At Heritage School in the Humboldt County town of Harris, a dirty, white mare was found scrounging for food from a Dumpster last year.

Abandoned and partially blind, she was about as down on her luck as a horse could get. But that day, she was blessed when a local rancher called Guy Adams of the Heart of the Horse Therapy Ranch in Clovis and asked him if he would take the mare back to his ranch for full care and recovery when she was well enough to travel.

Adams and the rest of the family at the ranch find it hard to resist responding to a call for help, whether it be from someone finding an abused horse, parents of a special needs child or a caretaker of disabled veterans.

Unfortunately, they are unable to take in any more abandoned horses now, as they are up to capacity at the ranch. But they continue to answer calls for help from parents and therapists.

They picked up the mare, now named Heritage, half-blind and with a weird lopsided jaw, and hauled her to their rehabilitation pasture. But a big surprise came along with the sorrowful looking mare in the shaggy coat.

Surprises aren't rare at the ranch, one of an increasing number of facilities dedicated to the use of horses and other ranch animals to help enhance the lives of children and adults with physical and psychological disadvantages.

The trained staff begins by acquainting the visitor with his or her horse for the day. During this pre-ride phase, the visitor is urged to remain calm and respectful to the animal. This may entail some currying and brushing, an exercise that usually has a soothing effect on both horse and client.

Most children, though sometimes daunted by the size of the animals, will bond rapidly with their horses. Children who have never walked, children who have rarely spoken or responded positively in other ways to outside stimuli, often show significant changes near the horses.

Just touching the animals and speaking to them opens a new world of joy for them.

When members of my local Chapter 933 of the Vietnam Veterans of America heard about the services the ranch was providing for disabled veterans from the Fresno Veterans Affairs Health Center, we wanted to offer any support we could, but few of us imagined how inspiring it would be to see the work done there.

I recall one afternoon when family members and a VA therapist took a physically disabled, very depressed vet to the ranch.

Seemingly oblivious to everything but his limitations, he was reluctant to ride the gentle quarter horse waiting patiently for him. Ranch workers, experienced with such cases, persuaded him to let them roll his wheelchair up the mounting ramp and managed to seat him on the horse for a guided ride around the corral.

When he came back, his family cheered. He smiled and wept, perhaps from the realization that in his life, there were still some possibilities he hadn't considered. Several onlookers were crying and smiling, too. In fact, nearly everyone but the horse was crying. He was just doing his job.

Such scenes are not unusual at therapy ranches. The staff members at Heart of the Horse have too many stories to tell here in full detail. But one example is a girl missing a leg through a childhood accident but who, with the help of a specially designed saddle, was trained to fulfill her dream of riding in the Clovis Rodeo Parade and grand entrance ceremony.

Which brings us back to Heritage.

Not long after she had been rescued, a ranch volunteer saw her lying motionless on the ground. He figured she was a goner. Then he looked again and saw a dark, damp foal wobbling around.

When Heart of the Horse folks hauled her back to her new Clovis home, they had two horses: Heritage and her new contribution, a daughter named Hope.

Today, the yearling, Hope, is galloping around the pasture while Heritage watches with what seems to be an appraising eye. Hope is already showing signs of becoming a fine therapy horse some day.

For more information on the Heart of the Horse Therapy Ranch, go to heartofthehorseranch.com and check out YouTube for videos and stories about work there and at other therapy ranches.