Saddles of Joy provides for a need in the community

Now for a look at the brighter side of news. One local organization is using animals as a means of therapy for special needs children.

“The horses that you’re seeing behind me many of these are our therapists,” Barbara Tomlinson, founder of Saddles of Joy said in a sit down interview with News 11.

According to Barbara, Saddles of joy started as a combination of a community’s effort, individual people and a dream.

“It started on the basis of what I went through with my own son who is special-needs,” she said. “I found out that horses are therapeutic and a special needs teacher and I crossed paths and she asked me to bring some horses to her class and I did and the result of what happened was amazing.”

She said that Saddles of Joy helps fill a huge need in the community.

“There’s a huge need in the community for special needs children to have other forms of therapy, and connection with animals is an amazing connection and that’s why this works because the kids just do really well with it,” she said.

The horses are called therapists and that’s because Barbara believes since they are the ones working with the child, connect with the child physically, spiritually and emotionally they are like therapists to the child.

“The therapists are the ones making a difference in the child’s life,” she said.

Saddles of Joy works with about 30 special needs children individually or in groups on a weekly basis.

“We work on coordination, muscle control and on following instruction,” she said.

Saddles of Joy started nearly 20 years ago and today they continue to provide for Yuma.

Some advice Barbara gives on learning to love others who are different than yourself is to look past the stigma of the special needs.

“I think that’s the whole idea of Saddles of Joy,” she said. “Special needs children a lot of times there’s a stigma or they can’t do this and they can’t do that and people think that they’re just a part of society and some people don’t want to deal with, so out here the special needs child is just a child and we’re going to treat them just like a child,” she said.

Barbara has seen the program provide hope not only for the kids but for the entire family.

“And it’s really for all of us, accepting each other and at times we don’t do a good job with that but I think that we’re all a work in progress and if we remember that and keep that in mind I think that we can do amazing things within our community and others around us,” she said.

Now Saddles of Joy is open to the public on Saturdays.

Barbara is always looking for more volunteers to help out at Saddle of Joy. If you are interested visit this link here.