Open My World Therapeutic Riding Center

Open My World Therapeutic Riding Center

By Joseph M. de Leon Friday, 19 June 2009

After spending more than 20 years coordinating programs for special needs children in San Diego, and 32 years showing horses, Donna Roland moved to Leander to retire and compete in horse shows.

Roland soon missed working in the classroom, so she combined her two passions and started Open My World, a therapeutic riding center, in January 2008.

“You can only brush and exercise two horses so much, so I took a leap of faith,” she said. “It’s almost as if my whole life geared me up for this work.”

Roland keeps four horses on 3.5 acres to help those with special needs, disabilities or emotional problems heal. As riders learn horsemanship, they gain trust, strength and confidence.

“Most people who do this work come from a horse background, then they learn how to work with special needs kids,” Roland said. “I come with an equal amount of both.”

Roland quickly earned her instructor certification from the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, in part because of her professional background, she said.

The riding center hosts Boy Scouts, at-risk teens and children from the city, as well as birthday parties and summer camps where able-bodied children and those with disabilities work side by side.

Participants navigate a horse through a wooded trail, avoiding obstacles and spotting wildlife. Riders also exercise in a horse arena where they might place colored rings on posts, lift dumbbells or follow a track. Attendees may feed goats, donkeys, rabbits and a lamb at the center’s petting zoo. Soon, the arena will have a sunshade, the zoo will have an aviary and the staff will build three distinct Texas habitats. Those improvements will not be possible without volunteers and donations.

“God has given me the opportunity to work with special needs children, but I’ve never been this broke before,” Roland said. “When I see the most dramatic benefit in these kids, I know it’s worth it.”

Open My World Therapeutic Riding Center, 1020 CR270 • Leander, 259-6665, www.openmyworld.org