Picture #3 Open Gate Farms

This child attends a therapy program in Alabama called Open Gate that started with the love of  horses and children. Open Gate works with children ages 2-18. Associating with the horses takes away the stress a child might have due to their disability or sickness. Riding a horse increases a child's ability to balance, communicate, and have better hand-eye coordination. A typical day for a child that comes to the Farm starts off with being welcomed by everyone in the barn including staff, horses, and the 'barn critters'. Afterward, they are matched up with a horse that will be their friend for the day. Then they learn all about their horse and how to take care of it by brushing, feeding, and cleaning it. They also learn about the safety. When all that is taken care of; the child gets to ride their horse. When they are riding, the lesson might be stretching, maneuvering the horse around cones, poles, or barrels, and games. The volunteers try to make it fun so each time the child comes they do something different.
 "Open Gate." Open Gate Farms. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://www.opengait.org/OpenGait_Program.htm>.