Catholic woman says therapeutic riding program builds self-esteem

Published: 2004-12-06

CROWN POINT, Ind. (CNS) -- On a recent Wednesday evening, Doris Weeks watched four young people ride horses along the track on her farm. Two of the riders were twins with cerebral palsy; the other two had varying degrees of autism. And even though the young people were having a good time, the activity was meant to be primarily therapeutic. Weeks, the owner of Quarter Mile Farm in Crown Point, has been running a program called Special Equestrians for the past 10 years. She provides the use of her horse-boarding farm to people with special needs as part of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, a nonprofit group that promotes the benefit of horseback riding for individuals with physical, emotional and learning disabilities. She noted that while the riding is therapeutic for the riders it is also good for the horses because it keeps them in shape and calmer around people. Weeks, a parishioner at St. Matthias in Crown Point, has been boarding horses since 1981.

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