Great Therapeutic Horse Story

BRISTOL, Va. BY LAURA MONDUL SPECIAL TO THE HERALD COURIER From tricities.com Susie Branson, founder and director of the Wonder Kids Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Bristol, Va., could barely keep the tears from her eyes as students and parents celebrated the 39th birthday of Prodigy, a registered Arabian gelding who is the cornerstone of the riding program. “There has always been something special about Prodigy,” she said. “He is the love of my life and I want to thank him for everything he’s done.” Prodigy’s birthday party, complete with buckets of treats and a carrot cake for the horse-of-the-hour, was held at the Wonder Kids barn in Bristol, Va. Adorning his stall were pictures of him from his youth and a commissioned portrait of the horse. Several youths who participate in the program and their parents were on hand to celebrate the unusually old age of this small, unassuming horse. Wonder Kids is a therapeutic program designed to help children with disabilities through the use of horses. The program helps children with everything from ADHD to more severe problems like cerebral palsy, Downs Syndrome, deaf and blindness, speech impediments and more. Therefore, horses used in the program are carefully selected for temperament and experience — very few horses qualify for use in the program. Prodigy was donated to the program by Bristol, Va., resident Susan Knickerbocker. He had been retired, but Branson said he missed having a job and found his new calling helping children. He has changed the lives of several youngsters with his patient and kind personality. “I have seen him sense a child’s emotions that I may not,” said Branson. “Though his brain may be the size of a golf ball, his heart is the size of this barn.” Branson recalls instances when Prodigy would stop of his own accord in the middle of a lesson because the child on his back had shifted. One student who does not have use of her legs told Branson “when I’m on a horse, I know how it feels to walk.” According to Branson, the horse is the only animal whose walking pattern is the same as humans. Therefore, the riding experience is tremendously therapeutic for disabled children – it enables them to have the experience of walking when they otherwise could not. Furthermore, working with the horses offers emotional therapy for children. Speaking of her 14-year-old daughter, Caitlin, who has cerebral palsy, Brenda Otis of Bristol, Va., said, “She doesn’t speak in front of people she doesn’t know – but when she is riding, she can speak loudly enough to be heard in a group. She has learned to socialize because of horses like Prodigy.” Prodigy has been a success story in his own right – he has had a long career of riding, driving and competition in addition to his service with law enforcement before he was donated to Wonder Kids. He has been retired several times and has even foundered, but refuses to stop working, which is perhaps why he is still going strong at age 39. Prodigy’s home, a four-stall barn located in Bristol, Va., was donated to the Wonder Kids program by the horse’s former owners, the Knickerbockers. Wonder Kids will be celebrating its eighth year of operation in 2012, and Branson says the program couldn’t exist without horses like Prodigy. “I just want to thank Prodigy for giving me the opportunity to help the children,” said Branson. “I love to work with deaf and speech-impaired children, and I’ve heard these children speak their first words while on the horse’s back.” Children in the Wonder Kids program come from as far away as Lebanon, Va., and the program is spearheading a fundraising campaign to raise money to be able to help more children. On March 24, the farm will be hosting an able-bodied riding clinic that is open to the public — all proceeds will go to the Wonder Kids program. The clinic is designed to help young and aspiring riders learn about everything that goes into riding and owning a horse, and will include instruction on grooming, tacking up, stall cleaning and more. Perhaps having the opportunity to help children is part of what’s kept Prodigy going all of these years — even in his old age, he is still in work and making a major difference in the lives of children who face unique challenges. “I’m just tickled to death that Tyler is getting to do this,” said Debbie Smith, mother of 11-year-old Tyler, who has Down Syndrome. “I am just amazed to see how much Prodigy and the Wonder Kids program has helped him.”