It's hard to believe that when she had her first riding lesson three years ago, she could barely hold her head up. Now Maggie can ride backward and one-handed.

That's the power of horseback riding for children with disabilities. The rhythm of the horse's gait, which is much like the walking patterns of humans, helps kids develop better mobility.

"You can see the improvements as they go along," said Bob Daubenspeck, a volunteer at Reins From Above therapeutic riding center. "It doesn't take them long before they get comfortable."

And it's not just kids with physical disabilities who benefit from the riding lessons. Reins From Above director Stacey Ryder said she's had autistic students who get better at following directions and staying on task. Some are calmer for days after their lessons, she said.

"It's a God thing, that's the only way I can explain it," Ryder said.

Getting the kids safely on horseback takes a team effort. Each student needs at least three volunteers to keep him steady and to lead the horse around the ring. A ramp helps wheelchair-bound kids mount their horse.

Kids ride around the ring during their lessons, and they play games like red light-green light. Ryder quizzes the children on horse-related terms as they go around.

The kids bond with the horses, and many of them have favorites. But for some of the kids, that love extends only so far -- the volunteers encouraged Maggie to kiss her horse after a lesson last week. She approached the horse's mouth, considering it, but turned away after hugging its head.

Though lessons for Maggie and 30 other kids aren't in danger of ending anytime soon, Reins From Above has been feeling the effects of the recession.

Until recently, a local store donated all of the center's horse feed. But the store went out of business, and the organization is looking to financial support to pick up the slack. To become a sponsor, call Ryder at 919-938-1556.

Reins From Above will hold its annual Fallabration fundraiser from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at the center, 12160 N.C. 42 East near Kenly.

The event features games, barbecue, wagon rides, a yard sale and a deejay