A STORY HOPE OF STORIES FROM THE FIELD VOL. 2 - STORYBOOK FARM - Alabama Power Foundation
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STORIES FROM THE FIELD
VOL. 2
A S TORY
OF
H O PE
H E A LT H A N D H U M A N S E RV I C E S
S TO RY B O O K FA R M
A STORY OF HOPE
CON DE NSE D V E R SION
GR ANT RECIPIENT:
Storybook Farm
C AT E G O R Y / F O C U S A R E A :
Health and Human Services
L O C AT I O N:
Opelika, Alabama
R E S U LT S :
Provided access to Storybook Farm for
families and children of varying abilities.
inding a way to reach
children with emotional,
intellectual and physical
disabilities requires a special talent, as
each individual child responds differently
to different methods. But few approaches
are as fascinating as the equine-assisted
therapies offered by Storybook Farm.
The name, Storybook Farm, combines
two of the passions of its founder, Dena
Little: literature and horses. Little sold her
successful bakery in Atlanta and moved her
family to a 9-acre spread in Opelika in 2001.
An English major and avid reader, she found
the pastoral beauty of this part of Alabama
inspirational, storybook-like. She sensed
the magic in the countryside.
“I wasn’t intending to start
Storybook when I moved here.
I just wanted a smaller community
to raise my family. I came down
here for a visit and just fell in
love with the area.”
A STORY OF HOPE
So, she moved her family, bought a trio of
horses and made a home.
2
About a year later, while reading the magazine
Practical Horseman, Little found herself intrigued by
using horses in therapy for children. The therapeutic
benefits of interacting with horses have been touted
all the way back to classical times. As early as the 17th
century, therapeutic riding was prescribed for gout,
neurological disorders and low morale. With
this in mind, it wasn’t long before Little put her passion
for horses and literature together to create Storybook
Farm.
In 2002, Storybook Farm opened with a barn, six stalls,
three riders, 10 volunteers and three horses – Willy
Wonka, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. At the time, the
whole experiment felt like a short story. Turns out, it
was only the prologue to a much bigger effort.
“We grew exponentially fast, ” Little said. “I
had to make a decision whether I wanted to
do this full time and commit. I felt like the
Lord was leading me in this direction. ”
A STORY OF HOPE
Storybook grew so fast, Little had to sell the initial
farm and move to what is now a 51-acre expanse
with room to grow. And grow it has continued to do.
4
They began with a house and a 12-stall barn but have
since added a three-stall barn, two riding areas and
a horticultural area called the Secret Garden. The
next addition? A 2-acre canine area called the Fox and
Hound Playground.
At Fox and Hound, children will have six canine friends
to entertain them, with names like Ann and Dan (from
“Where the Red Fern Grows”), Professor Henry Higgins
(from “Pygmalion”), Velvet Brown (from “National
Velvet”) and Mr. Banks and Admiral Boone (from “Mary
Poppins”). The dogs will be part of a reading program
in which kids read to the dogs.
“There’s so much research that tells
us that reading out loud is so beneficial, ”
Little said.
“And when you’re reading to the nonjudging
dog, it’s a whole lot easier than
reading for a teacher or your peers
or something like that.”
Children who intensely feel the stress of fitting in – of
A STORY OF HOPE
being in a situation where they have to read to their
peers or teacher, for example – are the ones who will
most benefit from Fox and Hound.
6
For Tina Ledbetter’s daughter, Channing, it was all
about the horse. Channing has a seizure disorder
that caused her to develop more slowly than peers.
Ledbetter searched high and low for an appropriate
activity for Channing – something that would make the
youngster feel more confident and accomplished. They
tried dance, gymnastics, soccer – you name it – to no
avail.
Then, Channing met Mrs. Potts, one of the horses at
Storybook.
“I thought, ‘This is something that is hers,
that she can feel good about,” Ledbetter said
of horseback riding.
“It’s an extracurricular activity that will build her self-
esteem and also help her build strength.”
Little understands. “Everyone’s equal on
the back of a horse,” she said. “It doesn’t
matter what has brought you to Storybook.”
Now with three full-time staffers and scores of
A STORY OF HOPE
volunteers from Auburn University, Storybook serves
some 1,500 children a year. Children with more than
140 different diagnoses have benefited from the
therapeutic horse farm.
7
Moreover, all these children have enjoyed the
experience free of charge. Thanks to the farm’s
fundraising efforts and to organizations like the
Alabama Power Foundation, the farm is able to serve
its guests.
“Nothing is ever charged to any family,
group, whatever, whoever is here, ” Little
said. “We just want to be here to serve
and be a hopeful place for families. ”
After so much searching, Tina Ledbetter has found
a therapy that’s fi nally helping her daughter. In fact,
Channing is so enthralled with her horse, Mrs. Potts,
that she keeps a picture of the gentle, dark bay mare,
by her bed. The other day Channing Ledbetter was able
to ride the horse for the fi rst time. Her mother will tell
you it was a magical experience. Like something right
out of a storybook.
Learn more about how we’re
helping build a better Alabama
by visiting our website.
powerofgood.com
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