Dear Victory Therapy

Thank you for making it possible for our son Jared to be able to participate in therapeutic horseback riding at Victory Therapy Center. This enjoyable experience has had a positive influence on Jared’s self-confidence and improved his social skills. The therapeutic horseback riding at Victory has allowed Jared the opportunity to connect with the horses and experience his love for nature and the outdoors.

Jared is an 18-year-old young man who was born with Down Syndrome. When Jared was born, he had holes in his heart valves that would require open-heart surgery, but we had to wait until Jared was strong enough and weighed at least 10 lbs. When Jared was 3 months old, he had the surgery and the cardiac surgeons were able to successfully repair his heart valves. That was a very scary time for all of us, but we knew that without the surgery Jared’s life could be at risk. After his heart surgery, Jared was able to thrive and has continued to grow in so many ways.

Over the next several years, Jared had various therapies like music, recreation, massage, physical, occupational, aquatic, and speech. All of these therapies have helped Jared in many ways and in the areas, he needed the extra support. Jared was non-verbal until age 4 but learned enough sign language to let us know what he needed. He also had some sensory integration issues, low muscle tone, and his gross motor skills and balance needed improvement, which is the reason that brought us to Victory. By living in the city, we weren’t able to provide Jared with the same experiences you get when living in the country. We heard from other families about the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding and that’s when we came to Victory Therapy Center.

That was over a year and a half ago. The staff at Victory have made Jared’s experience with horses so enjoyable. Jared had attended a few horse camps with his church, but he was intimidated and scared of the horses. Not anymore. Jared said, “Victory sets up activities that he goes through with his horse Bailey that has helped him increase his strength and upper body balance”. According to Jared, his favorite horse was Chevy, but Harley listened to him, Cheyenne was sweet, Zip was a fast runner, and Bailey is sweet, gentle, and listens to him.

Some of the improvements and benefits we’ve noticed with Jared’s experience at Victory are increased strength and flexibility, balance and coordination, gross and fine motor skills, core strengthening, social skills, self-confidence, and a strong sense of responsibility and accomplishment. From a parent’s perspective, Victory is all about promoting independence while providing a safe and secure place to experience a sense of normality.

Thank you Victory for providing such a positive experience for Jared.

Sincerely,

Jeff and Kathy – Jared’s Parents