Over the course of the last 11 years, over 240 kids have been helped by the work done at Hilltop Equine Therapy.

The organization helps children and even a few adults with their specific needs. While this can include children with autism or physical disabilities, Founder and Director Dan Corr said the organization is not specifically for people with “special needs.”

“I always have to comment that I’ve never known anybody who didn’t have special needs or a handicap in my life, and I include myself in that,” Corr said.

And for most of that life, he’s been around horses. Born in Nebraska, his father was a horse trainer. He moved around a bit in his youth, and ended up moving to Canada in the mid-70s to be on the rodeo circuit. He stayed up there for 17 years and had a rodeo contracting outfit before moving back to the states.

“I came back to Montana and was trying to train horses up there in the winter and had enough,” he said. “I loaded up my stuff and ended up going through 27 states and landed in Oklahoma.”

He ended up purchasing his property Lone Grove in the mid 90s where he did some horse training until his retirement. It was after he retired that he opened Hilltop Equine Therapy.

He said all the kids who come through the program all follow the same methods.

“You teach children the same way you would an adult or a horse, through repetition and consistency,” Corr said. “There’s a lot of ways to do the things that we do, but if we don’t all do it exactly the same way it becomes confusing.”

Safety is also a top priority.

“Here at my place safety is number one,” he said. “So, you’ve got to listen or you’re going to sit in the chair and watch the others.”

He described the success he’s had with children on the autistic spectrum.

“We’ve had several kids who were at various points on the autism spectrum who spoke their very first words from the back of a horse,” he said. “I had a little boy who took his very first steps holding onto the main of a miniature horse.

“It also really helps with their decision making. So often, there are people who are always there to do something for them or jump in and help. But here, as long as they aren’t going to hurt themselves or the horse, I like to let them solve problems for themselves.”

The program has also helped physically disabled individuals with their core strength. There is even a special ramp that allows individuals in wheelchairs to more easily get on a horse.

Corr shared the story of a girl with cerebral palsy who had severe scoliosis. Horse riding allowed her to significantly straighten her back.

“She had gone up to Oklahoma City for a doctor’s appointment and was hooked up to some kind of machine,” Corr said. “Her spine had straightened so much the doctor thought the machine was broken.”

He said he’s unsure what it is about working with horses that’s so special, but he shared a few thoughts on the subject.

“There is a chemistry between people and horses that I don’t think has been completely identified,” Corr said. “For example a horse can hear your heartbeat from five or six feet away.

“The horses we have here are all a bit older, and they’re very patient. They’ll allow the kids to connect in a quiet way. There are a lot of theories, but it’s my experience that being around a horse is calming.”