Raise-The-Ring; A Goal

As some of you know, I ride horses. I've been riding since 4th grade, which was late 2003, so it's been five years. I love it and am completely dedicated. My trainer, Lisa, is great. She's an excellent teacher and rider herself.

Lisa is a certified therapeutic rider instructor. This means that she can take kids in wheelchairs, kids who've been in car accidents, kids with autism, and other special needs children and get them on the back of a horse. The kids absolutely love it and to see their smiles, its the best thing in the world.

Recently, I've had the opportunity to become part of these kid's lives. Specifically a little boy named Carter. What I do is sit behind the child and hold them up if they need it, and help them steer. Its great for the kids because they get out of their wheelchairs and get to be "free". Their laughter and joy is just amazing. It leaves me with such a great feeling.

Carter is a six year old boy whose in a wheelchair. Mentally, he's normal. He's very mature for his age and very talkative. I love riding with him(: He tells me stories about his school day and his family, and how he might be getting a helper dog.

Just this past October, Lisa has a raffle in which she raised enough money to buy a ramp. This allowed her to open her arms to more patients in wheelchairs. The ramp is needed to push the kids up to the horse's back height, and then lift them up and into the saddle.

Now, there's a new goal. And it's going by the name "Raise-The-Ring." What this is a ride-a-thon to raise money for an outdoor arena. Not only would the outdoor arena be useful for the whole barn, but specifically the Handicapped Riders in our area. There's no certified barn nearby which has the space and qualifications needed to host Special Olympics, which are basically fun little horse shows for the special needs children. The closest barn which meets all the standards is 3 hours away.

By building this arena, our barn would be able to host Special Olympics and horse shows for these children, and be a plus to Lisa's border's. Each rider has a goal of $250 and the ride-a-thon will be 5+ miles long.

I just wanted to let you guys know what's happening in my life and what I'm doing(: I think it's a great cause and helps not only our community, but surrounding ones too. I believe that this will make a huge difference in all these little kid's lives, and I just wanted to share it with you guys. Thanks for reading!

Bella