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HiddenLake Farm Hosted A Charity Horse Show and Family Fun Event
on August 14th and 15th, 2010
Although the event is over, please
consider supporting this wonderful cause!

August 2nd:
"Children's Theraputic Center Galloping For Help"

August 8th:
"Generosity Keeping Spirit Horse Running"

"We truly believe that the reason Aiden is walking today and
doing many of the things he has achieved is because of the early
start that you gave him when no other facility would take him."

Please visit: www.SpiritHorseTherapy.com for more
information on SpiritHorse and their programs and on how you can help!

Read on for some words about the way SpiritHorse is changing lives:

Dear Charles,

We wanted to take the time to “Thank You” and all your staff at SpiritHorse. On June, 18th, 2007, our son was diagnosed with Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury and Cerebral Palsy. The Neurologist told us that we needed to prepare ourselves that Aiden may never walk, talk or feed himself. He told us that our best hope for Aiden was to get him as much therapy as possible. He suggested we look into Hippotherapy and recommended SpiritHorse and several other facilities.

At the time Aiden was only 2 years old. He could only sit up for very short periods of time and had very little balance. He was on a home ventilator 24/7 for Chronic Lung Disease. When we called SpiritHorse and explained Aiden’s conditions you said that his age and the ventilator would not be a problem and that you would be glad to have Aiden as a rider. The other facilities would not take him due to his age and the ventilator.

Aiden started at SpiritHorse in the Fall of 2007. When we started Aiden needed full assistance to stay upright in the saddle. By the end of the Fall session Aiden’s upper body strength had greatly improved. Aiden was able to sit up independently and was beginning to crawl. By the end of the Spring 2008 session Aiden was beginning to take steps and was fully off the ventilator.

Aiden is now 4 years old. He has been a rider at SpiritHorse for 2 years. He is now able to walk independently, is trying to run and Aiden is sitting in the saddle without assistance. Aiden’s balance has improved so much that he is now working at his 2 point stance. Aiden is not able to talk but is using the mechanical voice boxes that you have available to tell Candy to “Go” whenever she stops. Aiden also is working on sign language which he is carrying over to his sessions and utilizing to tell us what he wants such as “more” for more riding.

Not only has SpiritHorse helped make tremendous strides in Aiden’s muscular strength, coordination and communication but it has helped improve Aiden’s sensory issues. When Aiden started at SpiritHorse, he was so sensory adverse that he would not help with any of the preparation (grooming, carrying equipment and feeding the horse). Now Aiden loves to pet and brush Candy. He helps carry the equipment, gives Candy treats after each session and even assists with leading Candy.

Aiden has exceeded all of his doctor’s expectations and continues to develop. SpiritHorse has played a significant role in this development. We thank you with all of our heart for giving Aiden the chance to overcome the challenges that he faces. We truly believe that the reason Aiden is walking today and doing many of the things he has achieved is because of the early start that you gave him when no other facility would take him.

May God Bless You,
Tom and Carol Price

I wish that you could have been here in November to hear Natasha say her first word in 13 years! Natasha was born in Thailand and was a typical child until the age of two, when she was poisoned with cyanide in political retribution against her father, who was then a presidential candidate in the Republic of Maldives. She immediately went into a coma and remained in a comatose state for 7 years. She returned to a state of consciousness as the result of excellent medical care at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. When she awoke she was quadriplegic, could not hold up her head or trunk, and was non-verbal. She remained in that condition until the age of 15 years when she started therapy at SpiritHorse. After one year of therapy at SpiritHorse, Natasha holds her head up, sits up unaided while riding the horse Holly, walks 25 steps at a time, and on a recent beautiful November morning at SpiritHorse spoke her first word in 13 years: “Go” to her horse Holly! And we said: “Go Natasha, we always believed in you!” Here is her story in her father’s words:

