I still remember the first time I met Natasha, strong blue eyes, dark hair and a broad face. Not too difficult to see the Slavic features inherited from her mom and dad. A new country, new challenges, professionals both, they bore one extra burden a bright adorable child who walked with two walking canes. They came not because they were looking for therapy for their daughter, because in many ways all three of them didn't seem to see the disability, but because their daughter had, like so many young girls before her, declared her love of horses and her desire to ride.

Independence was bred into this very girl's bones. She neither wanted, nor accepted any special help, from anybody. She carried her own grooming box down the alley way of the barn, a trick in itself while trying to hold onto her walking cane that maintain her weight as her feet dragged behind her.

“She” was going to be the one that would clean our her horse's hooves thank you very much. Although trying to help figure out a way to do that without her canes to keep her from falling down was a challenge in itself....

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