| I Saw A Child
Therapeutic Horseback
Riding dates back to ancient Greece, where it was used to help the recovery
of wounded warriors. The following poem perhaps gives the greatest example
of what Therapeutic Horseback Riding is all about. This poem is familiar
to thousands of volunteers who donate their time at Therapeutic Riding
Centers across the United States and Canada.
I
Saw A Child
I
saw a child who couldn't walk,
sit on a horse, laugh and talk
Then ride it through a field of daisies
and yet he could not walk unaided.
I
saw a child, no legs below,
sit on a horse and make it go
through the woods of green
and places he had never been
to sit and stare,
except from a chair.
I
saw a child who could only crawl,
mount a horse and sit up tall.
Put it through degrees of paces
and laugh at the wonder in our faces.
I
saw a child born into strife,
take up and hold the reins of life,
and that same child was heard to say...
Thank God for showing me the way.
-John Anthony Davies
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