Kat-Kat
Today I was honored to witness something amazing. Anna (not her real name) is a 7-year-old girl who is autistic and mostly non-verbal. She has been working with Ruth and the staff at Equine Spirit Sanctuary for a couple of years now. Today she was riding Kat, our star program horse, on what was to be Anna’s last session of the season. Then something remarkable happened. Anna was able to finally ride with her side-walkers only loosely holding on to her safety harness and eventually at times letting go completely. Of course, this was done very carefully and they still were very much close enough to hang on if she lost balance. It was apparent that Anna was thoroughly enjoying her time on Kat. She would hold up her arms and move them about in a sort of “victory” position, making subtle verbalizations. At one point she even reached down to stroke Kat’s neck. It was obvious to me that a whole spirit was very much alive in this little girl, despite the limitations of her little body and language. Perhaps this seems like only a small victory, but it was huge. The joy emanating from Anna was unmistakable. A powerful shift had occurred.