FARMERSVILLE, Texas — By the time Lynn Turner graduated from UT Dallas with a degree in psychology, she had her future all planned out.
Then, she says, God gave her a new plan.
“It was scary and I had absolutely no idea how to do it,” Turner said.
Turner says what God wanted her to do was provide horse therapy.
It didn’t matter that she didn’t own a farm nor did she even have a horse.
“The vision he put on my heart was the emotional impact that brought my whole life together,” she said.
Turner grew up riding horses, often alongside her aunt who had down syndrome. She says it was clear that her past had prepared her to provide horse therapy.
However, nearly 20 years passed and that God’s plan still hadn’t come to fruition. Despite that, her husband started paperwork to create a nonprofit and in 2006, they bought a farm.
Finally, led by their faith, Turner and her husband bought their first horse.
That was nine years ago.
Today, their non-profit, Heavenly Hooves in Farmersville, has 16 horses and more than a dozen volunteers. They offer all kinds of therapy, free of charge, to kids and young adults in rural North Texas.
“Students with the rarest genetic disorders in the world come to our program between Farmersville and Merit, Texas. Population: Not many,” Turner said. “That’s not by coincidence.”
Turner believes it’s all God and parents believe she is his angel.
“Absolutely it’s a godsend,” said Ladonna Watkins, whose son Weston suffers from a rare chromosome disability. “It is.”
“I feel like it’s kind of amazing what she does,” said Amanda Anderson, whose son Alexander has Duchenne muscular dystrophy
“The smile he gets on his face when he’s with the horses,” Stacey Jenkins said about her autistic son, Matthew. “It just makes so much difference in his life.”
Turner says it’s not just horseplay.
Some kids are terminal. Having this kind of mental and physical stimulation dramatically improves their quality of life.
Turner says the only downside is that she can’t do more. Rain often forces her to cancel, washing away the progress.
“So tomorrow they’re not as strong as they could be,” Turner said, fighting back tears. “That’s tough.”
Turner’s prayer is to have a covered riding arena so her students get the help they need, rain or shine.
“It just matters,” she said. “They matter. They matter enough. I’ll keep doing this …until God tells me to stop.”