Pilot Point — PILOT POINT ― Some people love the freedom they feel when riding horses.

For individuals with certain medical conditions, the opportunity to ride and interact with a horse is not only liberating. It's healing.

The staff of Born 2 Be Therapeutic Equestrian Center opened their nonprofit organization in April and say they hope to help clients reach their potential through safe and affordable therapeutic horseback riding and carriage driving.

Instructor Anita Sepko ― who established the Pilot Point facility with Mary Gwinner and Tracy McCarty ― said the center operates in the former Cole Ranch on Cole Road in Denton County.

Volunteers Cathy Wirz and Edie Curtis were key volunteers, she added.

“We were, until the first of April, the executive director, head instructor and instructor at Riding Unlimited in Ponder,” she noted. “Some changes needed to be made, and we decided to open our own center.  Through our friend Linda Tucker, we were able to join forces with Sheri Lang and open Born 2 Be in record time.”

Born 2 Be TEC facilitates programs for both children and adults.

Equestrian and carriage therapy ― helping students build skills by learning to manage a horse and cart ― has been helpful treating conditions such as cerebral palsy, attention deficit disorder, Down syndrome, autism, visual and hearing disabilities and brain injuries, Sepko said.

Instructors help students learn basic skills such as right-left discrimination, language development and concentration.

Proponents of equestrian therapy point out the exercises allow wheelchair bound participants to duplicate a human gait through equestrian activities.

Horses can give clients back their legs, she said.

Equestrian training is also thought to improve muscle tone, balance, posture, coordination and motor development.

Not everyone is cut out for horseback riding.

Therapeutic carriage driving is an alternative equestrian therapy which allows clients who cannot or chose not to ride, the chance to interact with horses.

Carriage driving can help students improve eye hand coordination and spatial awareness, Sepko said, adding, “We are one of only a few centers in the United States to offer this discipline, and we are very active.  We just took three of our students to an ADS (American Driving Society) show in Cedar Creek two weeks ago.”

The center is also a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International member. Sepko and McCarty are PATH International certified instructors.

All Born 2 Be instructors have impressive credentials.

“Mary (Gwinner) serves on PATH International committees and has over 13 years of experience both as a program director as well as an executive director,” Sepko said. “Tracy (McCarty) is PATH Certified, and has been instructing for over 10 years and  I am PATH Certified for riding, and for driving am an Advanced Level PATH International instructor.”

Sepko said she was PATH International Region 8 Instructor of the Year for 2011, and won the 2008 Sis Gould Driving Award.

“This is the top award given to a driving person/instructor in the country,” she said.  

Sepko is also dedicated to veteran's causes. She serves on the Equine Services for Heroes committee and works with veterans of any conflict who need or want equestrian therapy services.  

In addition, the center offers equine assisted psychotherapy for individuals experiencing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Sepko said she believes Born 2 Be TEC's proximity to Gainesville and other Cooke County cities, makes the center a good option for individuals seeking equestrian therapy for a number of health issues.

“I feel we can be a valuable asset to the Gainesville community,” she said.

Information about the center can be found at www.solutionfoundation.org.