Some parents’ mantles are adorned with some shiny new hardware earned by their very special children this evening.

Thursday night a graduation ceremony was held for the children enrolled at Stable Hands in Merrill.

The organization offers therapeutic riding to children with special needs.

Every five weeks the children are awarded for the progress they are making, with certificates of achievement and trophies.

“These are the people that don’t get the sports trophies. They don’t always get a lot of notice or a lot of just – ‘you did a great job,’” said Diane Abitz, executive director of Stable Hands, Inc. “So we do that for them and it means a lot.”

By the looks on their faces, you can tell it means the world to the kids.

To learn more about Stable Hands Therapeutic Riding, click on the link below.

Stable Hands or http://stablehandstherapy.com/default.aspx