Luke’s dad, Matt, noticed his son’s love for horses early on, and started him in riding lessons. Luke loved riding, but he quickly outgrew his first facility and their ability to care for him. Michelle, Luke’s caregiver, wanted to keep Luke’s riding dreams alive and reached out to Agape for help.

Not only did Luke begin his therapeutic lessons at Agape, but his team of volunteers channeled their love into figuring out how to make Luke’s experience better. While his instructor, Katelyn, enlisted the tallest and strongest volunteers, like Larry and Steve, who were needed to support Luke through his lesson, Brien reached out to an engineer friend of his, Dave, to see about producing a piece of tack that would help Luke stay atop Pretty Boy, Luke’s horse of choice.

After a few trials and upgrades, the team had developed “The Luke,” a combination of stiff leather, stitching, and ingenuity, that gave some physical relief to the volunteers and enabled Luke to use more of his core to support himself. 

The result? Luke is stronger, can support himself better than ever, and now pays attention longer in the saddle and at home.

Simply put, Luke is physically stronger, communicates more and is joyful for longer. And his strength, communication and joy is now spilling over into other parts of his life.