Make Your Mark: Charles Fletcher

He provides horse therapy to children with disabilities.

By Liz Kennedy
From rd.com
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The Person: Charles Fletcher
The Cause: SpiritHorse Therapy

Corinth, TX--SpiritHorse Therapy operates daily on two principles:
(1) Love the children and
(2) Make all decisions in favor of the child, not the center.

With those guiding principles at the heart of his organization, Charles Fletcher has provided over 65,000 free equine sessions to children with disabilities, such as autism or physical disabilities. SpiritHorse's mission is to "assist individuals with special needs in reaching their full potential through interaction with horses." Currently serving over 450 children, SpiritHorse is the largest horse therapy center in the world. It is now working on funding to serve the 50 children on the waiting list.

Combining his passion for horses and his love for children, Fletcher, who is 69 years old, works seven days a week, 10 hours a day, and walks up to 15 miles per day while guiding the retired show ponies. Since starting SpiritHorse, which he was inspired to do because of his 50 years of experience in training and showing all different types of horses, Fletcher says he has heard 38 children speak their first word and 31 children walk their first step, even after doctors said it would never happen. According to its Medical Advisory Board, specific physical activity restarts the development of the brain area most affected by autism--SpiritHorse seems to tap into that.

Though he does this all for free, Fletcher maintains that he is the highest-paid person in the world because he gets paid in hugs and smiles from these amazing children. To find out how you can contribute to the great mission of SpiritHorse, please visit http://spirithorsetherapy.com
--Story submitted by Jane Ryan
From rd.com
 
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I work with children and horses everyday and see what a horse can do for so many children, both disabledBy coloradochic79, on 08/15/2008

My daughter goes to Spirit Horse. She has grown by leaps since attending Spirit Horse. She loves thisBy tlw2009, on 08/14/2008

My friend's son, who has autism goes here and he has grown leaps and bounds. It's a fantastic placeBy sashajayne, on 08/13/2008


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