Testimonials | Beyond Limits

Micaela Acree

Beyond Limits — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 13:44:01 +0000

March 3, 2017

To whom this may concern:

It is with great pleasure that I write a testimonial and letter of support for Beyond Limits Therapeutic Riding. My 12 year-old daughter, Micaela, has been in this therapeutic riding school for three years and has been under the instruction of Kristen Moreland, who is certainly one of the best teachers in her field, having incredible aptitude for working with special needs children.

My lovely little girl, Micaela, has high-functioning autism, and at the time that she began her training in April 2014, she was a relatively shy young lady with little physical activity in her life and suboptimal coordination. At this time, I am proud and pleased to share that therapeutic riding has transformed her…

Micaela has demonstrated great improvement in her social skills most notably. Those who knew her at the outset are mesmerized by her transformation! She has a greater sense of self-confidence and is more comfortable conversing with new people. She talks about her love of horses and proudly shares of her riding accomplishments. Caring for the horses, which is a central component of the program, has also been an opportunity for nurturing and growth.

Among her accomplishments, Micaela participated in the Georgia Special Olympics three years in success ion, completing four 1st place and one 3rd place finishes in 2016. Furthermore, just one week later, she was able to compete in a regular, non special education riding show, including neurotypical children, and still finished with two first place and one third place finish among her three events.

Micaela has certainly become an accomplished rider! And in such a relatively short time!
Moreover, her physical stamina and coordination have also improved tremendously as a result of both riding and caring for her horse. Therapeutic riding is a particularly excellent physical activity for children who lack the coordination and quickness of pace to compete in most team sports.

In short, therapeutic riding has been the best source of physical and social skills therapy that my child on the autism spectrum could have ever experienced. Moreover, the people and program at Beyond Limits have been a perfect match for our family. We have been blessed and feel deeply indebted to the program. With all sincerity, if you are looking for a place to make a donation that will go directly to a program that changes peoples lives, look no firther than Beyond Limits Therapeutic Riding. It is a great cause with a great need.

Sara Acree, MD

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Maya Adams

Beyond Limits — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 15:35:30 +0000

Riding has helped me a lot with my balance and my communication with the animal and my awareness issues.

My favorite part about riding is cantering. I like playing with all the horses. My favorite horse is Baloo. I love my riding instructor, Kristen, she is a really good at making you laugh. I see her not as an instructor, but as my family.

I have made a lot of good friends. At summer camp, I made a cool friend that had the same ideas that I did, which was having our own horse and training. Sarah is my loyal friend, we teach each other how to do things.

The best part about Special Olympics is getting all dressed up and doing my best for the judges.

Please join us.

Maya Adams
Beyond Limits Rider

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Tony Jones

Beyond Limits — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 15:34:43 +0000

It is with great pleasure I write to you about my nephew Anthony Jones, and his awesome experiences in Therapeutic Riding, and in life. Tony, born into the socially awkward and confusing world of Autism, is now a 24-year-old high school graduate, gold medal Olympian, and working citizen. I am honored and humbled to have custody of him, and get to enjoy life with him; even with all the ups and downs raising an autistic person comes with.

Tony has had a passion for riding since his first lesson with Kristen Moreland, his PATH Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor, almost 8 years ago. Throughout those years he has flourished in the saddle, and in life. Riding has taught him responsibility, given him a sport he can succeed in and continue to progress with, and of course his favorite part, the opportunity to compete! The Special Olympic Horse Show is the highlight of the year for Tony, as soon as it is over, he is already planning his success for the following year! He has competed in the show for the past 7 years with Kristen as his coach, but this year has been his most successful. He brought home 4 gold medals out of the 5 classes he competed in and he was entered in the highest level offered which requires independent riding at the walk, trot and canter. I have never seen him as excited as he was that entire weekend.

When Kristen left her position in 2013 to help kick start Beyond Limits Therapeutic Riding we knew we had a new home too. She has done such a great job instructing and molding him in to the young man he is today, we would follow her anywhere. Beyond Limits has given him more opportunity to grow in his riding, with high quality horses and a wonderful team of volunteers, he has thrived in the past two years more than ever before. He independently gets his horse from the paddock, tacks it up by putting the saddle on himself, and mounts unassisted as well. Being able to be independent at the barn has given him the confidence to be independent at home, at work, and in other environments too. It has also helped us to see the potential in him and push him to new levels at home. Sometimes even caretakers like me get tired of the battle, and put limits on what we believe can be achieved in the lives of the ones we love. But with every new success at the barn we get revived, we grow in strength and hope, and are reminded that limits do not exist, but only in our minds.

