Meet John!

“John has been riding at Hope Horses since the Spring of 2023. He has been diagnosed with Autism and is non-verbal. John’s biggest needs are communication skills, the ability to relate to others, balance, and physical development usage for activities such as hiking. We have seen the impact Hope has made on John in many different aspects of his life. John enjoys being around the horses which impacts the care of his dogs at home. John looks forward to his instructor’s activities. Through Hope Horses, John is encouraged. He is developing physically in his core and balance, he is showing recognition of colors, and improving in following directions! He loves his aids and teachers and their encouragement! John has been impacting his family and others through his speaking device!” -John's dad

Impact from the saddle!

“John comes into the barn each week ready and excited for his lesson! His lesson starts by grooming his horse Gray which he loves! He likes to go up to the other horses in the barn and pet them before we get started. We are currently working on identifying each brush properly and using them in the correct order. He loves to give Gray lots of pets during his time grooming!

Then, we mount our horse and start our warm up laps. He used to get very nervous mounting his horse but he has gained so much confidence in the few short sessions I have taught him! His balance on the horse has improved tremendously since his first lesson. Once we have done a couple warm up laps, we start working on walk/halt transitions (using his reins and feet to ask his horse to stop and move forward) and direct rein (using his reins as a form of communication to steer Gray through the arena). He does a great job of holding his reins! Two sidewalkers on either side of him will help pull his reins back when it is time to stop/turn. Our goal is for him to pull his reins back to his pockets with out assistance from his sidewalkers. He is progressing very well and his sidewalkers are able to offer less assistance! We incorporate walk/halt transitions and direct rein into an obstacle course he has to navigate through and into the games we play during his lesson so he is constantly working on those skills. He really enjoys playing the games and has a smile on his face the whole time! I can’t wait to see what all John and Gray accomplish together in the future!”- Allison Curl- John’s instructor