A Wish for the Holidays

As a girl who wished for a horse every year at Christmas time (until I was finally was able to get one myself) I can relate to many of my young students wishes at this magical time of year.
Tara Houston would have fit right into this category of girls wishing and praying and dreaming of the day when they could have a horse of their very own, had I been privileged enough to be her riding coach as well.
Tara was diagnosed with a brain stem glioma in the summer of '02 at seven years of age. A terrible shock to her family and friends, and suddenly making every moment seem more precious than the last. It became the mission of her family and their support network of friends, neighbours, co-workers and relatives to make Tara's wish come true. The Make-A-Wish Foundation became involved and got to work on finding "horsey-contacts". That's where I came in. Through a close friend who volunteered for the foundation, I became a source for advice and an extra set of hands for when the horse was delivered.
"Buddy Boom" as Tara named him, arrived in September to a crew of people who had been working all day to get the fencing put up, a lean-to and all the little extras, right in the Houston's backyard.

I admit I was worried when the horse stepped off the trailer. Knowing the fragile physical state Tara was in, and the fragile emotional state everyone else was in, we NEEDED a quiet, gentle horse. Buddy seemed to be pushy and ignorant and refused to pick up his feet for me to check out. He pulled hard on the lead rope and became more and more worried. What would happen when this delicate 7 year old girl wanted to lead him? Or ride him? What would happen if she got attached to him but he just wasn't safe? What would happen if we need to get a different horse? Would there be enough time to find another horse?

Tara met Buddy that day and immediately began calling him Buddy Boom. Buddy Boom was a totally different horse than the Buddy I had been handling moments earlier. Buddy Boom was quiet and gentle, with a soft understanding look in his eye. He didn't pull on the lead rope, he followed Tara around like a puppy. It was like nothing I had ever seen, and have not seen since.
Their bond grew as Tara's condition worsened. Buddy Boom would lay with his head in Tara's lap while she stroked his hair and spoke to him. He would call to her each morning.
After fighting bravely for several months, Tara passed away in February of 2003, shortly before her 8th birthday.
It must be mentioned that with no previous medical conditions, at 17 years of age Buddy Boom also passed just days before Tara.

After what must have been truly devastating, the Houstons have kept Tara's memory vivid in our minds through a beautiful garden that mother Sheri, and father Scott maintain. Tara's favourite flowers were sunflowers, which also became the theme (along with her favourite colour-purple of course), of the foundation they started in Tara's name. The foundation helps to provide support for families like the Houstons with terminally or chronically ill children in their time of need. Over the years since Tara's wish, I have seen what the foundation has done for these families. I have met and spoken with them and realized what it meant to have the foundation backing them.

The Foundation's mandate is to assist families facing financial difficulties due to a child's life-threatening illness. The following are the expenses that the Foundation will provide financial assistance for:

• Travel to and from hospitals or medical facilities to receive treatment.
• Accommodation expenses while the child is receiving treatment at a facility that is outside the geographical area within 200 kilometres of the family's primary residence.
• Treatment not funded by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan or by private insurance held by the family.
• Assistive devices or specialized equipment required as part of the treatment, and not funded by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan or by private insurance held by the family.
• Funds to subsidize daily living expenses of both parents or the primary caregiver (in the case of single parent families) should they become unable to work because of caring for their child as a result of their illness. These funds may be used for mortgage payments, utilities and/or groceries.

This year, I am asking my students to help me in support of the foundation which is currently helping three families through this heart-breaking time in their lives.
Please visit the TARA BOOM HOUSTON CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION.

Regular students will receive a gift certificate valid from Dec. 19th to Jan. 4th only. Any rides scheduled during this time will be discounted the $10 gift certificate as recognition and as a thank you for your support over the past few months. I am suggesting, for those interested in supporting the foundation, that they pay the full $40 rate, and the $10 from the gift certificate will go directly to the foundation.

Being involved in the Houston's story and getting to know Tara has enriched my life in ways I wouldn't have thought possible. A few years ago I was asked to write an article for a magazine about my experiences with horses and as a graduate of an equine college (you can read my article on my main website on the "About" page). In writing the article I discovered the most enriching experience I had to share was my experience with Tara. This is the main reason why I want to share this opportunity with my students. Although you will not have the pleasure of meeting Tara, being involved in your community and finding out what horses mean to others around you is a great privilege.

On behalf of myself, Tara's mom Sheri, dad Scott, and brother Josh

THANK YOU!

And hey, how 'bout we dedicate our rides over the holidays to Tara?