*Click for a link to the episode online (free) and for more information and resources regarding therapeutic riding benefits, organizations, instructors and facilities.*

On January 20, 2008, ABC will air a two-hour special of Extreme Makeover Home Edition in which a home and a therapeutic riding facility is rebuilt for the Luther family in Port Deposit, Maryland.

If you live under a rock at the bottom of a lake where the pressure is so high that you can’t hear or see or move or think, ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition is a reality show led by Ty Pennington (who you probably know of even if you live under a rock at the bottom of a lake, and so on). They choose down-on-their-luck families who are in desperate need of improved living conditions and rebuild their home in just seven days. Often a mother or father has passed on unexepectedly, leaving behind a widow and a large brood of a kids; a fire has destroyed a home; or a family member has a rare health condition that requires special housing. They are amazing people with amazing stories in desperate need of a little hope.

And for someone who rarely cries, it’s a real tear jerker.

So I know I’ll be in real trouble in a few weeks when Ty and his crew take on a house, a barn, and an indoor riding arena for a family who runs a therapeutic riding program … a huge passion of mine.

Renee Sherrard-Luther and her two teenage children lost their husband and father to liver cancer earlier this year, plunging them into financial difficulty as well as grief. Renee has owned and operated Freedom Hills Riding Program, a non-profit therapeutic riding facility, for over 25 years. Some of her students have even gone on to win gold medals at Special Olympics equestrian events. Now, conditions at the house and farm were deteriorating.

In mid-October, the Luther family was surprised to find Ty Pennington on their doorstep yelling his ever-enthusiastic, “Goooooood mmoooooorrrnnniinnnnggg Luuuuuuutheeerrrrr faaaammmmiiilllyyyy!” They were sent to vacation in Italy while the Home Makeover crew with contractors Clark Turner Signature Homes tore down their old house and rebuilt the most gorgeous house I’ve ever seen, fixed up the barn, and built a brand new indoor riding arena.

I love this show because of the hope it brings to the families, the builders, the volunteers, and the viewers. I love it even more now because of the hope it is bringing to the Freedom Hills Riding Program and its students. I believe wholeheartedly in the benefits of therapeutic riding for the mentally, physically, and emotionally handicapped, and I’m so glad this farm will be able to make an even bigger difference. I’m also looking forward to the publicity therapeutic riding in general will receive when this show airs on January 20. I’m hoping that many families with disabled members will discover that horses are some of the best therapy imaginable and will find a NARHA certified facility or instructor in their area. I also hope people are inspired to begin volunteering at a local facility. It’s a great way to make a lasting difference!

Clark Turner, the builders, have set up a great website about their Extreme Home Makeover for the Luther’s and the Freedom Hills therapeutic riding facility. It has a blog, photo galleries, information on the family and location, and more. Check it out!

Be sure to tune in to ABC at 8:00 pm for the two-hour Extreme Makeover Home Edition special featuring the Luther family and their therapeutic riding facility on Sunday, January 20, 2008. Set your DVR’s and TIVO’s to record it now!

• true stories of the benefits of therapeutic riding