‘Freedom Ride’ stirs up dust

Nine riders braved cool temperatures Saturday to take part in this year’s “Freedom Ride,” a fundraiser for the Northern Therapeutic Riding Association (NORTRA).
“Without the ‘Freedom Ride,’ I would have to charge $35-$40 per child at least,” noted Joyce Young, owner of the Trail’s End Riding Stables north of Devlin where NORTRA is run.
“With the ride, I can give it to them for $15 or nothing if they don’t have it,” she added.
The amount raised this year by riders who rounded up pledges was quite a bit lower than in previous years at $1,559 but it will help alleviate costs of the program by paying for the horses’ feed.
“It was better the other years because there weren’t as many people this year,” noted rider Jessica Shoemaker. “But we actually did pretty good because there was only nine riders who collected money.”
“It was fun, I had fun,” added Kirsten Shoemaker.
The NORTRA program is run to help the mentally and physically disabled develop confidence and strength by horseback riding.
“On bareback, if you put your arms out and close your eyes and say what muscles are moving, [the horse] puts one leg forward and your leg goes forward, they put the other leg forward and it’s your other leg moving,” explained Young, who takes rides on her own to get away from the bustle of running the stables.
“It does wonders for your muscles,” she added.
The riders ranged in age from pre-teens to 71, with Mandy Lahti raising the highest amount with $240. All were rewarded with prizes donated by area businesses for their fundraising.
In total, there are 33 horses at the Trail’s End Riding Stables, with 11 designated as NORTRA animals. Some others are younger horses in training.
“You have to have new ones coming up because some of them are over 21 years old,” said Young. “Horses have to pay for themselves around here.”
This year, NORTRA was going to have an arena built to allow clients to ride on rainy days and during the off-season. But the strike by Association of Community Living employees has meant the 31 special needs clients have not been able to visit the stables.