Horseback riding takes on a whole new meaning here in Lee County.

A physically exciting form of prescription therapy-horseback riding. Doctors are recommending this as a form of joint therapy for disabled children and adults. John Fifer explains, “It helps with stretching out the joints, it helps make the muscles work and helps the muscles work together in a fluid concentric fashion.”

Patricia Hohmann suffers from multiple sclerosis and therapeutic riding improved a wide range of problems that medication simply couldn’t. “It's helped me tremendously with my balance and also my muscle strengthening. And cognitive problems, they tell you things and you have to remember what they tell you.”

Patricia has seen the effects first-hand on herself and others such as 6 year old Andrea. “She's a little one with Down syndrome. Now you don't even know she has a problem, she's amazing. She can stand on the horse, they trot the horse. Her balance has improved tremendously.”

Little Andrea has a completely different condition. But with the help of the staff and her horse Mr. King, the ability to ride backwards and feel the horses muscles allow Andrea to understand the movement of her own joints.

She says that her favorite part of the class is to “Go fast.”

And that’s because Mr. king is special. Andrea also says, he's my friend.

Winston Churchill says it best-there is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a human.

Tomorrow we’ll speak to the family and volunteers who make this program possible for miracles to happen. For more information on therapeutic riding visit www.specialequestrians.com