By AMY JONES / Associate Editor

INDIAN SPRINGS — At a time when individual donations are down for Special Equestrians, foundations are helping to pick up the slack, as the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation did recently.

The ACJF awarded Special Equestrians a $3,000 grant at the Birmingham Area Grants Presentation Feb. 2.

Kathleen Claybrook, Special Equestrians executive director, said the grant will help Special Equestrians continue to provide therapeutic horseback riding.

“The generosity of the ACJF in granting us $3,000 means a great deal to our organization,” Claybrook said. “Given the difficult economic times many families are facing, donations from individuals are down. This makes support from foundations and other charitable organizations even more important.”

Dorrie Fuchs, assistant director of Special Equestrians, said the grant will go towards general operations. Typically, those funds go to care and feeding of horses, paying the salaries of certified instructors, helping to pay scholarships for riders whose families can’t afford the cost of instruction and administrative costs, she said.

“We can pretty much apply it however we want,” she said.

To find out more about Special Equestrians, visit the website at Specialequest.org.