STEWIACKE - Mathew Burgess' smile lights up the facility as he rides his favourite horse.
"Those smiles say it all, they really do," a proud Tammi Hepworth said.
The Cobequid Educational Centre teacher attended a conference in British Columbia a few years ago regarding therapeutic riding. She dreamed about implementing it into a school program.
Three years ago the dream became a reality when a supportive administration at the Truro high school agreed to offer the program for special needs students.
It has grown from about eight teenagers the first year to about 16 this year. The students go to Porter's Equine Centre in Stewiacke once a week for between an hour and an hour and a half. The program has also expanded from six weeks the first year to a dozen this year.
And the results are incredible.
"As soon as they put their hands on the horse, something magical starts to happen," Hepworth said. "We have seen so many improvements in things like their speech, improvements in their mobility, their balance, their self-esteem."
Gary Cameron remembers his first visit to the stables.
"Oooh I was nervous," he said.
But after a couple of times on the horse his apprehension was gone. Now he rides confidently around the centre on Deacon and looks forward to his time around the animals.
"I like coming here and seeing the horses and brushing them," he said. "I like riding them, I like trotting."
Don Porter has witnessed the students build trust with the horses during their visits.
"When they first came, there was only three or four of them that could actually walk in and touch the horse. Now they ride, they lead them, groom them," he said.
The students have completed their riding for this year. During their last visit the students presented Don with a signed picture of all the students in appreciation for the centre's staff working with them.
"It's pretty special," he said. "It's very nice having them here - it's rewarding. It just makes you feel good, I guess. They are really enjoying it."
Hepworth grew up with access to a horse and remembers the escape it provided her when dealing with the stresses of life.
"I would go out and ride for a couple hours and come back a new person," she said.
Hepworth praises the centre for enabling the program to take place.
"I think they should rename the barn Over The Rainbow," she said. "It really is a place where dreams come true."
jmalloy@trurodaily.com
