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True to Fletcher’s vision, the program provides all of this at no charge. “We went into this with two very big goals: To develop sophisticated methods of healing, and to deliver them for

free,” Fletcher says. One of five children raised by a struggling widow, Fletcher knew firsthand what it meant to strive for financial stability. He started out at 18 working for AT&T,

earning $42 a week, and from there climbed the corporate ladder. His volunteering began in his 40s when one day in church, the pastor called for volunteers to sit with children with

disabilities in their congregation. Fletcher stepped forward. At first, he was uncertain how to interact with the kids. “I prayed that God would help me become comfortable around them. He

might have overdone it a little,” Fletcher says with a laugh. _“I PRAYED THAT GOD WOULD HELP ME BECOME COMFORTABLE AROUND THEM. HE MIGHT HAVE OVERDONE IT A LITTLE” _ His desire to have an

impact in the lives of children with disabilities keeps SpiritHorse open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, with a steady stream of cars arriving at the center on a hilltop 30 miles

north of Dallas. Each client is paired with one of 32 horses or ponies, many with child-friendly names: Tigger, Eeyore, Peter Pan, Buttercup. The riders have a variety of medical conditions,

including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and spina bifida. They range in age from 9 months to 82 years old. Fletcher’s innovation is the particular therapy

offered during lessons. Children work on skills such as speech, balance, core and leg strength and social interactions. For roughly 65 percent of clients, it is the only therapy they

receive. For children who are unable to talk, instructors might put them on a saddle with two digital recorders, one on the left, the other on the right. With the push of a button, one

recorder says, “Go!” and the other, “Trot!” Kids learn to push the buttons, thrilled to make the horse move. Before long, many children try to speak the words themselves. Since SpiritHorse

began, 118 children have spoken their first words atop a horse. Every time, it was “Go!” Sixty-three children have also walked their first steps, and 60 have sat up independently for the

first time ever. Two independent studies conducted at SpiritHorse by The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam have documented significant

decreases in autism symptoms. Twelve children originally diagnosed with autism have achieved the designation "non-autistic." These outcomes have garnered the attention of

University of North Texas and the Autism Treatment Center, which are studying the impact of equine-assisted healthcare as a result of Fletcher’s work. The impact of SpiritHorse has traveled

far beyond the ranch. Fletcher and his staff have trained and licensed 91 other centers in the U.S., South America, Africa and Europe, making SpiritHorse one of the largest and only

research-based therapeutic riding centers in the world for people with disabilities. These centers must operate as self-sustaining units — raise their own funds, hire their own trainers —

but Fletcher offers free guidance every step of the way.