‘Happy’ Moments, Sneaky Therapy Happen on a Horse

HP grad with Down syndrome shines on ManeGait Show Team

In her daily life, Highland Park High School graduate Sara “Happy” Waterman deals with the challenges caused by Down syndrome. But on a horse, she’s a champion.

Happy has won seven belt buckles for being the top rider in her division at the Chisholm Challenge, a horse show for equestrians with disabilities held annually in Fort Worth. Happy’s riding skills have also earned her about 30 medals in the Special Olympics Equestrian Games.

Happy, who got her nickname while a student at HPHS, competes as a member of the Show Team at ManeGait therapeutic horsemanship center in Collin County. At ManeGait, she’s known for her need for speed, good posture, and desire to canter on her longtime horse, Scooter.

“In the United States, everybody’s in sports. Everybody’s so competitive, and this is her chance to be just like everybody else,” said Happy’s mom, Kelly. 

Happy started equine therapy shortly before she turned 2. She wasn’t walking at the time, and didn’t have the muscle tone to sit in a saddle, but she quickly gained strength and took her first steps shortly after she began therapy. 

Happy, now 29, has ridden almost continuously since. She took a break several years ago due to catatonia caused by Autoimmune Encephalitis, which causes the body’s immune system to mistakenly attack the brain.

Happy’s instructor at ManeGait took it slow for one lesson after she recovered, but Happy immediately bounced back.

“It’s her passion,” Kelly said in February during Happy’s weekly lesson at ManeGait. “That’s why I think it’s so amazing. She loves coming here because she’s learning how to ride, and improve, and compete, and she’s getting the benefits of all those therapies.”

“We sneak the therapy in,” added ManeGait executive director Patricia Nelson with a laugh.

Happy begins each session at MainGate with 30 minutes of exercises that help her focus and build cognitive skills through the center’s GaitWay to the Brain program.

Then, Happy heads to the arena to trot, do exercises, and weave through obstacles on Scooter, who she called her favorite thing about horseback riding. Riding itself, she said, is “awesome.”

Equine therapy is an experience that Happy is lucky to have, and one that ManeGait is working to bring to more Dallas area riders. 

The center currently offers services to 150 children and adults each week, but upwards of 400 individuals with disabilities are on its waitlist, and some wait five to seven years to participate, Nelson said.

ManeGait aims to complete a $12.1 million expansion by early 2026 that will enable it to add services and double the number of people it serves. At the project’s conclusion, ManeGait will become one of the largest equine therapy centers in the country.

ManeGait may be changing, but Happy’s experience won’t; Kelly plans to continue making the trip from University Park to the therapeutic horsemanship center for as long as she can.

“This is her sport. She competes. She’s in shows,” Kelly said. “She’s getting all this therapy all bundled up in a one-hour ride. And I just think it’s brilliant.”