In a large barn surrounded by acres of fields, adults, children and their families have experienced the gift of seeing their loved one with special needs improve emotionally and physically.

Those with special needs can receive therapeutic horseback riding at the Paradise Equestrian Therapy Center located at 18146 E. County Road 750 N. in Charleston.

Carol Galey, the vice president of the board of trustees, said therapeutic horseback riding has significant benefits to the children.

“We have kids with cerebral palsy, for example, who are either in a wheel chair or use walkers to walk,” she said. “As you can imagine, they can’t walk like a normal person. We put them on a horse and a horse emulates a human walking so they get the feel of that.”

The therapy can help people sit up straighter and breathe better, Galey said.

She said the non-physical effects are building up their self-esteem and becoming more communicative.

“There is that wonderful emotional connection with animals,” Galey said.

Depending on their ability, two side walkers can assist the rider and help them stay on the horse, she said.

“We take just about anyone who needs the emotional or physical benefit. As long as they’re strong enough to sit up on a horse, we can help them,” Galey said.

She said they had a teenage boy come for therapy who had to be held up on the horse with a therapy belt.

“With just a few weeks of riding, we didn’t have to hang onto him anymore because the movement was building up his strength,” Galey said.

She said when he first started, he would not communicate or even look at people.

“Within a few weeks, he was looking around, looking at his side walkers and reaching out, touching them,” Galey said. “He just had a huge improvement from the program.”

Billie Melton, an Ashmore resident, said she saw the same improvement with her seven-year-old daughter, Calley.

Calley was diagnosed with selective mutism last year and started going to the center in April.

“Usually she’s very quiet and people are used to her not speaking or talking, so they don’t pay mind to her,” Melton said.

She said she was trying to talk to some other children and they kept ignoring her.

“She turns around and yells at them, ‘I’m trying to tell you something,’” Melton said, smiling. “It was like, ‘guys, quit ignoring her,’ because normally, she won’t speak up for herself.”

Since starting therapeutic horseback riding, she said Calley has had a boost of self-confidence and her balance has gotten better.

“Now I’m having to yell at her to quit climbing on the furniture,” Melton said, laughing in disbelief. “It’s only been four sessions, so I’ve been really excited to see what’s going to happen.”

Galey said even though the ones receiving therapy benefit from the program, the families do as well.

“The parents also get a benefit from seeing their children excel at something,” she said. “Maybe they can’t go out and kick a soccer ball or hit a baseball but they can come here and sit on a horse and improve. The parents, no matter what, no matter the condition, no matter how bad they are, they sit up here and cheer them on and are so proud of them.”

Penny Allen, the executive director for the board of trustees and the certified therapy instructor, said the center was started by a couple in Mattoon.

She said they were going to retire and she was asked if she would be interested in taking over.

“It just kind of snowballed from there,” Allen said. “ I drove like 5,000 miles to get certified she said.

She said they do not directly benefit from hosting free therapy lessons.

“I just like watching the kids,” Allen said. “My husband and I never had kids or anything so it’s like, these are our kids. The parents, watching their faces watching their kids do something they’ve never done before, it’s amazing.”

She said while they give about 10 to 15 lessons a week during the season, they are expanding to have them year round.

They plan to insulate the main building so the children do not lose the progress they gained, Allen said.

Galey said Terry and Penny Allen plan to donate all the land to the center so it can be turned into a community center.

The community center will include tournament-size baseball and softball fields, a track for running, walking and the riders, cabins for families, an archery range and gardens.

“We have a really huge vision in this that we hope to accomplish within about five years,” Galey said.

She said as soon as the ground dries up, they will start working on the large project.

“We’re not sitting around waiting on it,” Galey said. “We’re getting started. We’re very excited about it.”

Melton said she is excited to see what new progress her daughter will make because others have already seen a difference in her.

“It’s just amazing,” Allen said about Calley. “Her little girl is just making leaps and bounds.”

Galey said with a planned-out therapy, she thought she knew to expect.

“(It) blew me away that PET’s not just about the riders or the kids, it’s about the families,” she said. “The parents are so proud, the kids might as well have hit a home run.”

Amanda Wilkinson can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].