Equine Therapy
By Todd Wood | April/May 2009, Homepage
On a Horse
A person who cannot walk.........has the legs to run
Someone who is isolated from others.........
has a friend to trust
Someone whose balance is impaired........
has a way to regain it
Someone - anyone whose disability presents special obstacles
Has the opportunity to over come them........
- Author Unknown
Melanie Dasher’s radiant facial expression, as she stared across the horse
arena, spoke more than a thousand words.
She was watching her 29-year old daughter, Mandy, do something she never
thought she would have the ability or opportunity to do. But, thanks to
one Effingham resident and a handful of volunteers, her daughter was all
smiles as she rode a horse named Slick.
After hearing a friend talk about a place in Effingham, Dasher looked up
Faith Equestrian Therapeutic Center on the internet. “We’ve been coming
since last September,” said Dasher. “There’s not much my daughter is able
to do since she has cerebal palsey, but Bonnie’s program is just so
wonderful and accommodating.”
She and Mandy make the trip every Saturday from their home in Glennville,
Ga. “Until I met Bonnie, I had never seen anyone put this much time and
care into a program like this,” said Melanie. “Mandy looks forward to
coming here every week.”
Bonnie Rachael has had a passion for horses since she was seventeen years
old. After training horses for many years with the Savannah Chatham
County Mounted Patrol, which she created, Rachael felt that all of her
training was being wasted. She just felt she could be doing so much more
with her experience and training certifications.
Not long after, a friend at church threw her a magazine at her and said,
“Read this.” So Bonnie opened the magazine and read. The article was
about Hero’s on Horseback in Bluffton, SC. - a therapeutic riding center
certified by the North American Riding for the Handicap Association
(NARHA).
“It was like God touched my heart right there and then,” recalled
Rachael. “He was saying this is what I want you to do with what you have
for other people.”
It laid on her heart pretty heavy for the next couple of weeks, and two
weeks later it was confirmed when the pastor of the church had heard she
was thinking about opening a therapeutic riding center of her own.
She was attending the Church of the Cross in Bluffton when pastor Tripp
Corminy gave her a disc to listen to. “ After listening to the disc
Pastor Crominy gave me, I knew I had to do this,“ says Rachael. “After
that, it went pretty quick. I can’t believe how quick things just started
to happen after I decided to do this.”
Soon thereafter, Faith Equestrian Therapeutic Center was born at
Rachael’s five-acre farm located on Appaloosa Way off Horsepen and Blue
Jay Road.
The center provides therapeutic horseback riding lessons to children and
adults with physical, mental, and emotional barriers. They offer equine
assisted activities to these individuals without regard to race, color,
creed or financial need and the students benefit not only from the weekly
lessons that Faith Equestrian provides, but also from the relationship
they develop with Rachael’s horses, the certified instructional staff and
the trained volunteers.
Since 2006, the center has been operating as a non-profit volunteer based
organization. Rachael and a group of about 25 trained volunteers work
every Saturday with ten program participants. Yet Rachael desperately
wants to become a five-day a week program.
“I want to reach as many children as possible,” says Rachael. “However,
we operate solely on grants and donations, so it’s very challenging.”
Since May of 2006, Rachael and her group of volunteers have touched the
lives of many Effingham residents, as well as citizens as far away as
Glennville. But, they need all the help they can get. Since all students
who attend Rachael’s program receive tuition-free services, the program
is always in need of donations, which are tax deductible.
This April, Rachael is offering a Spring Break Day Camp for able body
children who want to take riding lessons. From April 13 through April 17,
from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., kids can come and learn how to ride horses at
Rachael’s facility off Blue Jay Road. “It’ll be great for kids who want
to learn how to ride horses,” says Rachael. “It’s also a great way for
them to become involved with helping others. All class fees will go back
into the therapeutic center.”
Also, on Saturday, June 6th, at the Effingham County Fairgrounds, the non
profit, 501C3 charity will be holding a fundraiser from 10 a.m. until 4
p.m. The Sizzling Summer Celebration will feature food, arts and crafts,
music and of course horse riding exhibitions.
Rachael is adamant about how the Lord first brought the idea to her
attention. To the many whose lives she has already touched, they too are
grateful for her passion to give in such a generous way.
Rincon resident Bruce Carter, and his wife Sabrina, recently found
Rachael’s center and together have been bringing their 10-year old
daughter Mackenzie to ride with the others.
“Mackenzie was unable to play sports after being diagnosed with Cushings
Disease,” said Bruce. “Since Mackenzie couldn’t play sports anymore, when
my wife found this place, we knew it would be great for her. She just
loves coming out here.”
For more information about Faith Equestrian Therapeutic Center, call
(912)728-3728 or (912)655-1480.
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