Horse of a Helpful Color

Michael Wright, 10, walks Sundance to the stables at Rising Star Farms before his horse-therapy session as instructor Becky Gover watches. Participants in the program get the horse from the pasture as well as groom it before their session, if able. Michael, who has attention-deficit disorder and a motor-skills deficiency, has been going to therapy for about a year.

Gover helps Melanie Roby, 10, a spina bifida patient from Brownwood, onto a horse as Carol Linscott watches.

Michael Wright, 10, cleans the hoof of Sundance, a Tennessee walking horse, before his horse-therapy session at Rising Star Farms.

Ten-year-old Melanie Roby of Brownwood rides Sundance during her therapy session at the Rising Star Farms Foundation. Melanie, who has spina bifida, has improved her walking from her horse-therapy sessions.

RISING STAR -- Sometimes, life's not fair. Sometimes, blows are dealt before life even has a chance to truly begin. This was the case for Michael Wright, now 10, who is believed to have suffered not only a stroke while in his mother's womb, but fetal alcohol syndrome as well.

Michael - who at 6 months old weighed only 11 pounds - developed problems with the entire left side of his body, making simple tasks such as walking and talking difficult.

If that weren't enough, when he began school, his teachers and adoptive parents - Earl and Sandy Wright - began to notice Michael had difficulty writing as well.

Fortunately for Michael and others with special needs, there is a little ranch 50 miles southeast of Abilene that helps make miracles happen.

One year ago, Michael - who says all his friends call him Mikey - became a student at Rising Star Farms - a therapeutic equestrian center providing equine-facilitated therapy. Equine-facilitated therapy uses horses to assist individuals with special needs or disabilities by providing a form of physical therapy.

According to Becky Gover, an instructor at Rising Star Farms, the movement of a horse simulates walking in the rider, and as a result strengthens the rider's muscles, as well as balance. And, because movement is closely related to other body functions, systemic things such as cognitive function, mood and behavior also can be affected.

Rising Star Farms has designed its program so people with special needs can be placed on and around horses. The program is specialized by individual, according to doctor or therapist recommendations, as well as the goals of both students and parents.

''We figured it would give him something he could do that not a lot of other kids do, and it would make him feel good,'' said Michael's mother, Sandy. ''But, lo and behold, a year later, it's done a lot more than that.''

Sandy said that in addition to seeing progress in her son's confidence and attitude, his limp is now gone, and his hand has become strong enough that writing doesn't pose a problem any more.

''That was kind of a bonus,'' Sandy said. ''Who would have thought that riding would affect writing?''

''He's gone from sentences to full stories,'' Earl said. ''His vocabulary has increased, too. He could always tell a yarn, but now he has a lot more words to tell them with.''

Michael has improved so much over the past year that he no longer attends physical therapy at school.

One student's parents were told by doctors she would never be able to walk. Another student, because of problems with his vision, had difficulty with both heights and stretching out his arms. After involvement in the program, the little girl is now running, and the boy is grooming and riding horses regularly, Gover said.

''Knowing horses, I've seen many things I had actually expected,'' said Gover. ''But I've also seen so many things I never expected.''

While the service offered by Rising Star Farms is not in and of itself unique, one thing does set it apart from most other equine therapy programs.

The 60-acre farm is part of a 200-acre parcel owned by Jim and Connie Reynolds, who founded the Rising Star Farms Foundation with Lawrence and Rita Shepherd. The farm is privately funded by the four founders.

Connie Reynolds said the idea for Rising Star Farms came about after working with the Special Olympics program in California. The original plan was to open a mini-dude ranch for families with special needs children in their home state.

But the high cost of real estate in California prompted them to look in Texas, where a family member lived, she said.

After looking at property all over the state, a call from a real estate agent led them to Rising Star.

''It was out in the middle of nowhere,'' Reynolds said, as she recalled driving down two dirt roads. ''Then we came through the trees to a clearing. We just knew this was it.''

