DECATUR, Ga. -
If you've ever driven down Lawrenceville Highway just a couple of miles from downtown Decatur, you know how busy that area is.
What you may not know is that tucked away right next to buzzing traffic is a 40 acre sanctuary. It's the Little Creek Horse Farm. The farm offers so much more than just horseback riding.
It's nothing out of the ordinary to see riders out enjoying a morning with the horses at Little Creek Horse Farm.
What is remarkable is that Mike Reith is here. Two years ago, Mike wasn't sure he would even be alive, much less riding.
"It was devastating," said Mike Reith.
Mike severed his spinal cord when he was run over by a car in front of his Douglasville home. The accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.
"They told me I would never walk again," said Reith.
Mike spent three months at Shepherd Center and many more months in therapy.
"Finally came to the realization, if this is how it's going to be then I'm just going to keep moving on," said Reith.
When he was leaving Shepherd, a therapist told Mike about "Stride Ahead" -- an equine therapy program offered at Little Creek.
"I was kind of a mess. At first, I couldn't even get myself up on a horse," said Reith.
Stride ahead uses horses to help people facing many different challenges: from autism to physical disabilities.
"Something kind of magical happens with the interaction with the horses that creates this healing energy," said Anne Preston.
Anne Preston runs the therapy program at Little Creek.
"They just happen to be these finely tuned emotional animals and for humans to be around that and learn about themselves, the horses are going to be a very honest mirror for who they are bringing to the game," said Preston.
For someone who has physical challenges, like Mike, riding offers something traditional therapy does not.
"With the physical activity of him -- finding his center of gravity and putting his weight down in his heel, and push himself up in the stirrups -- over the course of a year has really begun to be weight bearing," said Preston.
"The amount of strength I have been able to get back in my legs is incredible It's something they said I would never do again. My legs felt more tired than an entire day in the therapy gym," said Reith.
After a year of coming to Little Creek, Mike can now get on and off his horse Scout by himself and even trot alone.
"You prove to yourself that you can do whatever you put your mind to. So, it's a great confidence builder," said Reith.
It's that holistic approach that Anne says makes equine therapy unique.
"You could say we're just giving a riding lesson but you can't get away from the emotional impact on their character, emotions. All of these things are happening simultaneously," said Preston.
Mike couldn't agree more. He may not walk again, but the riding is as close at it gets.
"It was like an old familiar feeling coming back to you again, like being able to feel the ground under your feet again," said Reith.
Even more, Mike's relationship with Scout has given him something more: An appreciation for life, no matter where he is.
"I didn't know that I would ever make it this far and it's helped me prove to myself that I can do things I didn't think that I could," said Reith.
For more information on the Stride Ahead program, visit http://www.strideahead.org/StrideAhead/Mane_Page.html
