Mary Craft has been able to reach adults and children with special needs through horses, and she’s hoping that a generous community will help keep the efforts of her and her fellow volunteers going.

After five years in Jefferson County, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Salish Spirit Equine-Assisted Therapy is hosting its first fundraising event, the “Cowboy Ball” on Saturday, March 25, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. at the Erickson Building at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.

A retired judge, Craft was a volunteer with the SIRE Therapeutic Horsemanship riding program in her hometown of Houston, Texas. She first came to Port Townsend in 2011.

“When I talked with folks I met here about starting a therapeutic riding program locally, none of them were certified, so when I went back for my last winter in Houston, I got certified through the instructor’s course at SIRE,” she said. “I’ve always been involved with horses.”

Craft returned to Port Townsend in 2012, ready to start and run Salish Spirit, thanks to the number of horse owners in the area and other volunteers who were willing to share their time, effort and resources.

“The best things any volunteer can bring to the table are a sense of commitment and a willingness to do whatever needs to be done,” Craft said. “You need to show up on time, ready to pick up horse manure.”

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

Craft also looks for volunteers who have empathy for people who have disabilities, enough to work with them patiently, even in hot and dusty conditions, as they learn to overcome their own obstacles and ride.

“We need folks who are able-bodied enough to walk alongside the riders, as many as two, plus a leader, just for one rider,” Craft said. “I feel like it serves the volunteers almost as well as it does the riders. But even if you can’t do that, we still need people to man the sign-in tables, stock the helmets and perform other tasks. We just need people who want to help, and so many do.”

Craft has seen the positive impact on the riders in the impressive number who have returned, year after year.

“We have one parent who comes over on the ferry, all the way from Seattle, with her two children,” Craft said. “They’re [children] on the autism spectrum, and the older one couldn’t even make eye contact with people, but when he rides a horse, he sits up straight and looks people in the eye with confidence.”

Craft recalled a young woman from Port Angeles who also has autism, who learned to focus and listen to instructions. Craft has seen attention spans lengthen and impulse control strengthen, enough to heighten some kids’ success in school.

“All of this costs money, though,” Craft said. “Not all of our equipment is donated. We have to make sure we have enough helmets and boots, in adult and kid sizes. They can’t safely wear sneakers or flip-flops out in the ring. And the saddles and other pieces of tack need to be specifically designed for therapeutic riding.”

Craft added that liability insurance runs thousands of dollars per person, and the care and feeding of non-donated horses runs thousands of dollars per horse.

While Craft expressed her gratitude to United Good Neighbors and the Port Townsend Rotary for their financial support, she also doesn’t want to take their generosity for granted.

“It’s wonderful that they’ve given so much, but they might not always have that money to give,” Craft said. “My goal with the Cowboy Ball is to raise some money from the rest of the community, because I know they want to help.”

Ball attendees can swing to the strains of local band Three Chords and the Truth. A barbecue dinner, catered by Mo-Chilli BBQ, is planned, and both silent and live auctions offer items donated by local businesses and community members.

Salish Spirit’s eight-week summer session for this year is set to take place on Tuesdays starting June 20. For details, visit salishspirit.org, email info@salishspirit.org or call 713-449-7418.