Horses are the best medicine at Waverly, Minn. farm

WAVERLY, Minn. (KMSP) - Susie Bjorklund, executive director of Freedom Farm, believes horses have the ability to positively impact many areas of a person's life, and joy that spreads across that person's face will prove it to any onlooker.

The Waverly, Minn. farm offers therapy rides for veterans, at-risk teens and people with disabilities. The horses allow riders to connect on an emotional level, and even work on their speech and physical abilities, like utilizing core strength to sit up tall.

On Saturday, Freedom Farm has something huge planned: a polo match fundraiser in nearby Watertown at Blackberg Ranch to raise money for the therapy rides. Riders are even flying in to compete. It will allow the farm to provide scholarships, and to keep the cost down for return riders.

The kids are certainly proof that horses are capable of fostering meaningful connections, and the laughter and smiles prove it, too.