Lisa Owens says she’s “always connected with horses.”
“It’s been like a therapy to me,” she said.
Owens, of Warsaw, got to ride a horse again on Monday, Aug. 12, thanks to Magical Meadows. The therapeutic riding facility at 3386 E. 525N, Warsaw, granted Owens’ bucket list wish.
Owens, who is battling terminal cancer, worked and volunteered at a similar facility, LoveWay, in Middlebury for a few years.
She noted she hasn’t been able to ride a horse since her sister moved to Oklahoma, taking the horse Owens had been riding.
“It felt good. I enjoyed it,” said Owens of her ride atop Rocky.
“He was well-trained,” she added about the horse.
Volunteers helped lead Rocky, but at another point Owens opted to ride without assistance.
She said “it meant a lot” to her to have the riding experience.
Magical Meadows Executive Director Michael Kuhn said it’s the first time Magical Meadows has done “a bucket list situation” for someone.
He said Owens’ daughter, Tara Smith, who was present Monday, asked last week if the ride could be arranged.
“We like to say that magic happens here every day at the Magical Meadows, and so we rallied around them and decided to go out of our way to make it happen for them,” said Kuhn.
Magical Meadows primarily serves “children and adults with disabilities, at-risk youth and veterans and first responders,” said Kuhn.
“But when you’re presented with an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life and to give them an experience that is really meaningful, we jumped (on it),” he added.
Kuhn said it was “an honor and a pleasure” to help Owens ride again.
“We really love to say and believe that magical things happen here,” he said. “It’s not just a name. It’s what we believe and what we try to do and as we just try to show God’s love to everybody that we come into interaction with.”