Kid Quotables
Testimonies of the Salem Therapeutic Riding Center from our children in their own words.
“I’ve learned to overcome my fears. When I first started riding I was afraid of the horses. They were sooooo big. Especially the first horse I rode, Otto!! Now I just love working with them!”
-Taylor (Braxton, Koda, Dudley)
“Horses understand me better than people do. I just love grooming them and working with them and spending time down at the barn.”
-Natasha (Angel, Sun, Braxton)
“Horses helped me get over my fear of being in the lead. I love that we have horses at Salem because it helps us get to know more animals... I love to ride horses; it feels like I am free to do anything that I want to do when I ride them. Also, you need to be careful and listen to who is teaching you. Horses make me so happy with what I am doing with my life. I want to work with animals.”
-Katie (Lady)
“Ella and Mollie helped me with my feelings, and Ella was kind in the summer and loved to play fetch, and ball. When I first met Ella and Mollie I was nervous about coming here. Mollie was nice and sweet and loved to be petted, and Mollie was liked a lot. Mollie was cute and sweet. Ella and Mollie are my heroes. They save the day when someone is not in a good mood.”
-Nybria
“I like riding horses because it helps me to escape reality and to get away from people who are aggravating me.”
- Nick
“I think therapy dogs at Salem have helped not just me, but also others at Salem. Because I have a dog at home so when a therapy dog is able to walk around in the classroom, for us who have dogs at home, we are only more comfortable. Also, we are able to interact with the therapy dogs, making us feel a little more at home.”
-Chris
“I honestly like riding my horse here. Before I came here I and my sister worked at this Fair Hill Training Center with race horses. They were like 10 feet tall, monster horses. And I really like being able to come here and see nice horses who are nice and gentle, and who know that you’re there and that know you care about them. I really like the horses because they are so cute and sweet and love to be loved. I like this one horse in the stable that loves its nose being played with. IT’S SO CUTE! I have learned a lot being here and being able to learn and care about these sensitive horses, as well as being gentle to all animals. There are cats, dogs and horses here at Salem, and they’re all wonderful creatures!”
-Sabrina (Dudley)
“The reason that I think the horses are fun and help you grow and get along with them so well is that they teach you love, they are so sweet, nice, kind. You can also ride them. You can learn to do two-point, run, jump and lots more. And the horses have feelings too. My favorite horses are: Sun, Lady, Koda, José, Honey, Braxton and Dudley. And we also have two therapy dogs; their names are Ella and Mollie. Mollie just had really cute puppies.
All the staff here have changed my whole life. Like, I don’t get as mad as I used to. I have learned to control my feelings, and to love more. I get along more with my family. If you are a kid going through a bad time I know how you feel, I bet I went through the same stuff. I have been away from my family for almost four years, and I do miss home, but God put me in this place for a reason. This place is the best placement I have ever been at; they touch my heart and give me so much support.
p.s. “And no message could have been any clearer. If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change.” This is a quote from “Man in the Mirror”.”
-Mikayla (Sun, Braxton, Lady)
“I think it’s neat how they have horses here at Salem. When I was little I always wanted to ride a horse and have a horse as a pet. Now that I am at Salem I can take horse riding lessons. I never rode a horse before, so I think this experience will be fun. Then we can brush them and learn a bunch of cool things about them too. I have been hearing about the horse, Honey, and I want that to be the horse that I ride!”
-Mercedes
“I feel like Ella and Mollie (Salem’s therapy dogs) have helped me because whenever I would get angry or frustrated, I would go spend some time with them and they make me feel better and happier. The horses have helped me feel better about myself because I feel like then I ride the horses, I’m experiencing something new and fun. I also feel better about myself when I ride horses because it gets my mind off of all the negative things that I am worried about. Having horses and therapy dogs at Salem is good because it gives us kids at Salem a chance to get our minds off of things that we don’t need to worry about. It’s so good because it gives us kids some free time, which makes us feel better and makes us a lot happier.”
-Megan (José)
“The horses have helped me because they help me with my stress. I think that when I’m around the horses they teach me how to be a good rider because I have to tell them to do things. Horses help people because they help them learn how to control some of their problems. They help me with my stress and anger. I love horses with all my heart. When I ride Dudley he makes me happy. I am glad I have earned the right to ride horses. They make me so happy.”
“Miss. Shelly thank you SO much! I had SO much fun! Riding is a good stress reliever for me. It makes me feel happy… it makes me feel like a good person. It makes me feel like I am a caring person, because you have to care to ride horses. Horses are so much more sensitive than people.”
- Alliyah (Dudley)