On Saturday, March 17, 2012 Midwest Therapeutic Riding Program will be hosting our 8th Annual Making Dreams Come True Fundraiser. We are working hard at making this fundraiser a great success. This event is graciously hosted by Tempel Farms and Tempel Lipizzan Co. We are expecting a great attendance at our fundraiser and hope it to be even more popular than last year.

If you are interested in attending or donating and item for our silent auction, being a corporate sponsor or purchasing ad space in our program please call or email us.

We are proud to add Carly to a list of national and regional winners from MTRP, including Evan Dustan and Ceci Hintz who were prior winners of the Rider of the Year Award.  Our instructor Katie has also earned Instructor of the Year award for Region 6 and Amlet, Cameo, Goodie, and Chipper have all received the honor of Horse of the Year in the past!  

We are honored to announce that rider Carly Renguette has won the 2011 PATH International (previously NARHA) Rider of the Year Award!  Following is a description of her story, written by Carly herself.

_Our 5th annual Goodie Memorial Horse Show took place on October 15th, 2011.  It was a great success with over 30 of our riders participating!  Each received an ribbon and trophy and was recognized for their individual skills and talents.  Several of our volunteers also received the Presidential Volunteer Service Awards in honor of their dedication to our program.  We are very thankful for the help of our riders, volunteers, and sponsors who made this event possible. 

Thank you for helping us, "Make Dreams Come True!"

"My name is Carly Renguette. When I was eleven my life changed forever.

A week before my life changed, I was at a soccer camp running around with the rest of the kids. Soccer was, and still is, my favorite sport. I was having an awesome year all around. All of that changed on August 20th, 2006.

Earlier this year, my history teacher said that there are certain days that, when something big happens in your life you remember every little detail. For me, August 20th was one of those days. I remember what I was wearing the night before, what movie I watched, what pajamas I was wearing, and what color the sky was that day.

I woke up with a neck ache. I went to tell my parents and within 15 minutes I was at the hospital getting ready to be taken Flight for Life up to the Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee.

I couldn’t breathe and I couldn’t move. I remember looking out the window of the helicopter and thinking how pretty the blue sky was.

I spent 5 weeks at Children’s Hospital in the Intensive Care Unit. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me.

Finally, the doctors guessed that I had had a spinal stroke. They said that when I was riding on a few carnival rides at a church festival the night before, a blood vessel must have sheered off and clotted.

Whatever it was, it left me paralyzed from the neck down. Not for long.

When I left Children’s, I was moving one finger and using a ventilator to breathe. I was moved to Froedtert  Hospital to do my rehabilitation.

By the time I left Froedtert, 7 weeks later, I was able to breathe on my own and steer my power chair using a head control.

I kept getting better and better, and a little after a year after I came home from the hospital, I started HIPPO therapy. My family and I just call it horse therapy.

I have always loved horses. Even before my accident I loved riding them. They are such amazing creatures. 

I can remember my first time riding at Midwest Therapeutic Riding Program. I was very scared that I was going to fall. My knuckles were white because I was holding on so tightly to the saddle.

I remember having to have my therapist, Wendy, and one of the volunteers hold on to me the entire time that I was riding.

Now, 4 years later, I’m not scared to ride and Wendy and a volunteer are always there to guard me, but not to hold on to me. 

Since then, I’ve been working on using reigns and standing while I’m riding.

In August of this year, right around the 5 year anniversary of my accident, I found out that I was the 2011 PATH International Youth Equestrian Rider of the Year.

On November 10th, 2011, my parents and I drove down to Lexington, Kentucky, and on the 11th I accepted my award.

I think that out of all of my therapies, horse therapy has helped me the most. I can definitely see the improvements I make at horse therapy more than I can see my improvements with my other therapies.

Getting to see horses is therapy in itself, but getting to work with them is a miracle. I look forward to getting to ride every week. I love it."

Written by:  Carly Renguette, 2011 PATH Int'l Rider of the Year