Billy Finds His Voice

Billy doesn’t say much, but his silence isn’t empty; it’s full of careful observation, purpose, and a growing sense of confidence. When Billy first joined Helping Hands, he often hung back. His steps toward the barn were tentative, and he was usually the last to enter through the towering barn doors. New environments and experiences can be ponderous for someone whose calm, mild nature tends towards caution. But Billy is deeply attuned.

Week after week, one thing drew Billy in. Among the variety of colorful tools and well-loved

grooming supplies, it was always the green bucket belonging to Ghost—a black pony with

fluffy white legs—that Billy sought out. While the rest of the group chatted or hesitated to dig into cleaning these supplies, Billy would quietly settle cross-legged on a blanket, picking through each brush with slow, deliberate care. Dirt, shed hair, and debris, Billy would remove it all. His hands knew what to do, before his words would follow.

Each grooming tool serves a different function: loosening dirt, stimulating circulation, removing mud, smoothing the coat, and so on. One of the first tools used to groom is the curry comb. Its raised rubber “teeth” lift dirt and provide a massaging effect, helping to release natural oils and increase blood flow for a healthy coat. Billy learned all about this curry comb. And then one day, he announced, “curry.” It was the first word he spoke aloud in class—a breakthrough. And it didn’t stop there. Week by week, he began vocalizing more names: hard brush, soft brush, hoof pick. With each new word, his confidence grew. When another peer forgets a term, Billy is the one to cheerfully remind them, with a beaming smile.

Where once he followed, now he leads! Not with volume, but with confidence. He signs in and out of the logbook with certainty, book-ending each session. He heads straight to

Ghost’s bucket. He organizes the cleaning process in a way that makes sense to him, and

now the whole group follows his method. After seeing others struggle to manage scattered

debris, Billy began gathering shed hair and dust into a tote for easy disposal. Others followed suit, and now Billy’s quiet systems have become the norm.

One day, during a grooming session, Ghost rested his soft, heavy chin on Billy’s shoulder. In

that moment Billy let out a full, audible laugh—his first unrestrained, truly organic laugh of the semester. His entire body seemed to smile. And we all did too!

We all need these moments in life. For Billy, it’s greater than performing tasks; it’s building

relationships and finding yourself. These are the moments defining Billy’s progress. Billy shines in activities with a rhythm and clear sequence. That’s a small part of what makes equine-assisted services so effective for Billy and individuals with differences in communication or processing. The predictability of steps, the immediate feedback

from the horse, and the sensory engagement all support neurological integration, memory, and emotional regulation. And Billy is proof, week after week, with steady improvements.

Today, he treads into the barn with sureness. He navigates the environment with growing

independence, and heads straight for Ghost’s green grooming bucket—his favorite activity as a Helping Hand. He still doesn’t speak much, but when he does, it’s to share something meaningful: a word, a tool name, a small act of leadership.

Thanks to your support, Billy has found our “Forever Home-away-from-home” where his

strengths are not only recognized, but make a difference. Where horses like Ghost respond not only to words, but also to connection. Thank you for giving Billy, and so many others, this gift: a place where they will always belong. A place to be Forever Home.