Coming out to the horse barns at Ride with Pride Horsemanship School in Southlake is something Amelia Morrow always looks forward to.
“I’m excited,” 15-year-old Amelia said as she walked toward the stalls.
“I always love to go out in nature, and horses make me feel good, and I like riding in the sunshine,” Amelia said.
Amelia first got on a horse when she was three years old.
“Ya, he’s a little dirty,” she said as she brushed the horse she was about to saddle.
It was around the age of three when she was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. It wasn’t until she was 5 years old, that Amelia finally started to speak.
“In horse world, and maturity world, and speaking she’s come a long way,” said Doreen Bruton, Amelia’s therapeutic riding instructor.
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Doreen also introduced Amelia to a youth organization that has the slogan, “learn by doing.”
“Doreen was like, ‘Hey, Amelia should join 4-H,’ and we were like, ‘Ya! That sounds good!’” Amelia said with a smile.
While out at the barns one day, Doreen also noticed Amelia had a natural ability to memorize information.
“Yes, she has a photographic memory,” Amelia’s mom, Dorean Morrow, said.
It’s a gift that shined in a 4-H quiz competition that focuses on horses.
“I was really good at that,” Amelia said. “I memorized every single one of the quiz cards.”
“We went to the contest and learned that we had to teach her how to use the buzzers a little better,” Doreen said. “Because she buzzed on everything.”
“So she knew the answers?” we asked.
“She knew the answers, ya! Every answer!” Doreen said with a laugh.
That success lead Amelia to try other projects within the Texas Wranglers 4-H group: including learning photography, a skill she used to take pictures of the rabbit she now owns.
“Well my rabbit’s name is Mocha, and he is an American Fuzzy Lop,” Amelia said.
She has also learned how to be a bee keeper.
“Sometimes that hood’s a little tricky to put on,” Amelia said as she demonstrated how her bee-keeping suit works; however, it’s a project that’s come at a price.
“Yes, I’ve been stung once though... it hurt like crazy!” Amelia said. “And that was on my forehead. That was like the other day.”
She’s also racked up 76 hours of community service in one year.
“It’s really important for me to help out other people... and it’s the right thing to do,” Amelia said.
Her servant’s heart earned her a President’s Volunteer Service Award.
“What have you learned through that organization?” we asked. “I have learned through 4-H to become a better leader, and to make the best better in the future,” Amelia said.
It’s a motto that Amelia follows everyday—including the days that end sweaty and smelling like a combination of horses and dirt.
“That’s a good thing!” Amelia said, and it’s done a lot of good, for Amelia.
Amelia’s peers elected her as a council delegate for her 4-H club, which means she represents her club at the county level. Amelia is also the Tarrant County 4-H Historian and Reporter.
