“A customer called my office and asked if I had any pull with the State Farm Arena in Atlanta,” Teresa chuckles,” to which I replied ‘Uh, no, not at all.’”

The customer is the founder of the Dei Gratia International Training Center in Spalding County, Ga. The center helps international riders come to the U.S. to compete in National Barrel Horse Association racing competitions.

They had recently hosted Filip, their first rider from Slovakia and their first rider with Down syndrome. He started riding horses 10 years ago as therapy. Filip didn’t travel with his own horse, so trainers at the center provided horses for him to choose from to ride in the competition.

“Filip has won numerous awards and medals in barrel racing,” Teresa says of the 20-year old. “He won the gold and silver medals in the Special Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif., in 2015, and in 2017 he won the Handicap Barrel Race World Championship.”

Filip came to the U.S. with his father and a film crew from a program called “V Siedmom Nebi,” which translates to “Seventh Heaven.” It’s a program that grants wishes to those with serious illnesses or physical challenges.

Besides riding in the barrel racing competition, one of Filip’s wishes was to go to an Atlanta Hawks basketball game.

“The program sponsor had purchased tickets to a Hawks game, but something got lost in translation,” explains the 30-year agent from Griffin, Ga. “They purchased the tickets for the wrong night and missed the game. He was only in the country about a week and this was the last thing on his wish list.”

That’s where Teresa came in.

“The customer, who had helped them with the barrel competition, asked if I would call State Farm Arena, explain the mistake and have the group’s tickets changed,” she says. “I didn’t have any way to do that, so I decided I would buy them tickets to the next home game.”

While attempting to help Filip and his group get tickets, Teresa spoke with Terrell, an associate at the arena. She told him about Filip and the special situation.

“He must have contacted someone at the facility who was associated with the Hawks because when Filip and the group arrived at the arena, they were treated to a meet and greet with current and former players, including Vince Carter and Dominique Wilkins.”

Filip had quite an ending to his Seventh Heaven trip to the U.S.

Teresa is a proponent for those who have physical or mental challenges.

“My husband was the executive director of the Griffin Area Resources Center for 22 years,” adds Teresa. “The center provides people with mental health challenges vocational training, employment, residential services and family outreach services.

“I never got to meet Filip, but I’m glad I could help him check off the final wish on his list.”

“I think that with the movement of the horse, and sitting on the horse, it’s making neurological connections, helping areas of the brain that control the balance,” said Lisa, Giovanni’s mother. “He’s now able to sit up straight on his horse, and he’s walking a lot straighter.”

The Nicholas’ are not alone in seeing the benefits of riding. They are just some of the clients of Therapeutic Riding and Off-Track Rehabilitation. T.R.O.T.R., based in Woodland, CA near Sacramento, specializes in the therapy.

“The children that we help have a variety of issues,” said Shannon Johnson, Executive Director for T.R.O.T.R. “I know quite a few of the kids I work with are on the autism spectrum.”

The benefits of therapeutic riding are seen by parents and instructors, and studies are helping to identify the scope of the improvements (see infographic). Researchers and advocates theorize that the combination of physical and mental stimulation, and the immersive environment inherent in riding, plays a role.

The operation differs from a normal stable in many ways. For one, instructors and staff are in close contact with the riders to protect them. And the environment is shaped to suit the needs of riders.

For example, T.R.O.T.R. recently underwent upgrades including a new softer riding surface, a ramp to help load kids onto the horses, and equipment to maintain the arena, funded by a grant won in the State Farm’s Neighborhood Assist program.

For some kids, these improvements are critical – larger children would be unable to mount their horses without the assistance of the ramp, for example.

But the effort pays off.

“It’s nothing but joy when you bring the kids out here and put them on the horses,” said John Bolden, president of Board of Directors of T.R.O.T.R. “The smiles come over their faces and they light up. That’s what it’s all about.”