Libby Marks-Shepard:  

In 2003 God called me to work with persons with dsabilites as a therapeutic riding instructor. While I had never heard of therapeutic riding His message was clear and I began as a volunteer. I am now the director and lead instructor for Therapeion Therapeutic Riding Center, located in Brookston, IN, just north of West Lafayette. You can find our web site if you search on Therapeion Therapeutic Riding Center. We started in 2007 and are celebrating our fifth birthday this year. We currently offer programs for persons with disabilities, youth working on life skills, and children who have been abused or neglected. Future programs include a program for wounded vets, a program for battered women in recovery, and a school literacy program, among others. My husband, Dennis, and I also run a boarding, leasing, and lesson stable, Shepard Stable. You can find us as Shepard Stable on the web. I teach English, Western, and therapeutic riding lessons and am a PATH International and CHA certified instructor. In addition, I am a licensed pharmacist. My dream is to be able to devote myself to teaching. Our Therapeion riders are SPECIAL and I would like to be able to devote myself to their programs 100%. We are fund raising to add an indoor arena and to winterize our current facility so we can offer year round services for our therapeutic riding students. If you feel like helping kids with disabilities PLEASE visit our web site to find out more about how you can help!!! Our riders beneift the most if they receive year round services but we need funding to help it happen. Therapeion is a 501(c)(3) and all donations are tax deductible :-)) While I was in school growing up I worked an average of 30 hours per week at the family pharmacy so didn't have time to socialize or make friends. Because of this I felt very much the loner and seldom saw fellow students away from school. I envy those of you who made friends in school that you are still in contact with. I wish I had those kind of relationships...relationships with history. In JrH and HS most people did not know that I was "horse crazy" and had a pinto gelding. My parents sold him without my permission or knowledge when I was a junior in HS and I was very upset, but there was nothing I could do about it. It was a done deed before I was informed. In fact, I found out when I was going to ride and my mother told me that the horse had been sold. That sucked!! I've more than made up for it now. Dennis and I own 9 horses and 3 mini donkeys. We board horses and Therapeion's eight horses live here. In all we have 30 equines at our stable. My primary horse, Phoebe, is a black and white registered Paint and Pinto (Swoon Song Two). I purchased her as an untrained 2 year old filly and have done all of her training. We participate in parades, shows, trail rides, and more. We have earned our 1000 hrs in the saddle award from the American Paint Horse Association. She also is Therapeion's back up horse. I am curr...Expand for more