The recent passing of a beloved Tooele native has provided the Healing Horses Therapeutic Riding Center in Erda with a horse and equipment needed to continue the program.

Born into a family of teamsters in West Dip, Donald J. Morgan grew up in Ophir raising sheep and cows. He passed away May 23, leaving his son Dennis with his horse. His last ride was to the Tooele City Cemetery in a horse-drawn hearse.

Dennis had been keeping his father's horse with his five other horses as his father had grown older.

"I tried to get him to sell the horse when he got sick, but that was the one thing he wanted to keep," Dennis said. "Even in his older age I'd pick him up and we'd go feed and tend to the horse."

Dennis said right before his father's death, Donald told him "to do what he wanted with the horse." Rather than sell the horse, the Morgan family made a decision to donate the horse to the local Healing Horses program.

"As a family we ride in Ophir quite a bit and the biggest reason we decided to donate the horse is because of how much we love to watch our children and grandchildren with the horses," Morgan said. "It's one thing to see your own grandkids love these horses and to know that these other kids will love the horses and benefit from them means a lot."

The Morgan family also donated a four-horse trailer to the program as well.

Fully accredited by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, Healing Horses is a nonprofit organization providing therapeutic and recreational horseback riding to individuals with physical, mental, social and emotional disabilities, disorders and diseases.

The program is based at the Erda Barn and according to Barbara Specter, acting executive director, the donation couldn't have come at a better time.

"We desperately needed the donation from the Morgan family," Specter said. "Right now our program uses borrowed horses and our own personal horses. We were very excited to get a trailer to transport the horses, as well as a new horse."

According to the program, horseback riding aids handicapped children in a physical sense by rhythmically moving the body in a gentle way while the heat from the horse's back helps loosen tight muscles. Horses are social animals and any bonding with the horses can also help with emotional issues the children might have.

The local program has seen children with down syndrome, cerebral palsy and other neurological problems, as well as some quadriplegics benefit from the horses. Specter, who has had multiple sclerosis since birth, has felt the positive effects of the Healing Horses program in her own life, as well as others.

"The program has helped me walk better," Specter said. "We see some children who walk when they've never walked before because of the new nerve pathways created during the experience."

For more information about the program, visit www.healinghorsesutah.org.

ntripp@tooeletranscript.com