Karter's 1st Riding Therapy

The long anticipated day has arrived, Karter started riding this morning. I have to tell you that as my little boy mounted that horse and they led him out of the mounting area, tears welled in my eyes. I was so excited for him! Not only is this an amazing opportunity of therapy, but for the first time, he has an activity to go to that is for him and not his sister or anyone else. I am not sure I can truly express the feelings.

PRD (Pacific Riding For The Disabled)has an amazing staff and numerous volunteers. They put Karter on the horse with a brace that went around his waist to support his body. Then they led him him around the arena, holding his arms so that he did not lose his balance. It was hard work, he had to keep his head from lagging as the horse bounced up and down, this was a lot of work.

He did really well, he lasted about 20 minutes. I did not hear much complaining, a little at the end when he became tired. Sandy, Karter's therapist (she is there during his lesson) said they start the kids at about 15-20 minutes the first few times, so we were thrilled with how long he lasted.

Some really great news...we thought that the cost was $300/10 weeks, but when we went to pay, they told us it was $225. Karter has received a lot of donations to go towards his riding for his birthday and as gifts from those who felt led. With the $75 savings each time, he will now have enough money to cover 4 sessions instead of 3...we are so thankful for that!

Here are a some of the pictures from today. I will try and post some video in another post. Karter will go each Thursday morning for a half hour. This block is 10weeks long. Stay tuned, I am sure this will not be the last time you see pictures and posts about riding.