Friends and family of people with special needs say extraordinary things are happening through horseback riding therapy at Untamed Spirit in Virginia Beach.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Six-year-old Mackenna Pence loves to ride her favorite horse, Rocky.
“She rides him forward… and backwards,” Mackenna’s mother, Ruth, said, noting that riding backwards is Mackenna’s favorite horseback activity.
Ruth said Mackenna has a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi Syndrome.
“The key things are low muscle tone… and she also has anxiety related to feeling like she’s starving all the time,” Ruth said. “It affects her cognitive abilities. Mackenna has seizures.”
But Ruth said that changes when Mackenna rides Rocky.
“She can do things on Rocky that she can’t do every day in other settings,” Ruth said. “I think it gives her confidence. It makes her feel calm.”
Mackenna’s horseback riding sessions are part of the Untamed Spirit Therapeutic and Educational Program in Virginia Beach.
“We offer adaptive riding for children and adults with special needs, and we also offer mental health …