Back in the saddle

Magical things happen at Special Equestrians, Inc. Wheelchair-bound children and adults can run, overcome challenges and make lifelong friends.

Special Equestrians, located off of Highway 119, provides therapeutic horseback riding lessons for individuals with a variety of special needs.

Sally Cope, one of 11 instructors with the organization, was inexperienced in dealing with individuals with special needs when she began volunteering in 1999. However, she did not let that deter her from giving back to the community or stand in the way of her love for horses.

Over time, as she worked her way up in the non-profit organization, Cope realized that Special Equestrians gave her a platform to make long-lasting, positive changes in the lives of these individuals.

“We had one rider who had his first words on the back of a horse,” said Cope, who lives in Inverness. “To see what horses can do for our riders — it’s rewarding.”

The organization’s goal is to increase the independency and quality of life for each rider, according to its website. But it does this and much more.

Social, physical, cognitive and emotional improvements have all been met at some point after having lessons at Special Equestrians. Depending on the rider’s needs and desires, riders build positive self-esteem and confidence, increase mobility or develop self-control.

“For someone that can’t walk without assistance to control a 1,200 pound animal, it gives them a huge empowerment that they’re capable,” said Kathleen Claybrook, the director of Special Equestrians.

Moments like this create an atmosphere where you cannot have a bad day, Claybrook said. She has been with the program since it was founded in 1985 by Rita Mendel, owner of Carousel Tack Shoppe on Highway 119.

When riders stop coming to the sessions with the horses, Cope said the situation is bittersweet. Some participants have become involved with social organizations, started non-profits or gone off to college because of their time on horseback.

Other riders have stayed for as long as 26 years.

All this would not be possible without the organization’s 11 horses and 10 acres of land on Indian Spring School’s campus.

Each horse goes through an evaluation to provide a safe environment and to accommodate various special needs.

Because horses must tolerate extra external stimuli, their tolerance for prospective stimuli is checked before they are brought to the program. Then the staff observes how the horses interact with participants and see if they like their new environment.

Although the organization has “the perfect horses,” Claybrook said participants still can take a while to confidently mount the horse. The time length depends on each rider.

Some riders get on the horse their first day of the program and others take weeks. But the instructors are patient.

“I haven’t had anyone yet to never get on,” Claybrook said.

Some riders cry when they first mount the horse, then smile the whole duration of the ride, and cry when they have to get off.

Because of the special services each nationally certified instructor and therapist provides, the organization has a two-year waiting list. Claybrook advises people to sign up quickly for one of its 100 sports.

“Even an able-bodied person is fortunate to ride, but this enables an individual with special needs to do the same thing,” Claybrook said. “Their special needs don’t keep them from wanting to be like everybody else.”

Learn more

Special Equestrians, Inc. is located at 1215 Woodward Drive and open Tuesday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more, call 987-WHOA (9462) or visit specialequest.org.

How to contribute: Blue Rain Express Carwash, located at 100 Big Mountain Circle off of U.S. 31, donates to Special Equestrians when you purchase a $5 carwash. To contribute, enter 9044 into the automated cashier box.

How to volunteer: Contact Gordon Sullivan at gsullivan@specialequest.org and visit specialequest.org for volunteer forms. New volunteer training sessions are Sept. 6 from 5-7 p.m. and Sept. 8 from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Upcoming charity event: 2013 Celebrity Golf Tournament, Thursday, Oct. 3 at Timberline Golf Club in Calera.