Photos by Joan Shockley
Abrspecial project was recently underway at Ride With Pride. The newly formedbrYoung Men’s Service League (YMSL) Lakes and Keller chapters presented theirbrfirst “Ultimate Gift” to Amy’s Wish With Wings, a Spirithorse therapeutic centerbrthat operates out of the Southlake horsemanship school.
YMSL, a mother/sonbrservice organization, challenges its members to give back to their communitiesbrthrough an “Ultimate Gift.” The goal is to have a transformational impact orbrcreate a profound and radical change.
“Thebrfirst time the YMSL mothers and sons came into Amy's Wish With Wings, we knew webrwanted to present a sensory trail to this wonderful organization as an UltimatebrGift,” says Joan Shockley, YMSL Lakes mom and one of the event organizers.
As partbrof a recent land swap that enabled the Highland Oaks subdivision to be built,brRide With Pride owner, Doreen Bruton, traded her existing horse lot for abrcomparably sized lot.
However,brthe new lot was not as developed as a riding trail and was full of rocks andbrbroken glass. After using the area for a sensory trail for special-needsbrriders, several of the horses sustained injuries such as stone bruises and hoofbrabscesses. As a result, they couldn't be ridden and many lessons had to bebrcancelled.
YMSLbrmothers and sons—85 from Lakes and 45 from Keller—stepped in to help. The groupbrcompleted the trail construction in just two days using 10 dump trucks full ofbrvolleyball sand (a whopping 150 tons in total), 1,000 linear feet of Geotechbrsoil liner, two tractor loaders and countess wheelbarrows, shovels and rakes.
The finishedbrtrail, which is used by special-needs riders as part of equine-assistedbrhealthcare called Spirithorse therapy, includes 26 alphabet stations, 12 numberbrstations and one massive ride-through dragon, which was designed by the boysbrand constructed from three old tractor tires, two wooden stair stringers, a fewbrrandom tree stumps and lots of dark green paint.
“It madebra fitting gift in a town full of Dragons,” says Shockley.
Bruton,browner of Ride With Pride, is grateful for the new trail. “The new footing wasbrneeded so that the hard-working therapy horses and ponies can continue theirbrjob safely without picking up rocks and other objects in their hooves,” shebrsays. “The new trail also allows the volunteers to easily maneuver whilebrwalking beside the riders. Additionally, it provides a wide range of new experiences forbrour riders with disabilities. The trail will be enjoyed for many years to come.”
Shockleybrsays the project was a labor of love. “Just knowing that the new trail wouldbrallow for the participation of so many more special-needs students made it allbrworthwhile,” she says. “And as an added bonus (and the very best part of beingbra YMSL member), the mothers get to watch the impact that this kind of work hasbron their teenage sons. The boys who are helping the students get just as muchbrout of the experience as the riders.”
YMSLbrLakes and Keller chapters invite the community to a trail dedication at RidebrWith Pride on October 26 from 6 to 7 p.m.
Want tobrfind out how to get involved with Ride With Pride? Contribute to the GoFundMe campaign or meet some of the families onbrNovember 8 starting at 3 p.m. at Feestore BBQ. Additionally, volunteer trainingbris November 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Ride With Pride.
Visit AmysWishWithWings.com for more information, and visit YMSLKeller.org and YMSLLakes.org to learn more about membership in these local YMSL chapters.
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