By Anna Grace Moore
Photos by Kelsea Schafer

To know love is to know friendship–a loyalty bonding two souls despite their differences in life. At Special Equestrians, love is communicated through hardly any words at all.

Founded in 1985, Special Equestrians is a 501(c)3 based in Pelham, Alabama. The nonprofit serves to bring joy to people with special needs by nurturing their relationships with horses.

Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, Special Equestrians was founded by Rita Mendel, who after moving from New York to Alabama realized there were no therapeutic riding programs in the state. With just five volunteers, she created Alabama’s first-ever therapeutic riding program at Oak Mountain State Park, borrowing five horses from the park for lessons.

Several physical therapists as well as riding instructors joined, and the program expanded, eventually outgrowing the stables at Oak Mountain. In 1993, Rita moved the program to its permanent location on Indian Springs School’s campus. Over the last 30 years, Special Equestrians has worked with thousands of individuals, actively serving around 80 or more riders.

“Our mission is to help people with cognitive, physical or emotional challenges through a relationship with a horse,” Maddie Pozzo, Special Equestrians’ assistant director, says. “It doesn’t necessarily mean they have to ride the horse. We just feel like being around a horse is beneficial to anyone, not just people with special needs.”

The nonprofit provides not only therapeutic horseback riding, but it also provides horsemanship classes, which are adapted for participants who may not be physically able to mount a horse but would still like to learn and care for the animals.

Often, the Shetland pony-in-residence, Cody, spearheads these courses, and attendees always fall in love with him. His smaller stature and docile demeanor make any participant feel at ease, especially if one relies on a mobility device.

“A lot of our participants who have a physical, cognitive or emotional challenge–they may have siblings or friends that participate in sports or dance, but for them to be able to come and participate in this amazing activity and say, ‘Well, I ride horses,’ is just so neat for them and for us to get to witness as well,” Maddie says.

Those interested in taking riding lessons must first apply online, and after an initial evaluation, participants can sign up for weeks-long group classes or even private lessons, depending on their individual needs. Special Equestrians utilizes skilled volunteers to act as side-walkers and leaders, so participants first learn to ride with three people walking around the horse they’re riding at all times.

This practice allows for students to feel safe and supported. It also helps that all of the horses at Special Equestrians are older, more experienced horses, often donated to the program from owners wanting them to go to a loving, laidback home.

Currently, Special Equestrians has 12 horses ranging from Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, Gypsy Vanners, Shetland ponies and more. Many of these were former race or rodeo horses, and one even served as a mounted patrol horse in a police force.

Based on their skill level, riders are matched with a horse with the appropriate personality and experience. Many of Special Equestrians’ riders have never participated in horseback riding, so to slowly introduce riders to the program, instructors have utilized the MiraColt.

The MiraColt is a stationery saddle that mimics the hip movement of a horse in motion. By first learning to mount and ride this device, riders can receive instruction in a safe, calm environment.

This device also prepares individuals who are more physically challenged for the task of horseback riding. On a horse, the rider has no back support, meaning he has to sit up tall and rely on his core muscles for balance as the horse is moving underneath him.

Especially for riders who use wheelchairs, horseback riding is beneficial because the horse’s hip action is similar to that of a person, enabling the rider’s muscles to move back and forth and from side to side–motion the rider does not experience while sitting in a wheelchair.

While the physical benefits of riding horses are numerous, there are a plethora of emotional benefits, too.

Mary Litton has been bringing her daughter, Lizzy Litton, 40, to Special Equestrians since 2020. In the past five years, Mary says she has seen Lizzy blossom with confidence because the volunteers pour so much love into the riders.

“Because of their encouragement to her and the way they deal with her, it just makes her feel happy,” Mary says. “It’s made her skill level–her confidence in what she’s doing [improve]. It makes her feel proud that she accomplished something.”

Atop Houston, a 31-year-old Thoroughbred and Lizzy’s favorite horse, she just squeals with excitement, trotting around the arena at her own pace. Houston is Special Equestrians’ oldest horse and always goes at “Lizzy’s speed,” which is a little unorthodox but nevertheless exciting for her.

“Lizzy is someone you would see out and about and would never know the incredible things that she can do on a horse. You’d never realize that she can get on a horse, and she rides without side walkers,” Maddie says, later adding, “Lizzy is such a great advocate for individuals with special needs because I think everyone that interacts with Lizzy sees the person she is and that she’s more than just her disability.”

Mary recalls the first time Lizzy was introduced to a horse at Special Equestrians. She was quite timid and shy, yet all it took for her to face her fears was one nuzzle from the horse in a sweet embrace.

“It’s just so cool to see her riding a large animal that I know is so sweet and in sync with her,” Mary says. “The horse understands that he needs to adapt to her.”

Mike Carpri agrees that horses bring out the best in people. His daughter Mia Carpri, 15, was only 5 years old when she began participating in classes at Special Equestrians.

Mia, at the time, was incredibly fearful of all animals. She would not even get near the barn cats that roam the grounds.

Week after week, month after month, she slowly started warming up to the idea of riding a horse. Nearly a year into classes, she went for her first ride, and now 10 years later, she can ride without assistance.

“Her fear of animals diminished, and now, it’s turned into a real passion and a real love for animals,” Mike says. “Her confidence has skyrocketed. She just likes to be here to help out. She makes sure the horses get treats. She wants to be a voice for the horses.”

Funnily enough, riding horses has opened Mia’s eyes to becoming a veterinarian one day. She loves that while animals cannot talk, they say so much through their body language and just want to be understood.

Tess, a 27-year-old Warmblood, spent years as a professional jumper. Now, she is Mia’s favorite horse–dubbed the mistress with the most personality in the barn.

Despite Tess being somewhat sassy, Mia loves to ride her and will calmly work with her to figure out how she is feeling. It’s amazing to Mike that his once shy, little girl is now commanding the attention of an animal 10 times her size.

“She stands up taller when we talk about Special Equestrians,” he says. “She has this glow about her when she’s talking about this place. She’s just happy when she’s here.”

While words often fall short, a horse’s gentle nuzzle or a longing gaze can say more about friendship than words ever could in a lifetime. Because they say a lot in so little, a horse’s love is ever present and is powerful enough to ignite positive change–perhaps even enough for people to look past exteriors and find the potential in each other.

Special Equestrians is located at 1215 Woodward Drive in Pelham. It is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information on therapeutic horseback riding or how to volunteer, visit specialequest.org.