By Dan Roark
New Hope has riders of all ages, which is also true of the new riders this year. It’s hard to tell which riders are the most excited – those who are returning or those just getting started.
Darren is one of the older returning riders. He began riding at New Hope in early 2021. He has a full-time job and comes to New Hope to ride after work on Wednesdays. He is always ready to ride – as long as he does his stretches.
You can see the concentration on his face in the pictures as he rides. In addition to the joy when the horse he’s riding is trotting. Darren enjoys riding, but he enjoys being in control of the horse even more. Which is one of the aims of therapy riding really. He gets frustrated when too
many people talk to him to try to help.
A quote from Darren: “I used to think I wanted to ride Tommy. I got the chance to ride him. Then I thought, that’s enough for me.”
Which is understandable if you have ever ridden Tommy. It’s like being on top of the world. If you are riding for therapy, his size can be quite daunting. Yet Tommy is gentle and attentive for all of his riders.
Back to Darren. He has also participated in Chisholm Challenge in January of this year and last year. Chisholm Challenge is a horse show for equestrians with disabilities held every January in Fort Worth, Texas at the John Justin Arena before the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. He received a ribbon last year in the competition.
Ride on and ride for hope.
Donate to New Hope on NTX Giving Day today.
Buy tickets for or sponsor the New Hope Gala.