SWEET VALLEY, Pa. — For Madison Yanko of Laflin, coming to Serendipity Therapeutic Riding Center is about healing with a horse like Chance.
"I came here because my father passed away last year, and this is like helping me get through like the loss of the grief of my father," explained Madison. "So I'm at this happy it's nice and relaxing. It's peaceful here, atmosphere and friendly people are great."
For Tara Patton of Noxen, it's about finding common ground with the horse Cowboy; they have more in common than you might think.
"He basically has the same problem I do. He basically has a bum leg too, which, like I have a bum leg, and I have cerebral palsy," said Tara.
Because of the pandemic, the center has faced some financial challenges as only a few clients have been able to spend time with the horses here.
"So through the grace of God and by the support of our community, we've been able to get some donations and be able to keep things going so that everybody can still come and enjoy the horses," said Executive Director Sarah Russoniello.
But everyone hopes more will join them on the farm soon, now that restrictions are being lifted.
"Yeah, we do, right buddy?" Tara asked Cowboy.
Later this month, Serendipity will be opening up to more clients, and current clients say they are excited to share the experiences they've had here with more people.
"Yes, well, this helped me out a lot," said Madison.
"Good, good," added Tara.
"Yeah, yeah, more people, more the merrier," said Martin Parise from Carbondale.
On May 15, between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., Serendipity will be holding an open house, open to the public, for everyone to get a chance to play games and get the know some of the horses that could help them through a tough time or help them make a new friend in Luzerne County.
If you'd like to learn more, you can visit the center's website here.