The team at Beyond Limits has given us as a family so much more than just riding lessons. My daughter helps volunteer there as well, and got to be Tony’s Unified Partner at the Special Olympics this year. Together, they won the gold medal for Unified Drill, but more importantly it has given her a little insight into his world. They get along better at home after that experience, and have a better understanding of each other. That opportunity to learn together would not have been possible, and my home would not be as peaceful, without the efforts of the staff and volunteers at Beyond Limits. I can’t thank them enough for the positive impact they have had on my entire family, and I know there are many more families just like mine with similar stories, and even more families that are in need of this experience!

Sincerely,
Mary Callahan

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Max Webb

Beyond Limits — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 15:33:09 +0000

My name is Stacey Webb and I have a 15-year-old son who is both Autistic and Epileptic. Max has struggled with many issues but the main one had been his speech, he is mostly selectively mute having a very difficult time know what to say and how to say it.

Max also has seizures and sometimes will acts out in anger, mostly against me. Max has been and is now a very loving boy, but with the onset of puberty things have changed a bit.

His father couldn’t deal with having a special needs son, his words not mine. So, he left us in 2008 and moved out of the country to Canada. That means I am both mother and father to Max and I can tell you it’s harder than you can fathom.

About a year ago, we heard about Beyond Limits and having grown up with horses, I wanted Max to have a chance to fall in love with them also. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for Beyond Limits. We were accepted right away to summer camp and it didn’t matter what Max’s disability was, Kristen loved him right away. She is such a gift.

Max’s first day of riding didn’t go well, he was scared and Mom was nervous for him, but Mrs. Kristen took over and she had him riding immediately. Summer camp went well but then came the weekly lessons. My heart is so full in telling you this, but as we had each week’s lesson, Max began to want to ride and to ask me to ride. Now, take a minute to let that sink in…he ASKED me to go riding. Not in a full sentence but he said, “ride JD”. Can you understand what it means to a mother to hear her son say even one word when he has always struggled with it? At each lesson every week, Max would say new things, sometimes so softly you couldn’t be sure he said it. Once, I remember he shouted, “Mrs. Kristen, I’m tired, I don’t want to do this anymore” and she replied to him,” Max that was great talking and thank you for telling me that but we have to finish what we started”.

Before my very eyes, Max was changing, he was talking more and not gibberish, he was making sentences. NEVER have we found any program that has been successful at that. Also, I have to tell you that the meltdowns have been a lot less, and that is truly one of the best side effects of this riding program. As part of the program the kids have to tack up the horses and then after the ride, they brush the horses. This is a boy that was terrified to be near the horse and now he is brushing him and even trying to clean his hoofs. Responsibility!!! I love it. And of course we have to thank our horses for letting us ride them, so Max gives JD a treat…Max does it alone, to a very large animal he was scared of.

As you can tell, I’m such a proud mother and I feel so blessed to have found Beyond Limits. I hope that we can continue with his lessons, and there’s no telling where this could take my son.

Sincerely,
Stacey Webb

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Joseph Knox Williams

Beyond Limits — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 15:28:19 +0000

Our son Joseph Knox Williams is 31 years old. He has been special needs since birth due to Cerebral Palsy. He began therapeutic horseback riding when he was ten and during the next several years he had riding lessons and competed in Special Olympics. Because of his physical disabilities he was unable to ride unless he had at least three people assisting him, one on each side of his saddle and one to guide the horse. He improved some during these years, but at no time was he able to ride by himself.

The stables where he rode closed and for several years he did not ride. In 2014 he began taking riding lessons again, this time at “Beyond Limits Therapeutic Riding”, with Kristen Moreland. He started out the same as he had before with at least three people to assist. He started gradually improving to the point where he no longer needed one person on each side of the saddle and could manage with just one to help stabilize him and another to guide and direct the horse.

Gradually over time, we could tell a difference in his riding. He had never been afraid of horses, but his confidence always seemed to be lacking. He slowly gained more confidence as well as physical strength in his legs and hips. He was able to control the horse better and needed less “hands on” attention.

He rode this way through the first year and competed in the Special Olympics in Gainesville in 2014 with a great deal of success. After the Olympics he continued taking lessons. For the first time ever his mom and I were able to watch him ride unassisted and without guidance. He slowly began trotting unassisted as well and we could see a big increase in his confidence and his balance and strength. In addition to his riding, he has learned about care and maintenance for the horse; saddling, grooming and washing the horse along with storage of the equipment.
His mother and I would like to see him continue riding each week because of the improvements in his personality, confidence and skills. More importantly, Joseph wants to continue riding lessons, in fact he considers it a part of his weekly routine. He enjoys it and looks forward to it and sometimes can’t even understand why we have to cancel due to the weather at times. He has exceeded our expectations. We never thought we would see our son ride and trot unassisted, but thanks to “Beyond Limits” and the work of Mrs. Kristen and her assistants, that goal has been accomplished.

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