The fever of spring cleaning is catching on all around central Indiana this weekend.
“I begged to tag along, because I work in front of two computer screens all day long,” said volunteer Joe Hunter-Lattak.
He's one of hundreds trading Corporate America for Main Street, helping to spruce things up as part of the United Way's Day of Caring Friday and Saturday.
He's one of about two dozen helpers who spent Saturday at Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding in Zionsville.
Others came with their families to help.
“This is the rail where kids who are in wheelchairs or have disabilities, they are going to come up here so they can get up on the horse and we are painting it so it is easier for them to get up there,” said another volunteer, Skye Worlow.
The non-profit Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding helps others with various therapies. Liz Coit is the Executive Director of the facility spanning 150 acres and a dozen horses. One exercise helps strengthen the center core.
“Another, which we see most dramatically in people who are wheelchair-bound where they might not have a natural sense of center, it helps them develop physical balance and the ability to self-balance,” Coit explained.
The operation opened in 1998, growing from doctor and patient referrals.
While there are the obvious physical benefits to horseback riding, there are many mental and emotional benefits as well.
Nearly 40% of the clients at Morning Dove have some sort of spectrum of autism, and horseback riding helps with that.
Therapy horse Angel helped with a teen's obsessive-compulsive disorder.
“She would eat in Angel's stall and she would practice her clarinet in Angel's in stall. Over time, more has been done to understand the human-horse relationship and how that might impact things like focus and confidence,” Coit explained.
With a staff of four, these success stories aren't possible without dozens of volunteers.
“We literally do not function without them,” Coit said.
So as part of the United Way's Day of Caring, volunteers from places like the National Bank of Indianapolis and their families rolled up their sleeves to give back.
“It is just a good feeling, you really can't quantify it or put a dollar value on it,” Hunter-Lattak said.
MORE ONLINE: Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding
