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In 1988, the idea of the Butte Special Riders was formulated. Jim and Joani's daughter, Britt, had spent time helping handicapped children through hippo therapy with the horse branch of her 4-H club. This gave the Kissocks and their friends the inspiration for this heartfelt program. The group is composed of about fifty kids, each special in their own way. They spend their entire week looking forward to Monday mornings, when they meet with their best friends; Minnie, Bubbles, Britches. Rocky , Pumpernickel, and Norman. These are just a few of the horses that help each of these children through hippo therapy. Hippo therapy is the technique used at the Kissock Horse Center (KHC) to aid the progress of children with various ailments, including Down's Syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and other learning disabilities.
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Joani and her crew get support from many different sources. In addition to the devoted volunteers, Butte Special Riders also receives help from the North American Riding Association for the Handicapped providing that they meet at least 90 percent of the standards. We are affiliated with United Way, and through them, KHC is fully insured.
Joani feels that first and foremost it is an “honor” to do this for these children. Also, it is satisfying and it lets the volunteers give back to their community.”
This program has proven to be as rewarding for the volunteers as it is for the children. Butte Special Riders is always looking for volunteers. So, if you are thinking about making a contribution to your community, consider the Butte Special Riders. A program for adult handicapped riders is conducted on Tuesday evenings during the summer. So, if you can't manage the day schedule, come out in the evenings.
This year at our Butte Special Riders Annual Benefit Show, we raised around
$5000.
We want to thank
all the participants, volunteers, and donors.
Where
would we be without their generous support!