I Am Super! a book by Beth Black

Gitty Up!

Kampbell began therapy with horses over the summer at Schows Ranchette in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

On our first visit, Kamp became VERY upset. I’m pretty sure it was because it was a new place, he was nervous and the smell was – to put it kindly – overwhelming. I tried to stay positive and tell myself that it was going to be a great thing and he was going to love it. We met Patricia, the owner, who introduced us to Allison, Kamp’s teacher. We were taken to the horse Kamp would be riding (Sadie) and the room where they kept the helmets. We were told to, “Pick one!”

This is where I really started to worry.

Kamp has NEVER liked wearing anything on his head. Put so much as a hand on his head and he freaks out! Patricia could sense my hesitance and handed me a helmet. It was camouflage – what little boy doesn’t like camouflage? I remember I took it and told him, “Kamp, the helmet is part of the deal. If you wanna ride the horse you have to wear the helmet.”  I’m know he didn’t understand anything I said. The screaming told me that. I wrestled to get the helmet on – he screamed.

I got the clasp clicked and he tried as hard as he could to get it off. Patricia came up behind him, picked him up, and put him bare back on Sadie and told Allison to, “Start walking.” Kamp cried, fussed with the helmet and I thought, “Ok, this is going to be bad.” I waited for him to start head butting the horse and figured the lesson would end just as fast as it started.

Then something incredible happened, he stopped crying, stopped fussing with the helmet, and SMILED. They practiced stopping the horse and made Kamp say, “Walk.” to get Sadie to go again.  He followed their commands and kept laying down to give Sadie hugs. He’d forgotten all about the helmet. It was a miracle! Thirty minutes of calm. I was cautiously optimistic because I knew that Kamp could do well one minute and fall apart the next. Who knew what the next lesson would hold.

Fast-Forward

We’ve been taking lessons since June and it amazes me every time. He no longer cares about the helmet and is always excited to see Sadie. They have developed a sweet relationship. He loves to explore her face and the amazing part, she lets him. Once he was messing with her nose and I think she got a little annoyed because she snorted right in his face. It was hilarious. He loves to pull her by the lead rope and walk around the arena. Only sometimes he doesn’t walk fast enough and Sadie puts her head down and pushes him forward; it’s her way of saying, “Gitty Up!” Amazing!

Horse therapy has been so wonderful for Kamp. He isn’t miraculously speaking or making huge strides against his disability, but for thirty minutes a week he has a place he can go and find real peace and happiness. For a little boy who works so hard to fit into a world he doesn’t understand, I know the time he spends with Sadie is very special to him.