin soon. Make plans to attend the required volunteer orientation on February 23rd at 1pm at Gemini Farms – 1701 S. Duncanville Rd, Cedar Hill, TX 75104
Not only do we have needs for the usual Sidewalkers and Horses Handlers for each session but also for Grant Writers, a Rider Coordinator, A Volunteer Coordinator, Public Relations as well as a Licensed Physical Therapist throughout 2008. If you, or anyone you know, is willing to assist us in this exceptional program please contact the TROT office 972-293-3388. There are volunteer forms on our web site – www.trottx.org that need to be filled out and mailed in for all volunteers
As we are 100% volunteer run, with your help we can ensure our courageous riders continue riding in 2008! – Sheila Skelton
The wonderful people of Therapeutic Riding of Texas make it a point to thank volunteers, but I feel it is a blessing to be part of a place where miracles happen. TROT is an important part of my life. Whenever I think it might be too hot outside or am too tired to “trot,” I reflect on what can happen on those sweaty evenings when I am feeling worn out. A magical energy revives me upon arrival at the stable.
I have volunteered at TROT off and on for about five years. It is a privilege to work with the inspiring children and witness their progress. They benefit from riding and handling the specially trained horses. The animals seem to understand that these riders need them to be gentle and patient. This is the story of only one of many miraculous moments that occur when the determination of the human spirit overcomes challenges at a place called Gemini Farms in Cedar Hills, Texas.
“Our regular season is over and only two students are visiting TROT on Tuesday evenings. Annie the instructor and her student saddle RC, a giant white Appaloosa with brown freckles from head to tail. I do not know what medical condition the student has, but he walks with difficulty on his ankles and has limited mobility and use of his hands. He has difficulty forming words and Annie works with him to pronounce words such as whoa, walk and trot. The weather in Texas in December is fickle, but last night it was cool and clear with thousands of stars above the corral where I led RC. Annie asked her student to sing Old McDonald’s Farm with her and once she sang the verse, he was able to say E-I-E-I-O and then he would laugh. Fun is an important part of the lessons, too. As RC made his way around the corral with the student high in the saddle, I heard a familiar melody coming from the young boy. It took me a moment to recognize it and then realized that the song was Amazing Grace. No words were formed, but rather lovely sounds were sung. His expression was exquisitely serene, innocent, and beautiful. He seemed to realize the reverence with which to treat the song. He finished his special version and the lesson continued, but I will never be the same. The enchanting sound of his heavenly performance of Amazing grace is now etched upon my heart.”
As I walk away at the end of every lesson, I am humbled by how fortunate I am to have children and grandchildren who are not given the challenges of many of our students. My step is always lighter no matter how tired I may be. My heart goes out to the families, but then I realize that they get to see miracles happen all the time. – Linda Keane