Living Well | Mind, Body, Spirit
reins to steer the horse, and we will soon add obstacles to steer around and add the two-point stance.” I held my breath for those first few weeks, but I began to see the change in Will: the subtle shift in his body language, his improved posture while sitting the horse, the way he began to attend for longer periods of time, the sharpened focus… and, of course, the smile. In Will’s sessions, one volunteer leads the horse, while a “sidewalker” is on either side. They engage Will in various activities while he is on horseback – throwing and catching a ball, putting the ball in a basket, taking a set of rings from one side and giving them to the person on the opposite side – all activities that focus him, that let him connect, both to the horse and to other people. The Sky’s the Limit is completely volunteer-run. Ray Rhoades has been volunteering on Saturday mornings and working with Will for five years. “I get more than they do out of it,” he says of the riders with whom he works. “You learn to open your heart and they sense that, and they will open their heart to you. It’s hard to describe… there’s an energy there, an appreciation there.” An appreciation, indeed. I can speak only for my own family, but over the last six years I have observed other riders at The Sky’s the Limit. The program touches many Oklahoma families. It has always been free of charge to all interested riders, at all functioning levels, with major financial support from Oklahoma Elks Major Projects and the Remington Park Golf Classic for several years. But difficult economic times have hit the nonprofit world hard. The organization owns three horses, and the cost for stabling them, for feed and tack, has not decreased. There is a possibility that the program may need to begin charging for sessions, simply to meet its expenses. But The Sky’s the Limit is nothing if not optimistic. “We’d like to grow, to do this five days a week,” says board member Jim Roberts. “We’d like to serve 100 riders a week instead of 10 or 15. When you bring someone with their various challenges and you watch them over a period of time and see the improvement, or seeing kids come who are non-verbal… they get on the horse and they begin to feel different. Their body feels different, but the biggest thing is the mind. It’s an experience like no other, and they become empowered.” 108
slice | november 2010
Before mounting: volunteer Ray Rhoades with Will
Roberts says the organization is in need of financial support, of additional volunteers and active individuals who are willing to serve on its board. While keeping one eye on Cross – who is also his wife – and other volunteers working with a rider, he turns to my son and puts a hand on his shoulder. “If this program does nothing else but give this young man something to look forward to every week,” he says, “then we’ve accomplished something very great.” On any given Saturday morning, Will begins to smile as soon as we exit I-35 on Waterloo Road. He knows where we are going. He knows how he feels when he is connected to the horse, and he knows that the friends he will see at The Sky’s the Limit are happy to see him. This is a place where he – and many others – are accepted for who they are, and given opportunities to grow and to be something more than just a diagnosis. While he may never go to college, or live independently, or even say, “I love you too, Dad,” at The Sky’s the Limit I have seen what Will can do and what he can be. It has taken him beyond his limitations, and that is one of the greatest gifts my family will ever receive.
For information on The Sky’s the Limit’s riding sessions, to volunteer or financially support the organization, contact Rhonda Cross at 250.0406.