Natalie Newman is on a mission to save as many OTT horses as she can to repaythe animals who saved her and her daughter’s lives.

Up until September 2009 Natalie had never owned, ridden or cared for a horse.

Natalie’s journey began in September 2004 with the birth of her daughter Emily. She was bornpremature at 32 weeks weighing just 3 pounds & 13 ounces.

Emily was a fighter and, despite the doctors telling Natalie and her husband their baby girlwould be developmentally behind other children of her age, within a few short months she hadnot only caught up, but in most cases surpassed the usual childhood ‘milestones’.

Natalie says eventually though “we started to notice little things that were not quite ‘runof the mill’ with Emily but before I could get any sense of what was going on I started toget quite sick.”

Just after Emily turned two Natalie was diagnosed with very advanced ovarian and cervicalcancer.

By the time Emily was three and a half Natalie had recuperated enough that she could refocuson her baby girl. Things were somehow still not right.

After a very stressful 12 months Emily was diagnosed with Asperger’s which is on the autismspectrum.

Natalie says it was “evidently a condition she had ‘inherited’ from me ... Asperger’s wasn’treally out there when I was a kid! Kids like me were just a little odd!” she explains with agrin.

Six months went by and none of the specialist’s treatment methods seemed to have any effecton Emily. (“except for on our bank balance!”).

“But then I saw a news story that forever changed our lives. It was the story of an autisticboy and his father’s horse...”

Three days later she was at Scenic Hills Riding Ranch leading Emily on a horse. It wasmagic!

Within two months the Newman’s had sold their house in Sydney and bought a 17acre propertyin Crookwell.

Seven months later the family own four beautiful horses – “all rescued fromthe meat truck!” - who have changed Natalie and Emily’s lives (and husband Rick’s as aresult) in a way that can only be “attributed to the loving hand of God”.

The family now have a Shetland named Jasper, an Arab x Quarter Horse named Blue Jeans, aStock Horse named Shadow and, their latest addition. a four year old Standardbred straightfrom Bankstown Trots named Sally.

Natalie taught herself to ride and then guided Emily.

“One day she said to me, ‘Mummy, now I know what it feels like to be calm...’ The horsesmake her whole… Me too... When you haven’t fit in anywhere in your whole life, it is thegreatest gift to be so welcomed and accepted into a family of horses...” Natalie says.

“They have taught us so much and helped us both be less ‘Aspie’ in social situations,” shecontinues. “Now it is my time to give back to them!”

The family have launched Track to Trail which was born from a dream to give ex race andharness horses a brighter future, join good families with good horses and to have a facilitywhere children and adults on the autism spectrum can enjoy the amazing therapeutic benefitsthat horses offer.

“As soon as I realised what was happening to failed and retired track horses I knew what Ihad to do,” Natalie says. “It’s going to be a long, and sometimes difficult, road but I knowthat it will be worth it! They are worth it!”

Visit Track To Trail formore info.Comment on this article using the Comment Function below. Discuss this article with otherusers on the Horse Forums.

Follow us on Facebook.