Organization Information
Riding Unlimited
9168 T.N. Skiles Road
Ponder, TX 75269
Phone: 940 479-2016
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Email:
ridingunlimited@aol.com
Web Site:
http://www.ridingunlimited.org
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Therapeutic horseback riding and carriage driving enables disabled children and adults to strengthen their bodies, improve cognitive abilities and increase self-esteem; turning disabilities into possibilities.
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Riding Unlimited - a place where possibilities are unlimited. Founder, Jim Barton, has Cerebral Palsy and is also a rider. His vision was to create an environment where participants motivate themselves to set goals and then reach those goals. It was a vision for a little girl named Olivia. Olivia came to ride at the age of 2½ yet was not walking. By the end of her first 10 week session, Olivia was taking her first steps. It was a vision for Tommy, who used to wheel up the ramp to mount his horse and now walks up that ramp, leaving the wheelchair behind. It was a vision for Lynn - who, at the age of 18 became a paraplegic due to a skiing accident. When she started she needed a leader and two sidewalkers. Over the years she progressed to owning her own horse, riding with a professional trainer and being a three time member of the US Paralympic Team having competed in Australia, Greece and most recently Hong Kong. It was the vision for Sam. Sam has autism -his mother was moved to tears watching him ride independently at State Special Olympics for the first time. She didn't care how he placed - just being in the arena doing it on his own was reward enough. She said it felt like "falling into a feather bed". It's not about the medals or the ribbons. It's the steps it takes to get there - improving lives one ride at a time.
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