From the Executive Director
Celebrating 25 Years

For the past 25 Years thousands of children and adults with special needs in the Spartanburg area have had the opportunity to experience the thrill and benefits of riding a horse by participating in our therapeutic riding program. It began with a simple idea and a few riders, and now has grown to serving over eighty-five riders a week.

In 1986, Lallage Warrington began sharing her dream of providing a horseback riding program for children and adults with special needs to other horse enthusiasts. She quickly found Ellen Hines Smith, a local attorney who agreed to help. Then she found Flo Erickson, a physical education teacher at Charles Lea Center and Christy Fister, a physical education teacher at South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind (SCSDB) and specially trained therapeutic riding instructor. Soon Carol Feitel and other Board members were added. In 1987 nonprofit status was received from the IRS and Handicapped Athletes Learning To Enjoy Riding was officially started.

For the first few years, the riding program was held in Campobello on Saturday mornings at the farm of Ms. Warrington. The success of the program brought new challenges. Mrs. Fister wanted the students from SCSDB to benefit from the new program, but it was too far away for them to be transported by bus every week. So the program found a new home at the farm of Shirley George, a few miles from the school. The program quickly doubled in size with the move and added programs on Friday and Saturday mornings. After about twelve years at her farm, Mrs. George, whose health was beginning to fail, suggested that we begin looking for a new home. The search was on. We considered several options and finally settled on the property at SCSDB. After many discussions, a contract was worked out with the state and we received a long term lease for the twenty-two acres we currently are on. We raised the money to clear the land, put up fences and built the current arena. On June 6, 2006, HALTER officially moved to its new home.

Through the years, the organization has had its ups and downs. The Board of Directors and leadership have changed several times, but we have gotten stronger each year. HALTER has been blessed with wonderful leadership and volunteers. One such person was Tom Adams. He began as a side walker and then was asked to move to the Board. He had a wonderful vision for the program and a willingness to work and make it happen. He was elected Chairman and led the search for the new home and helped work out the details for the contract. He spoke at the Grand Opening and was pleased with the progress made. Soon after, on Labor Day, tragedy hit. Tom had a fatal heart attack. A few months later, the Board voted to name the new arena in his honor.

One rider has been with us the whole time; John Scurry was one of the first and continues to love riding today. His mother, Binky Tindall, has been involved in many different ways as well. We have had some wonderful horses: Beauty, Lark, Ginger, and Cracker Jack are some that come to mind. One that has been in the program the longest, over twenty years, is Red Tag. This little pony has taught hundreds of children to ride and has trained many volunteers, too.

Thank you, Mrs. Warrington for the dream and for making your dream our reality. Thank you also to each person who has contributed in some way. Thanks to the parents and families who have participated through the years. We are proud of our past and excited about our future and looking forward to the next twenty-five years.