Marcus was ready to ride, decked out in blue jeans, a Western-style shirt, cowboy boots and a riding helmet. The one item the 9-year-old didn’t have was his walker.

Marcus has cerebral palsy and riding Missy offers him a freedom of movement he normally goes without.

Marcus is one of the first clients of HART Center of Bell County, a not-for-profit organization that provides riding as therapy for the handicapped.

The center is run by business partners Alzayani and John Gough, who met while working at the Mental Health-Mental Retardation center in Temple, where Gough wrote data bases and Alzayani was a client trainer.

Gough and his wife moved out to the Zabcikville area about two years ago and opened Gough Stables, where they have eight to nine horses.

Last year, Gough was asked to hold a fun day for an Asperger autism support group. About 12 children attended the event and spent the day fishing, riding horses and swimming.

“Five of those kids came back and two in particular have flourished and come to ride twice a week,” Gough said.

Dr. Karen and Chris Hammel’s son Douglas, 26, began riding therapy about nine months ago.

Douglas has Asperger’s syndrome.

Since beginning riding therapy, Douglas’ motor skills have improved and he’s more confident when he’s away from home, according to his mother.

“We’ve noticed specifically his conversational skills,” Dr. Hammel said. “He communicates with the other people who are also going on the trails.”

When first on horseback, she said, he was afraid every time the horse would move.

“He then became comfortable with the horse and began to talk to the other people,” Dr. Hammel said. “Just the fact that he has developed an interest outside himself is awesome.”

Douglas rides two times a week. He began going out once a week, but he would get up in the morning and talk about wanting to go horseback riding, Dr. Hammel said.

In order to have a riding therapy business, certification is required and Alzayani began taking courses with the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.

Gough quit his job on April 1, using his retirement to begin building the infrastructure required for the riding therapy program. Alzayani was in Kansas City a couple of weeks ago attending instructor training.

According to 4MyChild, an advocacy group for children with cerebral palsy, researchers have found the rhythmic stride of a horse is much like the gait of a child when it walks. The horse’s movements gives the child the sensation of walking and/or motion - an incredible feeling for those who have trouble moving around on their own.

Physically, hippotherapy, a treatment that uses the multidimensional movement of the horse, can improve balance, posture, mobility and function. Hippotherapy may also affect psychological, cognitive, behavioral and communication functions for clients of all ages.

Tina Ortiz, Marcus’ aunt, said she’s seen improvement in her nephew’s walking, posture and his mood.

“He’s happier,” she said. “He’s eager to ride . . . it’s helped his self-esteem.”

When asked about his riding abilities, Marcus said he thought he was pretty good.

While in the arena, Marcus initially rides Missy around obstacle cones while being lead by Alzayani. During the second go-round Marcus is on his own, getting the pony moving and guiding it in the desired direction - weaving in and out of the cones, all the while being encouraged by the trainer and those standing watch behind the fence.

“He’s using muscles he doesn’t even know he has,” Gough said.

With a little coaching, pony and boy complete the task and the grin on Marcus’ face indicates the session is a success.

Cindy Brem, Marcus’ mother, said the first day he rode the pony he came to her office afterwards with a smile she hadn’t seen on him since Christmas.

“I think this has been great for him,” Mrs. Brem said. “He’s so much happier and it’s something he wants to do every day. I think he’s going to want to be a rancher.”

Gough said he hasn’t had a day off since he left his job at MHMR, but it’s been worth it.

“I’ve never had more fun,” he said.

Gough has kept busy building horse stalls, pens, arenas and clearing trees to develop riding trails in the woods on his property.

He has become a master at taking donated goods - banana ripening shelves, metal tubing from a warehouse water sprinkling system - and fashioning the items into fences, gates and other necessities at the riding center.

A half hour in the arena costs $35 and a trail ride is $35. If multiple rides are scheduled the price drops to $25 a visit.

For information, call (254) 780-7998 or (254) 493-2461 or look on the Web at www.hartcenter.org.