by M.T. Decker Horses with Hearts began as a simple dream – helping one horse lover get back on a horse after life-saving cancer surgery left her blind and robbed her of her motor skills. The horse lover in question was Lindsey Connelly, a young girl who refused to give up on her dream. When she met Lindsey in 1999, Kay Barkwill was touched by her love of horses and her determination to ride again; Kay became just as determined to get Lindsey back on a horse. She teamed up with Cathy Dodson, a thoroughbred riding instructor.  Together, they began researching what they would need to make Lindsey’s dream come true. Even though Lindsey’s family moved away, Kay and Cathy continued working towards the goal of getting her back on a horse. Unfortunately, Lindsey passed away before they could give her her miracle. But, they found a way to keep Lindsey’s dream alive by sharing it with others. This dream became Horses with Hearts, a not-for-profit center that provides equine activities for individuals with special needs. “It transforms the lives of everyone it touches,” Kay explains.  “And the changes are profound.” In many cases, the parents of a special needs child are told what their child will never be able to do.  Horses with Hearts takes that list and helps people with special needs, find another way. “Because a horse’s stride is close to a human stride, it engages the rider’s core,” Kay explains. For children who have to wear braces to stand, they have no real way to exercise. By engaging their core, horseback riding gives them the strength they need to walk. “I’ve seen children who were told they would never walk, learn to walk after riding…” And the changes don’t just stop there.  The volunteers at Horses with Hearts are reminded just how blessed they are. They are witnesses to, and part of, changing lives. When you can come out and work with the horses, it changes your life. When you’re disabled, and the world becomes a list of “you can’t,” working with a horse brings something normal and beautiful into your life. When you volunteer, you become a part of this miracle, and you get to witness the profound changes people experience. “We work with one rider at a time, and each rider has a horse that they ride,” Kay explains. Working with the horses also builds confidence and has broken through some barriers where nothing else worked. “We had one young man, he was on the autistic spectrum and non-verbal,” Kay explains.  “When his family moved, his mother told him that summer would be his last time at Horses with Hearts.” She paused, and you could hear the smile in her voice.  “He said, ‘I want horse.’” If you have ever worked with a non-verbal person, you know: this is huge. Research has shown that time on a horse can be calming and relaxing for people with ADHD and/or on the Autism Spectrum. “During a field trip six or seven years ago,” Kay continues.  “We had one of the aids point out one of the students, telling them ‘you’ll never get him on a horse.’  Well, after everyone else had been on a horse, we gave him an option and we let him sit on a horse.  Until that moment he was always looking down.  On the horse, he began looking up.” Smiling she finished the story; it seems that a few weeks later, she found out that it was the first day that particular student didn’t have to be sent home for being combative. They have worked with individuals with Autism, ADHD, amputees,...