Extraordinary Ordinaries: Inspire Equine Therapy Program

CLEARWATER (FOX 13) - It's off the beaten path but it's powers of healing are abundant.

Inspire Equine Therapy Program is a place where teenagers and adults with disabilities, as well as service members with PTSD, can receive therapy.

"We do therapeutic riding. where they get on the horse and learn to compete. They then can do Special Olympics," said Melissa Yarbrough, the executive director. "They also learn social skills and develop core muscle strength. We've seen clients who have difficulties walking being able run in a matter of six months. It's amazing, we actually have a lot of crying and a lot of joy. It can be pretty emotional working with our clients when they reach a milestone here."

Those on staff are complete volunteers, but the real heroes are the horses that help provide the therapy.

"The stars are the horses... you have to be pretty special to be a therapy horse. They need to be calm and quiet," Yarbrough said. "The horses are always experiencing something new ... to the scrunching of a water bottle to walking over a tarp ... a child screaming on their backs so their constantly learning and training. Just being able to give back to our clients and our community -- that's why we do what we do."

They are open Fridays and Saturdays and rely solely on donations and sponsorships. For more information, visit their website: www.inspireequinetherapyprogram.org.