How One Woman’s Horse Therapy Center Turned Halloween Into a Day of Fun for Hundreds of Kids
For over 20 years, Saranne Winfield has provided riding therapy and now hosts a Halloween bash for local children!
The 10-year-old boy with autism bounced high in the saddle as a pair of volunteers led the gentle Tennessee Walker horse slowly around the Southern Starrs Arena, a facility that specializes in equine therapy for special-needs students in Lebanon, Tennessee.
Watching from the bleachers was the boy’s mom and little brother, who uttered sadly, “I wish I could ride too.”
The stable’s founder, Saranne Winfield, happened to overhear him. She knew it was hard for siblings to watch their brothers and sisters riding a horse. But this was a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and there were limited activities for kids to enjoy.
It isn’t fair to make them sit and watch, Saranne thought. And she wondered, Is there some way we could change our focus?
And an idea struck. Halloween was approaching and, like in 2020, the city was going to cancel festivities for 2021.
“Let’s have Halloween here,” Saranne told her volunteers. “Not just for our students, but for any child.”
Four-legged therapy
Saranne is a lifelong horsewoman. Back in the 1990s, she and her husband, Terry, owned 5 acres and two horses. Saranne also had a psychology degree and dreamed of doing something for special-needs kids.
Then one night, she and Terry caught a TV program about equine-assisted therapy. “Maybe this is exactly what you’ve been looking for,” Terry said.
The next day, Saranne headed to the library to research riding programs and how to start a nonprofit. She and Terry tapped their savings to build a riding arena on their property and recruited fellow horsepeople as volunteers. They spread the word through local newspapers and a pediatrician who was thrilled by the possibilities.
Southern Starrs Equine and Animal Assisted Activities for Special Needs Students (SouthernStarrs.org) opened in the summer of 1999. Not only did the kids enjoy escorted riding, but their balance and coordination improved.
Saranne recalls one 12-year-old boy with severe autism. After they got him settled on his horse, they circled the arena. Once back at the starting point, he started to get off the horse.
“No, you get to go around 20 times!” volunteers told him, and would hold up signs counting down how many laps he had left. When he got to the last sign, he shouted, “One!” And his mom began to cry. “That’s the first word he’s ever spoken,” she said.
A boo-tiful idea
Over the next 20 years, Southern Starrs grew. Saranne used an inheritance to renovate and also build an indoor arena for rainy days. By 2020, she had 10 horses and, with the help of dozens of volunteers, she was hosting up to 20 special-needs students at a time.
Then COVID struck. With social distancing and other precautions, Saranne was able to continue riding activities, but with schools and extracurriculars canceled, she began receiving calls asking to sign kids up for riding lessons.
Saranne explained Southern Starrs only enrolled special-needs kids and referred parents to other stables, but most were booked. Now overhearing that young boy’s comment, she felt moved to act.
Her team loved the idea of hosting a Halloween event. They set up stations along a trail, each one decorated with a theme. There was Black Cat Alley, Cemetery Row, Ghost Lane and other spooky stops, all piled high with toys and treats. A Haunted Carriage also circled the pasture for kids who were scared to ride a horse.
The event was held from noon to 5 pm on the Saturday and Sunday before Halloween. The children—some 200 over the two days—wore festive costumes, but the horses were adorned with just a few streamers and colorful flourishes so as not to frighten the children.
The event was such a success that Saranne made it an annual event. “This year we hope to top 200 riders,” she says. “The kids have a lot of fun, and it’s as much of a holiday treat for us as it is for them.”
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
