Helping Hands Return from Winter Break

The barn has been buzzing again with the regular return of our Helping Hands!

Helping Hands is a weekly, hands-on, inclusive program serving day participants of Pony Bird, who have a range of physical, emotional, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities. It was created in response to a shared need for meaningful and accessible community engagement opportunities.

At the barn, participants contribute to the care and daily work of a functioning equine facility and help with tasks like cleaning grooming tools and picking up sticks, learning new skills, and working alongside our staff. Through purposeful work and social connection, participants gain confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging. Just as importantly, they leave with something meaningful to share and take pride in. Each visit it tailored to the needs of participants, with our intention that each person build lasting, transferable skills.

Last semester brought several remarkable breakthroughs.

One adult woman in the program, who is nonverbal, spoke audibly for the first time during her visits to the barn. Another young man, who initially arrived quiet and reserved, gradually found his voice through the encouragement and the dynamic engagement of the program. Over the course of the semester, he began speaking more confidently and sharing more of what he enjoys doing while helping at the barn. When Helping Hands returned for the new semester this past week, staff were thrilled to see his progress sustain. The same young man greeted the team with a confident voice and remained engaged throughout the entire visit, picking up right where he left off before the winter break.

Other participants have made progress in different ways. One participant significantly improved her handwriting, another improved eye-contact during communication, one of the many transferable life skills reinforced through the program. At the barn, participants practice a variety of practical skills such as: reading an analog clock, writing, spelling, making eye contact, communicating with others, and following multi-step tasks. These skills extend far beyond the barn.

As the program continues to grow, Ride On St. Louis is working to improve the facility so that Helping Hands and other programs can be even more accessible. Some improvements are more easily attainable like paving the rock parking lot to make walking easier for individuals with compromised gait or mobility challenges.

Other plans are more extensive. Future projects currently being planned include creating additional dedicated program areas such as an elevated viewing and interaction deck designed with those who use wheelchairs in mind, improved walkways, completion of safety fencing (allowing us to remove temporary barriers), handrails, and a permanent accessible restroom. Larger infrastructure projects are also ahead, including constructing an outdoor riding arena and repairing the large storage building, which currently has a leaking roof and structural deterioration.

Support through the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) can help make some of these improvements possible. By directing tax dollars to Ride On St. Louis through this program, eligible donors may receive 70% of their donation back in Missouri tax credits. This limited-time opportunity will directly support the completion of safety fencing. Are you eligible to save and make an impact through this limited-time program?

Each improvement will help ensure that programs like Helping Hands, as well as our other programs, can continue to grow and serve more individuals in meaningful ways. For the participants who return week after week, the barn is a place to work, to learn, to build relationships, and to discover new confidence. One small step, one new skill, and sometimes even one new word, can completely change someone's life! We are thrilled to be a part of each person's health and wellbeing goals.