EquiFriends Riders -
It's amazing how far Tyler has traveled
Thank you, Equifriends, for two-and-a-half years of support, fun, and friendship! When Tyler started riding at Equifriends he was almost 3 years old, stumbling, speechless, and timid. It’s hard to remember when things finally started to come together for Tyler but it’s easy to see the many positive gains he’s made.
In the beginning, Tyler wouldn’t even touch a stuffed animal so sitting on a horse was WAY into sensory overload. Now, a simple pat to tell his horse to “walk-on” is easy and touching our furry “family” members isn’t so scary. In the beginning, the “barn” sounds like horses sneezing would send Tyler into tears. Now, he hears them, listens, and continues on unbothered. In the beginning, he looked like a bobble head doll sitting way up on that big horse. Now, he has much better head and neck control and can actually shift his own body to sit in the center of the horse. The list of physical and sensory improvements goes on but aside from these, there is just the joy and camaraderie of being apart of Equifriends.
It’s difficult finding ways to motivate and entertain Tyler so the joy he finds in his once-a-week riding time is so refreshing. And we can’t ignore the friendships we’ve gained with the other riders, the instructors, and his wonderful volunteers. Tyler’s smile at the mention of seeing his volunteers is enough to keep us coming back for more. They are AMAZING and it has been so great watching Tyler begin to communicate with them. We plan to continue riding for a long time.