Destiny's Ride is a Massachusetts non-profit corporation and we're currently pursuing our federal 501 C3 designation. In 2009 Destiny's Ride opened its doors to the amputee community. As our vision & aspirations grew it was decided to make our services available to all individuals who wish to enjoy the healing benefits and partake in the enrichment and enjoyment that horses bring into our lives everyday through therapeutic riding. We will continue to specialize in working with individuals dealing with limb differences either congenital, amputation or traumatic,
|
A Dream Becomes Destiny's Ride: Founder and Executive Director Jodie O'Connell and her Road to Destiny
Like most little girls, as a young child I had always loved horses with their beauty, grace and elegance. As a child I was a shy little girl who could often be found hiding behind her mother's legs when someone spoke to me. Around the age of 12, I had the opportunity to visit a local farm who allowed my friends & me to come to the farm to learn all about horses and how to ride. From an early age I always seemed to be connected to the horses with an intuitive understanding of the healing powers they possess, somehow having an inner knowing how to work with and around them. Being a child who grew up getting picked on, or poked fun at which at times left me with feelings of being alone, and misunderstood by others, the horses soon became my safe haven. If I arrived at the farm feeling sad, down, and alone, before I knew it I would begin to feel more elated and more self assured then when I had first arrived. I soon discovered that I was always the one everyone turned to ride the "problem" horses. It was always me who rode the biggest horses, or the ones who seemed to have a bad case of barn sourness, and it became my job to ride them & risk being thrown or galloped back to the barn with. I never seemed to mind as it was the thrill and adventure to learn and understand the horse combined with the excitement of riding as I challenged myself to become a stronger, more advanced rider. In the long run horseback riding assisted in building and strengthening my self esteem and confidence.
June 22, 1985 the first day of summer entering my junior year of high school was the day my life changed forever. I was the typical 16 years old girl, looking forward to a summer filled with lots of fun focused around the beach, horses and friends. I had plans to attend my friend's 16th birthday party, as luck would have it; I had to work with no sight of getting out of work early in order to go. Without my parent's knowledge of what I actually did for work at the little market at the end of the road in the little town of Branford, I began my work day of work for 10:00. I knew if my parents were aware of what part of the store I was working in, which was in the deli part and operating a meat grinder, they would have never let me work; I remember telling them I worked at the register and stocked shelves figuring they would never find out.
While waiting on a customer in their late 70's, who I remember all to clearly, how many pounds of hamburger he wanted, the certain kind of meat to be used, and it was to be ground 3 times. The most I recall was the counting as to how many times I had run it through, when I suddenly realized my fingers had become caught and it was pulling my arm down into the machine. As I screamed for help trying to reach the power switch, it was a friend of the owner who was on crutches at the time ran in to turn it off. As the paramedic arrived to their amazement I was still conscious & talking with my father who stood behind me as I told him I didn't have a hand and apologized for the family missing the picnic at Holiday Hill the following day. When the paramedic managed to finally remove the head off the machine was when I saw 3 of my finger tips fall in the bucket, and it was then I just knew I no longer would have a hand, as I still continued to try to wiggle my fingers while the machine was being dismantled. It was from that point I started to wonder what would become of my life as the 16 year old girl who no longer had a hand, what people would think, worse of all who would ever love a girl with 1 hand. I replayed that day in my head for many days while I recovered in the hospital with the question "Why Me"?
After a short hospital stay, I found myself back at the barn with the horses just 4 weeks after my accident. Through the horse’s intuitiveness that I was somehow different than before, they displayed great kindness and patience as I re-taught myself the basics of horse care and riding. Although I felt nervous and scared wondering if I would ever be able to do this with one hand. As time passed with the assistance of the horses I found the courage and the strength to overcome many of my insecurities. Family and friends began to see the changes occurring within me. After arriving home from the barn I would be happy and elated; my self esteem and self confidence were increasing by leaps and bounds. My overall outlook on life was more positive, including the acceptance of my amputation and the harsh reality of what life had dealt me, as I truly was finding myself through the assistance of the horses with the nonverbal healing that they are known and respected for.
As I applied my previous knowledge and modified it to accomplish things with one hand, I began to applying the lessons to all aspects of my day to day life. I realized that the power, strength and confidence I had received from the horses could be applied to all areas of my life. I became a part of the High School swim team. I had signed up for the swim team a few weeks prior to my accident in June. By the end of August I was in the water practicing. Without my new found confidence this may never have happened. The courage and strength I needed to swim with and in front of everyone who had 2 hands I attribute to the horses. The horses never judged me but accepted me for who I was, and they allowed me to find out that I am just like everyone else and can do everything that others can do. The only difference is I just look a little different. That doesn't mean I'm limited in what I can achieve in life.
As time passed, my confidence and self esteem brought me to excel in many areas of my life. After graduating from college, I became the Store Manager for a TJ Maxx store that grossed over 7 million dollars a year, with a staff of over 50 employees and 3 Assistant Managers. I successfully managed the store through a relocation which entailed managing 2 stores and 2 sets of staff. To this day I attribute this to the horses and the skills they helped me learn about patience, persistence while maintaining my focus to follow through with my vision, dreams, and the task at hand, to assist me to reach my greatest potential.
Today I’m a single mother raising 2 wonderful children who display all the love a support a mother could only hope for. They have stood watching this unfold over the last 3 years since I started this journey. Along the way they have learned when you go forth with patience and perseverance you can turn your dreams into a reality. Among all of us in our journeys through life, we have been presented with many challenges and obstacles, and at times we just want to give up, and we wonder why things have to be so difficult, and haven’t we been through enough already. I still have my days where I continue to ask “Why me” I’m not strong enough, or smart enough and what was I ever thinking. But with each new day brings forth a new level of confidence and strength that keeps pushing me towards my dream as I remember the words of the famous song “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus which to this day reminds me it’s all about the journey that leads us to our dream and the lessons that we learn along the way. Regardless of what disability you have, or don’t have we are all on a journey to have a life that is meant to be filled with love, joy and happiness that we were meant to have fun along the way. Embrace the challenges and setbacks knowing you are right where you are suppose to be, and there is a happy ending to everyone’s story, even yours.
There are so many positive things that the horses can teach us, whether it is nonverbal to assist in the raising of our spirits through a smile and laughter, or the confidence that we can ride an 800 pound animal. The best part is that it carries over into our everyday lives, as we increase our self esteem and confidence we begin to become happier and satisfied with our life which then allows us to become more successful in all areas of our life. This is the goal and aspiration of what I vision Destiny's Ride to bring to everyone who walks through our doors.
|
|
