Tamyra (16) started riding with the Kent Association of Riding Therapy (KART) when she was a young student at Garnett Elementary School. Now at Kent County High School she has become a good rider, taking lessons whenever she can. Representing KART at several Special Olympic events she earned many ribbons and gold medals. She no longer rides with KART, but for several summers she has volunteered for KART, helping with the grooming and getting the horses ready for the day leading a horse during class sessions. The concentration required to control a horse has definitely carried over into the classroom and the interaction with the other volunteers has been good for her self-esteem.

Danny (11) has been riding with KART since he was two years old. Danny has cerebral palsy and is blind. The doctor’s told his mother that Danny would never hold up his head, much less sit up or walk. Today Danny is able to walk. He rides a horse and balances himself, unassisted, while following instructions given to him by riding instructor, Marco Belperio.  Danny's mother credits Danny's amazing progress to the Special Education teachers at the Kent County schools, regular physical, occupational, speech and vision therapy and his weekly riding sessions with KART.   It takes a special horse to be a therapeutic riding horse. Frequently described as “bomb proof” our horses must stay calm no matter what happens in the ring. KART horses are generally older, although we do currently have a couple of young, exceptionally gentle horses. So, please meet our special KART horses . . .

KART's Horses

Micah
Micah is a 5 year old year old Haflinger that has been in our program for a year. Although young, he is very quiet and easy going, traits for which Haflingers are known. Micah is very strong and sturdy and can carry a lot of weight, and he is short enough that side-walkers can easily assist a rider in need of support. Micah is a smart horse who loves to be around people and is a happy worker.

Jet
Jet is a ten year old quarter horse who was donated to KART when his former owner went to college. He is a smart, responsive horse and is a pleasure for our volunteers to handle. Our independent riders do well when riding Jet because he is alert to his rider’s directions.

Dusty
Dusty is a 20 year old chestnut quarter horse, a little under 16 hands. He is very gentle, and our groomers say he is aptly named, as he is always seems to be the dustiest of the horses. Dusty is steady and reliable.

Cash
Cash is a palomino quarter horse, also in his 20’s. We half-lease Cash from his wonderful owners. This is a great arrangement for KART and for Cash’s owners. We all love Cash. Although scarred from an accident before he came to KART, all our volunteers consider Cash beautiful. He’s a favorite of many volunteers because he is so docile.

Sherman
Sherman is a 5-year-old Percheron Cross, 15.3 ½ hands tall and dark bay . Smart as a whip and as gentle as he is big, Sherman can carry some of the heavier adult riders we have in the summer as well as the school children. Sherman’s owner is a volunteer whose generosity exceeds the imagination, since she loans Sherman to us when he is not fox hunting or driving, saving KART the expense of an additional horse.

Click on a thumbnail to enlarge. Just imagine the wonderful stories behind these images!