PROJECT K 2009: THE HANDI-PROJECT

Inspired by my mother's walk across America with her wild Mustang, Winnie, I decided to do a project this year that encompassed both children and horses. Like my mother, I wanted to show how useful animals, especially horses, can be to people. Horses are high-sensitives, and thus, can key in to a human's needs. In short, horses heal. Instead of destroying ranges where wild horses roam, we should treasure these amazing animals.

That being said, this year, it was easy to choose an organization to donate our quilts to! The Handi-Riders of Butte County has a fantastic program which serves "the special needs of the physically and mentally challenged with therapeutic horseback riding."




Yesterday afternoon, I traveled to the Handi-Riders site with my mom, my husband, and my two young sons. We brought with us 40 handmade quilts, which we had sewn with help from Shirley Jinks, Leslie Hall, Sharon Blau, Jean Nelson, Darlene Culver, Kathy Wood, and Jan Kinney. Each quilt, designed by Shirley Jinks and myself, included a strip of horse fabric. A label was included on the back of every quilt, which read, "You are a STUPENDOUS (or similar adjective) Handi-Rider!"

At I watched the horseback riding classes with my mom, Gary, and the boys, I was impressed. Children who had trouble walking sat tall in the saddle. It was evident that the instructors design lessons specifically tailored to help the children with their unique needs. The horses are patient and kind; they are tuned into their riders. Yesterday was the last class of the fall session, and the bond between horse and rider was evident when Jessie hugged her horse good-bye.


Following each lesson, my boys, Jakob and Declan, helped me hand out the quilts to the Handi-Riders. It was obvious, even if the children weren't always able to verbalize it, that they were thrilled to be getting the quilts. One mother told me she was going to put her daughter's quilt on her bed for her to treasure forever.

On Saturday, I will be returning to the Handi-Riders arenas to present the children with another 30 quilts. In addition to the 70 quilts (one for each student), one quilt was made and raffled off, to help raise money for the Handi-Riders program, since it has experienced many budget cuts this season.

This year's project is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Randi Lewis-Greene, a lover of both people and horses.