At 18 years old, Jose the horse isn't ready to hang up his horseshoes just yet.
He's a vital part of Jack Ready Imagination Park’s adaptive riding sessions for children and adults like Danica Mello.
“She's non-verbal, but she expresses herself by squealing and making other happy sounds like she did all the way from when we stepped out of the house to getting here," said her father, Steve Mello.
Their rides embody a collective effort in which parents, instructors, students, and Jose work together to empower those with disabilities.
“It's really a great way for them to learn to communicate, not only with the horse but with the others, and that's what I've seen. Parents have told me that they love to help after their lessons at home," said Bonnie Burt, Director of the Adaptive Riding Program at Jack Ready Imagination Park in Nipomo.
Behind the scenes at the park is Bridget Ready, co-founder of Jack's Helping Hand, an organization that has provided support for children with special needs in the community for decades.
“We really found that this is a beautiful community to live in, and yet it really lacks in basic services and quality of life activities and programs for children with special needs and who were medically fragile," Ready says.
Despite being able to currently serve a dozen children through scholarships, the park remains a work in progress, heavily reliant on donations and grants to complete its next phase.
The non-profit is still short $1.5 million to finalize stage two, which includes play areas designed for different age groups.
“It is just the funding at this point that we are waiting for, and we're so thankful for what we've gotten in the past," Ready says. "And we look forward to the future, but we are shovel-ready.”
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