MCGREGOR — When 7-year-old Dalton Guthrie spends an hour each week riding Miss Kiddy the pony, he calms down.

His screaming fits have lessened. His speech is getting clearer. And his balance has improved.

For a boy who has borderline autism/Asperger’s syndrome, that’s progress.

Guthrie, who lives in Moffatt, is one of about 12 children with special needs who ride gentle horses at REACH Therapeautic Riding Center off of Val Verde Road near McGregor.

Last month, the issue of treating autism through horseback riding was introduced through the documentary, The Horse Boy, which was screened at the Waco Hippodrome Theatre. Author Rupert Isaacson wrote the book of the same title that details his family’s experience in Mongolia, where his autistic son Rowan’s behavioral symptoms were improved through a combination of horseback riding and meeting with shamans.

Dalton’s mother, 32-year-old Michelle Guthrie, brought her family to see the film. For the customer service representative, footing the bill of a trip to Mongolia just isn’t going to happen.

But the family’s friends at Mound Cowboy Church have helped to pay for Dalton’s horse therapy at REACH, which stands for Riding Equines to Achieve Confidence and Health, since he started riding Miss Kiddy in July.

When Dalton was 2 years old, Guthrie said he still wasn’t talking and had regular screaming fits and tantrums. He was diagnosed with the developmental brain disorder.

Generally, symptoms of autism are repetitive behaviors, social difficulties and speech problems.

Horseback riding to treat physical and mental impairments such as autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome is often referred to as therapeutic riding, or “hippotherapy,” named for the Greek word for horse, hippos.

Dr. Brian Garner, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Baylor University, has studied the benefits of hippotherapy extensively.

According to his studies, hippotherapy is effective because it produces three-dimensional rhythmic, repetitive movement, proven to simulate that of the human pelvis. Those movements, Garner has said, promote increased circulation, balance and coordination.

In May, Garner and a team of researchers built a mechanical horse to help those who could benefit from hippotherapy but aren’t physically able to get on a live horse.

After school every Thursday, Dalton takes Miss Kiddy, a speckled Pony of America, from her stall and into the riding arena. The center’s director, 68-year-old Larry Barnett, and his wife, Marilyn, first help Dalton guide the horse around the arena for a short warm-up. Dalton then climbs up a stepping stool and onto Miss Kiddy.

With one Barnett on each side, the boy rides the pony around the arena and guides the horse through orange cones.

Michelle Guthrie and Dalton’s grandfather, Dean Keeton, watch from a bench outside the arena and shout encouragement along the way.

An hour later, he pulls the pony back into her stall.

Dalton spends half his day in first grade and the other half in a special education class. He also takes speech therapy at school.

“He’s been worked with a lot,” Guthrie said. “We’ve improved a lot.”

Dalton started speaking when he was 4.

“His mind moves faster than his words,” Guthrie said. “I’m always having to say, ‘Slow down. Use your words.’ ”

“He loves H-E-B,” she said. “He’ll go up to a perfect stranger and introduce himself.”

He can memorize every word of a movie and can navigate home on car rides.

But lately, all he talks about is Miss Kiddy.

“He’s learning to share and love something other than himself,” Larry Barnett said. “He loves that horse, and there’s a social benefit there. He’s learning compassion.”

The nonprofit organization supplies scholarships to its riders who qualify financially. Hippotherapy at the center is about $600 per semester, Barnett said. His goal is to some day be able to cover the costs for every rider.

There is no cure for autism, or even any conclusive evidence as to why it develops.

But, as Michelle Guthrie has seen, every little improvement is worth celebrating.

Dalton leads Miss Kiddy into the riding arena. (Rod Aydelotte photo)