WILTON – Dianna Henderson said she was speechless Sunday when she heard an announcer at a horse show say she owned the horse that was being ridden.
“I got all psyched,” said the 14-year-old, who was surprised with her dream horse through the Children’s Dream Factory of Maine. The organization grants wishes to seriously ill youths.
The Mt. Blue High School freshman has Crohn’s disease, an inflammation of the digestive tract and has had her large intestine and gall bladder removed because of it. Her doctor referred her to the Children’s Dream Factory of Maine.
Henderson searched the Internet for a horse to call her own. The one she wanted was at Beckwith Stables in Union, a place where horses who were previously abused or raced get a second chance, her mother, Anastasia Henderson said.
In order to surprise her, Henderson’s family told her the horse she had her heart set on was sold. Then her stepfather, Robert Begin, took her to a horse show Sunday in Union. When the horse Henderson had chosen appeared in the show, the announcer introduced it by its nickname, “Goodie,” and said it was owned by Dianna Henderson. That’s when Henderson knew the Dream Factory had fulfilled her wish, she said.
Although she didn’t want to admit it, Henderson said, there were tears. Lots of them.
She thought Goodie, short for Good Assets, had been sold to someone else.
Now she’s counting on Goodie and her becoming good friends.
Henderson had been enjoying therapeutic horseback riding lessons. When she’s riding a horse, she said, she feels carefree.
“It was just like there was nothing I needed to worry about,” she said.
On Monday, Henderson led Goodie out of his new stall in what used to be the family’s garage.
Begin and his brother Meddie Begin built the stall while Henderson was visiting her father and her stepmother in Pennsylvania last week.
The bay, which Henderson claims looks like a Morgan, stopped to munch on the grass on the family’s front lawn on Weld Street.
Goodie has a pretty good temperament and is stubborn, Henderson said.
“I like him a lot,” she said.
Dianna Henderson said people have told her she won’t be able to handle the 7-year-old horse that stands 16 hands tall.
“I’m going to show everybody up,” Henderson said. “I can do it.”
She planned to put a saddle on Goodie on Monday afternoon.
“He’s like all I’m thinking about,” Henderson said. “All of the problems I have go away.”
Her mother said her daughter and the horse would learn together.
In the meantime, the Hendersons and Begins need more help to get the backyard landscaped for the horse.
Everything happened so fast that they still need to get a fence up. Anyone interested in helping may call the family at 645-2344 or Dream Factory at 1-800-639-1492.
The teenager is hoping the family finds a horse for Begin so they can ride together.
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