NORTH NORWICH – Facing long odds with short money, the owners of the new Anam Cara Stables in North Norwich are certain their horse will come in – because giving up isn’t an option, they said.
Anam Cara is replacing “STRIDE” – a non-profit organization started in 2000 that provided therapeutic horse-riding sessions for children with special needs – after the program was dissolved earlier this year due to a lack of resources.
“We weren’t going to give up,” said stable manager Niki Franklin. “We just couldn’t lose this for our children. We are going to do whatever we can.”
Without non-profit status and any certainty of funding, Franklin, program owner Nadine Joy, and farm owner Betty Bytheway are forging ahead without hesitation, on what they’re calling a “shoestring” budget.
“We’ll figure it out,” Joy said. “It’s worth it, absolutely.”
Joy Miller, of Burlington Flats, is hopeful the new organization will take off. Miller’s seven-year-old son Cameron, who has cerebral palsy, rode for two years at the North Norwich farm, and she said the impact has been staggering.
“It’s been so stimulating. Riding just totally loosened his body to accept other things,” Miller said, explaining that Cameron’s activity level has increased significantly, helping him to walk, run, and play – which he was unable to do before. “To see the glow in him when he got on that horse was just wonderful.”
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