ACTHA Monthly | June 2015 | 34
ACTHA CHARITY of the Month
By Jen Wenzel
Photos by Debbie Walsh
Healing Touch Therapeutic Riding Center began with a dream as so many adventures do. Christine Davis's passion for horses began as early as she can remember. Her mother Maryann has always said that Chris was “born on a horse”. During her early years she was able to indulge this love by competing in competitive riding competitions and later working as a groom at racetracks and as a large animal veterinary technician. Then life took over. As she built her career in Corporate America, her life on a horse was put aside. She was appointed to the Board of the American Payroll Association in Washington, DC. The APA Board tasked Chris with finding a charity that they could support and it was during this search that she first came in contact with the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Center. As she learned more about the Riding Center, she was drawn to become a volunteer with them. She was the volunteer everyone wished for, always ready, willing and able to help. Her love for the horses and for helping made her realize how important her connection was.
The Story of Healing Touch
Chris moved back to Florida in 2007 and immediately found a therapeutic riding center that she could volunteer with. She became a PATH Certified Instructor in 2008 and that same year was voted “Volunteer of the Year”. Her realization of how many special needs children can benefit from this type of therapy prompted her to look into starting atherapeutic riding center of her own. And so, The Healing Touch Therapeutic Riding Center was born and the journey REALLY began.
It was this enthusiasm that led Mary Kingslien, her friend of over 20 years to join Chris in this journey. Mary grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and shares Chris's love of horses and her passion to help others. Her background is in Finance/Administration so she was the one to put all the “paperwork together” to make it happen. In 2009 Healing Touch became “official” and in 2010 they became a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Mary is the Executive Director of Healing Touch, President of the Board and an Ordained Minister.