Five riders from Faith Equestrian Therapeutic Center will participate in the equestrian Georgia Special Olympics Aug. 19-21 in Perry.

Michael Holton, 17, will be making his fourth appearance at the equestrian Georgia Special Olympics games, and Kristy Tilton, 25 will be making her third. FETC has three first timers in the Special Olympics: 12-year-old twins John and James Rickard and Ulya Glidden, 16.

"It is a lot of work," said Bonnie Gentry of FETC, "but it’s very exciting to be able to expand and have more children get a chance to participate in this.

"Being that this is our fifth year going, I’ve got a lot of good experience under my belt now. Taking more kids, it’s not that much more effort other than the training. The training is a lot of work. But I’ve got everything else down pretty good."

The five riders have been training for the games since mid-June, twice a week in trail and horsemanship classes. The Rickard brothers and Glidden will both be riding Western for their first year and they are excited to dress as cowboys and girls.

"John and James and Ulya, they don’t know what to think," said Gentry. "I’m getting a lot of questions. They’ve never been to a horseshow, they don’t know what a horseshow is, and we are explaining to them that they’ll be competing with other kids and that they have to be really good with what they do with the horse. You’re going to show off your skills."

For the drill competition, where two or more horses mirror each other to music in costume, Holton and his father, Michael Holton Sr., will ride as knights, and Tilton and her partner will ride as Caribbean pirates.

Holton will be competing in dressage for the first time for the team. Rhegan White, of the Savannah Dressage Society, has been training him in the style, donating her time.

Gentry commended the Special Olympics for their work with the athletes. She said that between classes, they have crafts and games for the riders to play.

Gentry also said that the Special Olympics gives her students goals to strive for from year to year. She said that they experience of the Special Olympics is rewarding for the parents and families of the riders as well.

"A lot of our families don’t have the money to do fun things," Gentry said. "This is a fun thing, but it does so much more for the kids than just fun. They’re learning self-esteem and self-confidence; it’s building all these things in them. And for the parent to watch their kids, even out at practice, the parents are just beaming.

"It’s great that you can give a family something to look forward to with their child that they can do together. It draws the family closer, and it gives the kids something to look forward to and helps them feel good about themselves."

FETC will be stretching its reach to the special education students at both Effingham high schools this year as well. They have completed construction on a classroom and have added a handicap-accessible bathroom for the expansion. Students are cleared to do the therapeutic riding and will have teachers available for academics or arts while between training.

"To be able to expand we had to have a handicap bathroom and a classroom," said Gentry. "That was a big leap this year. We’re still paying a loan off for it, but it’s well worth it."

They will have an open house in the fall to show off the new facility.

Future plans for fundraisers will bring many of the local horse groups together. The Savannah Dressage Society has taken FETC as its charity and will host a lecture series and symposium either in mid to late November or early December. Eventually, they hope to host a horseshow at a planned Savanna College of Art and Design venue. FETC is also planning a horseshow fundraiser with Staffordshire Equestrian Center.

FETC would like to thank its volunteers for their hard work and time: Gentry, head coach, assistant coach Kelsey Irish, instructor Jessica Meyers, Kirk Meals, Alex Partain, Jackie Garman, Fran Wagner and Mary Close, along with youths Renee Garman, Lydia Peavy and Taylor Close, who well each help prepare the horse for the different classes of competition.

FETC would also like to thank its sponsors, who’ve helped get the families and volunteers at FETC to Perry: Suzanna’s Kitchen in Duluth, Ferguson Enterprises of Savannah and Columbia, S.C., Savage, Turner, Kraeuter, Pinckney and Madison, Pat’s Insulation, Subways of Effingham, and Mckee Court Reporting.

FETC is a nonprofit and operates exclusively through donations. It is a all-volunteer organization and is always looking for more volunteers. For more information about donating/volunteering to FETC or about the organization, visit www.faithetc.org or call (912)728-3728. FETC is located at 243 Appaloosa Way, Guyton, GA.