The following 'historical fiction' was written by our Board President, Sandra Howell. Not only is she a horse lover and owner and active member of the Dream On Curls Riding Center Board; she is also the mother of a child born with many developmental delays and disabilities.We see this all the time at Dream On Curls Riding Center. The riders smile, chatter, anticipate their lessons with eagerness and happiness. But, the families, biological/adoptive, the caregivers, the staff - anyone related to our riders in any way -are affected by the many benefits of therapeutic riding as well.
Because it's the rider who is the focus, we often forget the circle of support people - those who maintain, nourish and endure through it all. The smile they see, no matter how small or bright... can make a big difference for them in the long road.
One mother of a young rider says- "It's kind of a bittersweet moment for me, my son loves his time riding - but it's the only time I see him smile. " She is certainly grateful for that smile, but yearns to see it more often.
For those of you who have children who smile and dance through life as 'normal' happy imps.. it may be difficult to imagine how precious a small smile can be.
Please remember this when you are contemplating a donation. Your kind gift brings smiles to more than just the riders' faces - but also joy and hope to the hearts of all the people who care for him or her.
A boy and a horse
She lifted the young boy high onto the horses back. He was quite heavy as he was wearing bulky leg braces and he did not have the ability to help.
The young horse, Wil, stood quietly, waiting for the boy to mount. Wil was the perfect horse for the child to ride. It was as if he sensed that the boy needed him to stand patiently as he threw one weighty leg over the side of the saddle, grabbed onto the saddle horn and sank into the seat. The boy felt no fear and instinctively knew that Wil would take care of him.
The horse and boy knew each other well, and had spent many quiet moments in the barn and in the field while the woman worked with the other horses. Their bonding was built on mutual trust, quiet moments and wordless communication. Many times during his younger non-verbal years, the boy had offered treats to the bay-colored colt. He had held the treats in the palm of his small hand as he waited for the touch from the colt’s tender lips to take his offerings. The colt’s soft nose would tickle his fingers and a subtle smile would acknowledge the boy’s delight.
This was the big day for the horse and the boy and it seemed to have come as suddenly as wind quickly moves in and blows through the trees. The woman knew that this was the day that she had been waiting for and it would mark an important passage in the young boy’s life. This would be one of the many milestones that would mark the boy’s life, but it would be this particular moment that would stay with her and one that the woman would always hold close to her heart.
Four years before, this moment in time, she had stood in the quiet of the day staring down into the crib where her son lay sleeping. He was a handsome two year old but even in sleep his bottom lip quivered as if he found no comfort in his baby dream land. She willed herself to stay in the moment, with no distractions, as she faced the harsh reality that something was wrong with her baby boy.
Since the day of his birth, the woman had tucked her innate feeling of unease into the back of her mind and she had continued to cling to the hope that all was well. Now, looking down at the sleeping boy, she knew deep in her soul, that something was wrong with her youngest son. She confronted the truth that she had denied for two years and she faced with certainty what her heart could not bear. Her plans for this child would not be the same as those for her other two sons and her mind conjured up all possibilities as her thoughts raced ahead and she wondered where to begin.
Tears trickled down her cheeks, ran onto her chin and began their flow of sorrow. She was overwhelmed by the realization that her son would always struggle to make his way in the world and that her dreams for his future would be always be elusive. Time stood still and her tears continued to flow until her heart felt empty and hollow.
Four years later, the sun was shining on her son as he sat proudly on the warm back of Wil. His legs found the warm place on the horse’s body and he spoke softly to his longtime friend. The woman picked up the lead line and began to walk slowly through the field of tall grass. Wil moved off with a rocking rhythmic gait while the young boy held tight to the saddle horn. She looked back at her son and saw a small smile of contentment come to his lips and the joy of the moment began to fill the empty place in her heart.
Please remember this when you are contemplating a donation. Your kind gift brings smiles to more than just the riders' faces - but also joy and hope to the hearts of all the people who care for him or her.
A boy and a horse
She lifted the young boy high onto the horses back. He was quite heavy as he was wearing bulky leg braces and he did not have the ability to help.
The young horse, Wil, stood quietly, waiting for the boy to mount. Wil was the perfect horse for the child to ride. It was as if he sensed that the boy needed him to stand patiently as he threw one weighty leg over the side of the saddle, grabbed onto the saddle horn and sank into the seat. The boy felt no fear and instinctively knew that Wil would take care of him.
The horse and boy knew each other well, and had spent many quiet moments in the barn and in the field while the woman worked with the other horses. Their bonding was built on mutual trust, quiet moments and wordless communication. Many times during his younger non-verbal years, the boy had offered treats to the bay-colored colt. He had held the treats in the palm of his small hand as he waited for the touch from the colt’s tender lips to take his offerings. The colt’s soft nose would tickle his fingers and a subtle smile would acknowledge the boy’s delight.
This was the big day for the horse and the boy and it seemed to have come as suddenly as wind quickly moves in and blows through the trees. The woman knew that this was the day that she had been waiting for and it would mark an important passage in the young boy’s life. This would be one of the many milestones that would mark the boy’s life, but it would be this particular moment that would stay with her and one that the woman would always hold close to her heart.
Four years before, this moment in time, she had stood in the quiet of the day staring down into the crib where her son lay sleeping. He was a handsome two year old but even in sleep his bottom lip quivered as if he found no comfort in his baby dream land. She willed herself to stay in the moment, with no distractions, as she faced the harsh reality that something was wrong with her baby boy.
Since the day of his birth, the woman had tucked her innate feeling of unease into the back of her mind and she had continued to cling to the hope that all was well. Now, looking down at the sleeping boy, she knew deep in her soul, that something was wrong with her youngest son. She confronted the truth that she had denied for two years and she faced with certainty what her heart could not bear. Her plans for this child would not be the same as those for her other two sons and her mind conjured up all possibilities as her thoughts raced ahead and she wondered where to begin.
Tears trickled down her cheeks, ran onto her chin and began their flow of sorrow. She was overwhelmed by the realization that her son would always struggle to make his way in the world and that her dreams for his future would be always be elusive. Time stood still and her tears continued to flow until her heart felt empty and hollow.
Four years later, the sun was shining on her son as he sat proudly on the warm back of Wil. His legs found the warm place on the horse’s body and he spoke softly to his longtime friend. The woman picked up the lead line and began to walk slowly through the field of tall grass. Wil moved off with a rocking rhythmic gait while the young boy held tight to the saddle horn. She looked back at her son and saw a small smile of contentment come to his lips and the joy of the moment began to fill the empty place in her heart.
Please visit our web site for more information about our program. We have a donation page on the site.
http://www.vermontel.net/~top/dreamoncurls.htm
Also, you can find out more information here for donations - http://dreamoncurls.bbnow.org/index.php
Did you know if you use the iGive search bar for all your internet searches http://isearch.igive.com/toolbar.cfm it's very easy. Sign up for Dream On Curls Riding Center as recipient of your searches.
Also - through iGive, you can do your holiday shopping on-line using their coupons and discounts. You can facilitate a donation and save money !! Over 700 of the web’s best stores participate in this free program, and up to 26% of each purchase benefits our cause.
Please support our program. Even a small donation mounts up if many give.
Many thanks !
Here's a photo of Sandy and her American Curly Horse- Wil, one of the stars of her short story.
Sandy is currently authoring a novel. You can keep track of the progress by reading her blog - http://curlyhorsenovel.blogspot.com/
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