When she started out in the therapeutic riding program at Horses of Hope, Sarah Smittle, Columbus, needed to have someone lead her horse and walk beside her.
“It wasn’t because she couldn’t hang on by herself, but because she lacked confidence,” said Vallerie Sweeton, head certified therapeutic riding/driving instructor at the center.
Smittle has come a long, long way since then. So far, in fact, that she received the 2009 Independent Adult Equestrian of the Year Recognition Award from the NARHA, formerly known as the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. The award is presented during the NARHA convention, held each year in November.
Sweeton said that Smittle, daughter of John and Ena Smittle, started with the program when Horses of Hope started in 1997 near Baxter Springs.
“Sarah is on our show team now and shows her horse at halter,” Sweeton said. “She does it all, and does it independently.”
Smittle became the first rider in Kansas to participate in the Equestrians with Disabilities classes at American Quarter Horse Association shows, and is credited with being an integral force in establishing these classes as permanent divisions in all Kansas shows. Smittle is now working on establishing an EWDclass at the AQHA World Show, and hopes to compete there someday.
She also won the American Quarter Horse Association High Point Equestrians with Disabilities Trail award in 2007. She currently rides and works with Charlie, one of the center horses who’s about 11 or 12 years old.
“I want to win some stirrups for Charlie,” Smittle said.
She enjoys grooming horses or mucking out stables when help is needed at the center.
“Anything we do here at Horses of Hope, Sarah is always the first one to want to help,” Sweeton said.
Her entire family has become involved.
“Sarah’s father is a retired art teacher, and he makes ceramic pieces that he lays horsehair on to create patterns,” said Shelly McColm, center executive director. “People can give him their horse’s hair to use, to make it personalized. They sell the pottery to benefit our show team.”
Smittle is also a talented artist. “We have made prints of a picture by Sarah that we sell as a fundraiser,” Sweeton said.
The center has an annual Christmas season dinner theater to raise funds, and Smittle always enjoys participating in that. “I’m the angel at the dinner theater show,” she said.
“She’s the grooviest Christmas angel,” Sweeton said.
When she’s not riding, helping at the center or going to horse shows, Smittle is busy working.
“I have two jobs,” she said. “I work at Patty Jessee’s photo studio and Evans Drug Store. I help with Meals on Wheels, too.”
COLUMBUS —
