2 minute read
BUILDING EMPOWERMENT
By Vicki Martinka Petersen | Photos provided
Layla Basic of Aurora has spent a lot of time in the saddle recently. The 9-year-old recently completed her first year of weekly riding lessons at HorsePower Therapeutic Riding in St. Charles. Layla, who has selective mutism, experiences severe social anxiety and finds it difficult to speak with anyone outside her family.
“Her body tenses up and she shuts down,” says her dad, Daniel Basic. “Layla doesn’t want other people to hear her talk.”
In that amount of time, Basic has seen his youngest daughter develop a wonderful relationship with her instructor, Barb.
“HorsePower puts Layla in an environment where she can let down some of these guards,” Basic says.
“Layla now communicates with her instructor using head nods and gestures. I’m confident she’ll verbally speak with Barb.”
HorsePower provides therapeutic horseback riding lessons to children and adults with disabilities.
Founded in 2012, the nonprofit recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in St. Charles.
Co-founder and program director Carries Capes was inspired to start HorsePower after seeing the growth her son Max, who has special needs, experienced when he started riding horses at age 8.
“When his muscle tone improved from riding, his other skills began to improve,” Capes says. “Max felt empowered and so motivated about his lessons. He was starting to get burned out from traditional therapies.” Capes rode horses as a child when she went on vacations or visited friends who owned horses. “When I’m riding, it’s the one time in life that I stay in the moment and experience peace and comfort,” she says. “I was never a competitive rider. For me, it was always about the relationship with the horse.” It’s those relationships that Capes hopes each of the riders experience during their lessons. Capes says the nonprofit is inclusive to everyone, not just people who can afford lessons. About onethird to two-third of clients pay on a sliding scale. HorsePower is always looking for volunteers and donors. This year Daniel and Layla plan to volunteer and help at Critter Connections — an opportunity for riders to interact with other animals on the farm. As volunteers, they’ll help feed and put away the bunnies and chickens. “As long as it’s just me and Layla, she’ll talk to the horses and bunnies at Critter Connections and engage with the animals,” Basic says. “She loves holding Milo, her favorite bunny.” Visits to HorsePower are by appointment only. Families interested in riding lessons can schedule an intake lesson. There is a short waitlist for some programs, but Capes says they pull people from the list all the time. The public is welcome to stop by visit the farm during a fall fest planned for Aug. 28. The event will feature food trucks, music and an opportunity to interact with the animals. “It’s about more than riding a horse; it’s providing riders with an expanded view of self,” Capes explains. “The lessons they learn with horses and animals can be applied in other aspects of their life.”
VISIT WWW.HORSEPOWERTR.COM TO LEARN MORE, MAKE A DONATION OR SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.
