Bull riding and fishing derby raises money for special needs children
HURON, Tenn. — Bull riders from across the state came out to raise money for children with special needs Saturday.
Bull riding all to raise money for the Reinbow Riding Academy.
Riders came from across the area for the third annual Bull Riding And Fishing Derby.
Owner Trish Stanfill says it was her husbands way of giving back.
“He set out to fund this program where special needs families would not have to incur the expenses of this therapy,” Stanfill said.
It’s called hippotherapy which means treatment with the help of the horse. A horse’s gait provides sensory and physical stimulation for the patient as they ride.
The academy went from one horse to four children to now six horses and 52 children.
It benefits kids like cooper who is training for the Tennessee Special Olympics and hopes to win a golden medal.
He says it helps him feel like he is in charge.
“I like riding them and controlling them and being their leader,” young rider Stanfill said.
Other parents in the program say they don’t know where they would be without it.
“Oh goodness, I don’t think he would be as far as he has come. He wasn’t given a lot of hope in the beginning and he has just done amazing things,” mother of a young rider, Melissa Blankenship, said.
The program meets every Tuesday at 4 p.m. and they say it’s something to see.
The academy has been helping kids with special needs for 10 years.
