WALWORTH COUNTY — Students of all abilities are flexing their horsemanship talents and skills in Walworth County this weekend during the SMILES Superstar Student Horse Show.
For Leah and Tony Stirling's daughter Nelia, Saturday's event was a chance to flex skills that she's excited to show off.
"Because I like horses!" said Nelia Stirling, who has participated for the past couple of years.
The Stirling family is one of several who have connected with SMILES, which stands for Special Methods in Learning Equine Skills.
Over an 8-week summer session, students learn how to properly ride their steed, and learn skills such as proper posture, turning, speed transitions and more.
"This has become one of the hugest parts of her life. I'd say this is something that she enjoys doing, and we've seen so much tremendous growth in her, and her skills and her confidence and all the different things she's learning about horses and how to care for them," said Leah Stirling, Nelia's mom.
Now in its 40th year, SMILES aims to help people of all abilities develop skills, all while having fun.
Monica Uselding invited TMJ4 News to the show during the Let's Talk: Walworth County listening session at the Walworth County Fair in August.
Uselding is the President of the Board of Directors for SMILES.
"We work with people with their physical disabilities, their emotional regulation and wellbeing, we have clients that are neurodivergent. So, our autistic population, cerebral palsy, MS, even dementia, we have dementia friendly programs," said Uselding.
And she says horses are the perfect partners to help these families overcome obstacles and challenges.
"Horses are very empathetic animals and they bring out the ability for people to self-regulate, to center, and to work on their growth and wellbeing," said Uselding.
Saturday's Superstar Horse Show is the grand finale for students who participate in the program.
"They learn their techniques and their horsemanship skills, and we have a judge come out and today they get to showcase all of their skills for their friends, their family and have a judge give them some real-time feedback," said Uselding.
And for families like the Stirlings, the event is also about celebrating the bonds they've formed with other families in this unique and special part of the Walworth County community.
"It's just an incredible thing to see, all these people coming together to help these kids," said Leah Stirling.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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