A boy with multiple disabilities, an old horse, and a local horse lover came together in a story that reads like a fairy tale. Over two years ago, Steven Mitchell, son of Lt. Col. Ed Mitchell, started coming to his sister's riding lessons. Noticing the child's interest, the instructor, Carol Wooley, put him on an ancient pony mare named Patches. Steven loved it. Aided by his mother Jane, and sister, Stephanie, he started riding on a regular schedule. "Ride" became one of his favorite words.
Working with Steven kindled an interest in riding for people with disabilities in Wooley. While researching the possibilities of starting a local program, she came across an organization, ACORD, searching for horses to use in the 1996 Paralympic competition in Atlanta. Three horses from the farm ended up going to the competition, along with Wooley who went as a volunteer to look after them and help the riders.
After a week in Atlanta, there was a need for more well trained, gentle horses, and a volunteer drove the 140 miles south to pick up a rather surprised, sleepy little horse named Carousel out of his pasture in the middle of the night. Carousel, a former fox hunter, had been given to Wooley because of his advancing age.
The little bay horse and Brita Anderson, from Denmark, trotted right into the history books. Working as a team, the well trained old horse took his talented rider to a gold and two silver medals. After all the ceremonies and awards, Brita Anderson went back to Denmark and Carousel returned to his job as a lesson pony. Wooley returned to find she had been fired from her job with a local government contractor because of the two weeks required to volunteer at the Paralympics. No longer able to afford the lease on the farm, she had to put her horses in various places in order to keep them and work toward establishing a riding center for people with disabilities in Middle Georgia.
After a year of struggling to keep the horses for the future riding center, she met Kathy Brantley, wife of Dr. Gerry Brantley of Perry. Wanting to see the disabled children and adults of the area have the benefits of a local riding program, Mrs. Brantley offered her farm and her help. Carousel Riding Center had a beautiful home on Sanderfur Road, between Warner Robins and Perry. They named the program after the old horse who won the hearts of all the people who witnessed his competition in Atlanta.
Starting with a few riders last fall, the program has grown to serve many adults and children from Houston and surrounding counties with various disabilities. Volunteers, vital to the program have come from a number of businesses and organizations in the area, including: Volunteer Houston County, Robins Federal Credit Union, Warner Robins High School, local church groups, and civic clubs. They serve as horse care providers, clean-up crews, horse leaders, sidewalkers for riders, and fund raisers. Military and civilian personnel from RAFB are invited to join the growing number of people involved in the program. We are also looking for volunteers from all over the community
Financial support for the non-profit organization comes from private donations, a grant from the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, the Warner Robins Civitan Club, the Warner Robins Elk's Club and other local civic groups and businesses. We are in desperate need of more financial support.
Next month the riders from the Carousel Center will compete in a Regional/National horseshow for disabled riders in Atlanta. Sponsored by ACORD, the show offers classes for all levels of disabilities, from those requiring leaders and sidewalkers for safety, to competitors trying to qualify for the World Championships in Denmark in 1999. Plans are for 8 riders, from 7 to 40+ and 4 horses to go to the show, and the use of the gold medal winning Carousel has been offered to the riders trying to qualify for the World Championship show. This will be the last competition for Carousel, as he is around 30 years old. ACORD will be holding a retirement party for him at the show.
There is another side to this story that Carol Wooley does not share with many people, but I am going to make it public. Carol had a dream and a pony named Carousel. Her dream drove her to take two weeks off of work to go to the Paralympic Games in Atlanta. She was fired from her job at that time due to her extended abscence, but this did not dampen her spirit. I don't know if she gets the strength from the faces and the words of her students or if she has that much inner strength or just sheer determination. Despite that fact that Carol is 50 years old, she cleans stalls 7 days a week, feeds twice a day and teaches the therapeutic lessons. She can not continue to do it all. She has also been grant writer, publicist, media/pr specialist, fund raiser...etc. Carousel Riding Center is a dream come true for many children and adults alike, please share the dream. This center is chaning people's lives. by Nicole Navarro lordrebeau@aol.com
Carousel Riding Center is not simply about pony rides. CRC teaches even our most disabled students to be able to ride independently. Some of our riders will never ride alone. We are able to teach even severely disabled riders to use their legs, guide their horses, walk, trot, canter, stop, turn etc. We are very fortunate to have several extrememly well trained show type horses that are giving our riders a real chance to compete in the future. We teach both Western and English. Our ultimate goal is to make sure that our riders have fun, they have the chance to be independent, to learn, to use their bodies to the fullest extent. Please come out and visit during lesson times. You will be amazed at what these riders are capable of.