“After taking my daughter (who was poisoned by cyanide), to many countries, I ended as a political refugee in USA, at Children's MC of Dallas. The doctors changed my vegetative girl, gave her hope and a future. A doctor told me to enroll into Spirit Horse, to gain her strength to sit, stand and walk. We enrolled at Spirit Horse, and Mr. Charles took extreme care of Natasha, helped her to ride their pony which was specially trained to be with handicapped kids. After few weeks, my daughter was able to hold her neck, sit on stool, and do many things, which many doctors told us, that would be impossible to achieve in her lifetime. Every Sunday morning we visit Spirit House. We saw our doctor few months after the Spirit Horse therapy classes and he was delighted with the changes in my daughter. The staff is so helpful, kind and we will remain in debited for our lifetime for the dedicated, and the tireless work. The smiles they have brought to the hopeless families and the disadvantage kids, who visit the ranch, are beyond anyone's comprehension. Nowhere in the world you could, get that care and love for these kids than Spirit Horse. They need your help to bright up the lives of these kids from the poorest of families. The families could not have had this opportunity, unless Spirit Horse was willing to provide this service free.” Ismail Saadiq

Last week we sent a note to the parents of the SpiritHorse Children asking those whose children are ready to graduate from our program to yield their slot on a voluntary basis, to a child on our waiting list. We received several notes from parents who were willing to sacrifice their child's place in our schedule, however, many of these children still need our help. This one of those letters, together with the response from Charles Fletcher, SpiritHorse CEO:


“Dear Mr. Fletcher and SpiritHorse Staff,

I just wanted to take a few minutes to express my gratitude for all you do and for all you have done for my Olivia. When Olivia first started SpiritHorse she was barely walking and had only a few words. She had significant gross developmental delays and silent aspiration during swallowing due to hypotonia. She had to “drink” pudding-thick liquids, anything thinner went right into her lungs. She also has had two seizure episodes. We still do not know the cause of her hypotonia and as we have been told, her tone won’t change. However, what she can do with that tone has changed tremendously as a result of the wonderful treatment she gets from riding her pony.

These are just a few of the wonderful changes we have seen in Olivia. She started walking with improved balance within a few months of starting SpiritHorse. Her in home therapy using a standing frame and early intervention physical therapy, while helpful, did not seem to motivate Olivia and we saw few gains. Olivia seemed to come out of her shell and be much more interactive with the whole family shortly after starting SpiritHorse. Prior to that there was definitely a question as to whether she could be autistic. Olivia’s swallowing improved to allow her to drink normal liquids. Her vocabulary just kept multiplying and she is now ahead of her developmental level for speech. This from a child whom doctors couldn’t tell us if she understood us or whether she would be delayed cognitively.

Olivia has had the benefit of riding Miracle, Jellybean, Pocket, Freckles, Snowflake, and most recently Spirit. There were also a couple of others she rode for sessions when ponies were sick. The excitement she had every Wednesday that we headed down the 380 from Frisco was precious. She told everyone who would listen about how she rides ponies and brushes their hair and chooses a blanket for them. There were sessions that Olivia seemed to struggle with, when she seemed to go inward. Sometimes it was just behavioral, other incidents may be tied to her seizures, we are still trying to figure out what makes Olivia tick. But overall, she absolutely loves riding her pony.

So it is with many tears that I reluctantly write this letter to voluntarily withdraw from your wonderful program. I don’t mean to make anyone feel bad by saying it that way, it is just the truth. I believe Olivia could definitely benefit from continuing in SpiritHorse, she still has coordination, motor planning and other assorted issues. But she has come such a long way and to someone who doesn’t know her struggles and what she has been through and worked for, well, they wouldn’t believe me if I told them. I have fears that she could regress, but I am going to trust those and Olivia to the Lord. I want another child to be able to benefit from this program as much as Olivia has. I am so grateful for all you have done for her. She has made leaps and bounds and caught up in so many areas that she was behind.

Thank you doesn’t seem like enough. I hope that someday we can afford to put Olivia into riding lessons as she really does enjoy it, and I think she is pretty good for a 3.5 year old! While it is not possible at this time, my husband and I pray that someday we will be able to donate funds to help with SpiritHorse. I will never forget what you have done for my daughter, thank you. May the Lord bless you.

With deepest gratitude, Jenny”

My response:

Dear Jenny:

It is with tears in my old eyes that I read your offer of sacrifice. Please excuse me, but I refuse to accept your offer. We love Olivia so much. We are only looking for those participants who are ready to graduate. I will not accept withdrawal for children whom we can still help. Please reconsider. If necessary, I will personally work one hour extra each week to teach our wonderful Olivia.

Mr. Charles