Marion Nonprofit Wins Grant to Buy Therapy Horses for Veterans, Disabled Riders
$5,000 gift from TCC Verizon to fund new horse for Specialized Equine Services
By Verna Slate, Williamson County Bureau
MARION, Ill. — A Marion nonprofit that puts people with disabilities and veterans on horseback has new money to grow its herd.
Specialized Equine Services has received a $5,000 grant from TCC Verizon, funding the organization says will go toward purchasing a horse or horses to serve individuals with disabilities and veterans through its therapeutic riding and equine-assisted programs, the Southern Illinoisan reports.
It's a small grant by the standards of state and federal budgets, but for a therapeutic riding program, one more horse means one more rider gets matched with an animal steady enough to carry someone who might not walk easily on their own. Programs like SES have become a quiet fixture of how this county cares for its veterans and people with disabilities, offering something a clinic waiting room can't: the weight and rhythm of a horse under a rider who needs both.
No word yet on when the new horse will arrive or how many additional riders the expanded program will serve. For now, Marion's veterans and disabled riders have one more reason to watch the barn.
— Compiled from reporting by the Southern Illinoisan.
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