When Grayson Riley, 7, comes to Journey of Hope for Autism to take his horseback riding lesson, he is excited and focused. That’s something his mother, Rebecca Riley, doesn’t see very often.
Grayson has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
“The minute he gets out of the car, he feels a sense of freedom that he doesn’t feel anywhere else,” Rebecca said. “It’s OK for him to run around and catch a chicken, run with the dog or slow down and pet the bunnies. All of the energy that he has pent up is released in a safe environment,” she said.
Grayson is particularly fond of the horse he rides, Dakota. They seem to talk in the same language and understand each other. There is a camaraderie that is evident as soon as Grayson strokes Dakota’s forehead. When it’s time to ride, Grayson puts his riding helmet on, and he becomes a commando on a mission.
His riding instructor, Victoria Bryant, understands Grayson’s focus issues. She has a grandson on the autism spectrum and many years of experience working with children with emotional and developmental disabilities. She knows that Grayson, like others, is obsessed with the video game Minecraft, and understands the concept of scoring to reach the game’s next level. So her instructions are similar to the game.
“OK, Grayson, this is what you have to do to reach the next level. Ride a circle around all four cones (set up in the riding ring), then you can trot,” she calls out. With those instructions, his mission begins. He stays focused until he reaches his goal, and always leaves with a sense of accomplishment.
“These lessons make him feel good about himself,” Rebecca said. “He has a smile on his face again, and that is something we hadn’t seen in a long time.” He is also more apt to try new things when he is riding and not so resistant to taking instruction.
Grayson used to take swimming lessons and competed on a swim team. He started at age 5, his dad, Corey Riley, said. Grayson was a very good swimmer, but after a while, he began to dread the practice sessions. It became a battle to get him to the pool.
Now, he looks forward to coming to the barn every week. There is never a struggle to get him there. Grayson has set goals for himself in riding just like he has in Minecraft. He wants to learn to jump over fences on horseback and compete at horse shows. “When he leaves the barn, he is tired,” Corey said. “And we don’t see that with any other activity.”
Grayson makes friends easily at Journey of Hope. Sometimes he takes a group lesson with Jordyn Harris, 9. She and her sister, Jadyn, 6, are home schooled by their mom, Jamie Harris. Jamie heard about Journey of Hope from a friend who saw a positive change in her child when she started taking lessons.
Jordyn was having difficulty at school with behavior problems, including tantrums, trouble focusing, anxiety and depression. So Jamie decided to home school her to see if the change in the learning environment would help. There were still challenges, but the real change came when she started coming to the barn.
“She’s a real ‘girly girl,’” Jamie said of Jordyn. “I didn’t know how she would react to the animals and the barnyard atmosphere, but now she jumps in mud puddles just like the rest of them.”
Jamie enrolled her girls in a homeschool horse camp at Journey of Hope, where they learned how to take care of the horses. They brushed them, cleaned their hooves and cleaned stalls.
Jordyn became calmer when she was around the horses. She became more confident in herself too. Like Grayson, Jordyn began setting goals. She wants to start trotting more, but has learned that she has to stay focused to stay in control. When she is focused, the horse stays focused. When she loses focus, the horse begins to wander around the ring without a destination.
“Jadyn, on the other hand, is my ‘rough and tumble girl,’” Jamie said. “She loves everything about the barn and shows no hesitation about going after a chicken or jumping in mud puddles.” She’s more daring by far, but getting on a bigger horse became her challenge.
“I was so afraid I would fall off and get hurt,” Jadyn said about her new mount, Jubilee, but once she learned that giving Jubilee the right commands would keep her safely in control, she relaxed and gained her confidence. She thinks about horses often now and may fall asleep at night with a horse book by her side.
Jamie said that their trips to the barn are helping Jadyn with home school too. The girls are learning about the care and behavior of animals, how to read a calendar to know when their next lesson is, and time management. Jamie finds that the scheduled lessons are a good incentive for cleaning their room and doing other household chores.
Jamie, also a foster parent, has found that the animals and barnyard activities at Journey of Hope have been helpful to her foster children.
“I’ve seen it play a big role in decreasing anxiety for them,” she said. It has really helped with the transition moving from one household to another. “I’m an industrial engineer, and everything I do has always been very structured,” she said. “Being at the barn where the girls are allowed to run around and play has helped me lighten up.”
Rebecca and Jamie enjoy seeing the interaction among their children and the other students at the barn. They all become friends. They don’t feel like they are different from everyone else as they often do in other social situations. Even the parents have become friends. They feel comfortable discussing challenges and sharing resources. They have also scheduled birthday parties at the stable.
“It was such a big improvement. I felt like I had to share what I learned with other families going through the same struggles,” she said.
Bryant, executive director
“Our financial support comes from lessons, birthday parties, fundraisers, donors, and we have received a few small grants in the past.” Sometimes families come to
“There is such a need here, but it is a struggle to make ends meet,” she said.
Visitation is by appointment only. For more information, call (804) 833-8550 or email [email protected].
