RIDING INTO EDUCATION Equine-facilitated Learning—It’s Not a Pony Ride Story by Barbara W. Russell | Photos by Tonya Perry
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hen founder of Faith Equestrian Therapeutic Center, Bonnie Rachael, was a teenager, she had no idea that through her love for horses, her life would be used to help others, but seeds for service were planted in her at an early age. “I was just a wayward child who loved horses,” she said, and that love led her to Wicklow Stables in Savannah, where two women who cared for her would give her life direction. “Mary Heard and Barbara Lingle were great ladies who taught me about responsibility,” said Rachael. “They said if I cleaned stalls that I could ride, and that was all I needed to hear. They told me if I wanted to buy a horse that I needed to get a job. I got a job at Burger King and bought an untrained horse and boarded him at Wicklow, and they taught me how to train him. That was the seed that was planted about responsibilities.” As a young adult Rachael began her life of service to others, and she became a police officer—a mounted police officer, of course! While she and her police horse, Buster, protected Savannah’s streets
another of her dreams came true—in 1992 she acquired five acres in Effingham County and she now had two horses. “God had a vision for my five acres,” said Rachael. “While I was still a police officer I read an article about a therapeutic center and I thought that was something I could do. I learned about PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship), and I got their book about how to get started, and that’s how it all began,” she said. “I wanted to do things professionally, and the book taught me the things I needed to know.” She and Buster retired from the police force, and she began her serious quest to build a therapeutic riding center. “In 2006 I had a small barn, three horses and two students. My first student was Daniele Collins; she had spinal bifida and had no feeling from the waist down. My second student was Michael Holton who has Downs Syndrome, and he continues to ride with me today. People volunteered to help, and an Eagle Scout, Alex Partain, built a work station for my barn. Another Eagle Scout built the original office building,” she said. “I always
“God had a vision for my five acres.”
22 February/March 2020 | www.EFFINGHAMMAGAZINE.com
