News & Articles
The Talking Horse
There’s isn’t any Mr. Ed among the herd at Venture’s Equestrian program but those horses have done some pretty amazing things. Just ask twin 5 year old brothers, Jonathan and Mathew.
Actually, with a receptive-expressive language disorder related to their Autism, the boys had never spoken and so like our four-legged friends, they were equally at a loss for words. That, however, was not for a lack of trying on the part of their parents who had put Jonathan and Mathew through just about every therapy imaginable to get them to talk. That was until the boys started riding.
“They seem to really take to the saddle,” explains Ken Freson who runs the Camp Venture Equestrian program. “The boys were a little nervous and hesitant at first but after a few sessions they were up on the horses like a couple of cowboys.” And, by the reports from their family, it became a favorite thing that they both looked forward to every week.
Helping people develop interests is what Venture hopes to do with all of its programs but what happen next made for an especially happy surprise. Jonathan, his mom later reported, spoke for the first time and she credits his riding.
They say that, there’s something about the outside of a horse that’s good for the inside of a man. And, though that may be a thought that Jonathan and Mathew are not ready to elaborate on yet, you never know the possibilities in this life until you find what it takes to grab the reins and summon a little faith.
No, the horses don’t talk but they helped two little boys find a voice. What it took was a mom and dad with the courage to believe, a horse and a little help from their friends at Venture.
Page 1 of 1 pages for this article
