24 Marian Helper • Summer 2022 • Marian.org Equine Dreams The art of therapeutic horse riding By Fr. Andy Davy, MIC “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” — Sir Winston Churchill God is full of surprises! Four years ago, I was mysteriously catapulted into another kind of world. A world of mercy and love, but not in the ways one would expect. This world had a Narnian flavor to it, in which man and beast joined together in a hymn of praise; a hymn that was itself filled with the healing rays of Christ. The world I speak of is the loving community of Equine Dreams, Illinois. And the hymn sung is the art of therapeutic horse riding. Equine Dreams was founded in 1996 by one of my parishioners, Sharon Mason. She was seeking a way to help her son, Andrew, find critical therapy for his condition, Angelman’s syndrome. As a result, her family was brought close together around these horses that were helping her child physically to walk, as well as aiding Andrew’s emotional and cognitive health. One family’s powerful experience soon became the experience of a multitude of families, seeking hope and healing for their children. Today, Equine Dreams is a not-for-profit organization that serves a multitude in the greater Chicago area, and is one of the only therapeutic riding centers that does not charge its clients, but is able to take whomever they are able to truly serve. Palpable faith What I have found particularly inspiring in being part of this Equine Dreams team is seeing how our Catholic faith is so palpable here. It is present explicitly in the celebration of Masses at the Equine Dreams’ Mary garden, and in the various devotional prayers we will pray with people. But it is
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