For the past 10 years, Kim Estes has been a volunteer for the equine therapy program at Mississippi State, helping children with a variety of disabilities master skills, gain confidence and learn social skills through riding.
The work suits her in a couple of ways. First, it fulfills an innate desire to help those in need, a trait that first emerged with her decision to go to nursing school at age 35.
“I guess I’ve always wanted to help people,” said Estes, 59. “That’s why I became a nurse and that’s why I’m involved in this kind of therapy. It’s always rewarding when you see a child that has so many challenges just light up when they are with the horses.”
There is also a personal benefit to the therapy, which provides riding sessions Tuesday through Thursday at the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville. Estes works night shifts as an occupational health nurse at PACCAR, which allows her to volunteer during the daytime.
“The kids get the therapy and I get my horse fix,” said Estes, a lifelong West Point resident. “That goes back to when I was a child. We lived out in the country, and my favorite thing to do was run and play with our ponies. There have been times off and on, where I’ve had horses.
When my husband decided he wanted to start team roping and asked me what I thought about the idea, I told him there was only one condition. He had to buy me a horse, too. I had Piddle until I went to nursing school.”
The journey that led to becoming a registered nurse was unconventional. She was not only much older than her nursing school classmates, she also came from an unusual background. After graduating high school, Estes went to work at Prestige Farm where she was a farrowing supervisor, a term used to describe those who monitor and in the birthing of piglets.
When she was a teen, her mother developed kidney disease. The 19-year-old Estes worked with a dialysis technician to provide dialysis treatments at home.
After her mother passed away, the dialysis tech she worked with became a nurse, then asked Estes if she would serve as her dialysis tech.
“After a while, she told me I really should think about becoming a nurse, so that’s what I decided to do, Estes said.
In the years that followed, Estes maintained her love for horses, even though she doesn’t have horses of her own at the moment. When Estes learned of the MSU horse therapy program, which was then held in West Point, it seemed to be a great opportunity to help children while being around horses again.
Estes said a horse’s nature is well-suited to therapy.
“It’s very much about relationships for the horse,” Estes said. “To get them to respond to you, you have to build a bond. Some of the horses I work with were performance horses, and they will give you everything they have. All they want in return is that bond. They are very protective, too. The horses we use know they have to take care of the child and they’re very open and trusting with the children, even though the children aren’t trained riders. The horses understand.”
Estes said the transformations she has seen on children during therapy continues to amaze her.
“A lot of the children that begin therapy are very withdrawn, “Estes said. “They have difficulty in social situations and don’t have much confidence. As we work with them and teach them, you can just see them open up. I can remember one little boy who would hardly even speak. As the therapy continued, he started to become more social and really opened up. You see that in the therapy, but you never know what happens with them later.
“Well, years later, I was at some event in Starkville, the Cotton Festival I think it was,” she continued. “This same boy recognizes me and comes up and starts talking to me and he’s smiling and happy. I know right then that what we are doing with therapy works and makes a difference. I was just so proud of that. So if you ask me what I get from this, that’s it. … When children see the horses, something changes. It’s just a joyful, happy time for them every time.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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