Gover said that the program - in operation for four years in July - was accredited in September by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. The NARHA accreditation, she said, makes it easier to raise funds and shows people right away that safety and performance are at the highest levels. According to Connie Reynolds, the farm has been named a Premier Accredited Center through NARHA. The premier designation means that every aspect of the facility and the program is up to the association's standards, she said. The accreditation also allows the farm to maintain insurance through NARHA at a reasonable cost.

At the present, the four owners cover the roughly $13,000 to $15,000 monthly costs for the 15 or so special needs riders who use the facility, Reynolds said. Now that the facility has the accreditation, she said, it is looking at enlarging the program, exploring grants and the possibility of corporate sponsors.

''We want to expand our program, but we cannot do that without outside help,'' Reynolds said.

Each special-needs rider requires three people on a ride - one person to lead the horse and two side walkers, who walk on either side of the horse as a precaution. While there are some volunteers who do the side walking, much of the work is done by the farm's paid staff of three, plus a full-time helper in the summer months, Reynolds said.

Gover is a NARHA-certified instructor with years of experience, and there is a certified emergency medical technician and two certified emergency-certified assistants on site. Volunteers must all be at least 14, and all go through training and orientation.

Vital to the success of the program are the horses. Reynolds said that each horse is put through an extensive training program, to ensure that the horses are as safe as possible for the special-needs riders.

The training includes steps to make sure the horses don't spook, such as tying streamers to the horses' halters, putting plastic bags on their feet, and throwing soft sponge balls at their heads from the saddle.

The training of the horses and the knowledgeable staff, along with no fees, was a huge draw, initially, said Earl Wright. He said that although he figured the program would be something for Michael to do, he didn't realize the impact it would have on his son.

Earl said that while the program may be free, the improvements he has seen in Michael over the past year are invaluable.

''He's jumped up a whole bunch in school, and is up at least a letter grade in all his classes,'' Earl said. ''He's even playing baseball this year. Now, he's able to throw the ball, and his accuracy and everything has gotten better - physically and mentally.

Michael said he had never worked with horses before starting at Rising Star Farms, and that he was a little uncertain at first.

''I was a little scared at the beginning,'' Michael said. ''But now, I like riding the horses and cleaning them.''

Michael - who is now heavily involved in 4H and helps his dad string fence and work on cars - said he knows it was working with the horses at Rising Star Farms that helped him more than anything else.

''Riding has helped me a lot. Every time I'd write, my hand would get tired. Now, it just doesn't anymore. I like it so much, I think when I grow up, I might come out here and work with them.''

Sandy said seeing how much Michael benefited from working with the horses, the Wrights decided to buy him a horse of his own for Christmas.

''He'll even just go out in the pasture and talk with her and walk with her,'' Earl said of Michael and his horse, Lady. ''Sometimes, she'll follow him around, and other times he'll follow her.''

''He was kind of withdrawn before he came here,'' Earl said. ''He was at an age where he knew he was different. Now, he still knows he's different, but he doesn't care as much.

''Around other kids, he used to go off by himself. Now, he'll walk right up and talk with them.''

Michael's parents aren't the only ones noticing the change - Sandy said his occupational therapist has seen such a dramatic difference in Michael that she wants to recommend two other children to the program.

Gover said that because so many areas can be improved by working with horses, Rising Star Farms is able to assist students with many different problems and disabilities.

''We have kids with Down syndrome, spina bifida, emotional issues. ... It's a wide range both in age and ability,'' she said, adding that even if students cannot ride, they can still benefit from grooming, leading and feeding the horses.

Michael said he would enjoy teaching kids how to work with horses, and hopes someday he will work at Rising Star Farms.

''Then I can help people and make money, so my mom and dad don't have to buy everything for me anymore,'' Michael said. ''I suppose I'll probably grow up, buy a car, get married and start working here.''

Michael said that if he ever saw anyone who had problems like his, he would know right away what to tell them.

''I'd tell them, 'You need to go out to Rising Star Farms, and you'll quit hurting.'''

For more information on Rising Star Farms, contact Jim Reynolds or Becky Gover at 254-643-1177.