CLEARWATER -- Often, it's hard for Devin Horvath, 4, to sit still. But a calmness washes over his face as he slowly paces Pumpkin, a sandy-colored Welsh pony, around the riding arena.

His mother, Joy Horvath, watches him with pride. Devin is legally blind and has difficulty communicating. His frustration sometimes leads to behavior problems, she said.

But for now, he is serene and content. And his mother is surprised.

"He doesn't sit," she said, shaking her head. "He just sat for five minutes."

Devin, along with his pre-kindergarten classmates from the special-needs Frontier Elementary School, are taking part in a program at Equither, a non-profit horseback riding camp in Clearwater for people with cognitive and physical disabilities. The children, who have special needs for reasons including autism, visual impairments and delayed language skills, will visit the camp for the next four Fridays.

Program director Kim Dubendorff said horseback riding can improve balance and muscle control and enhance communication skills in both children and adults with physical and cognitive challenges.

The Frontier Elementary program at Equither is made possible through a $2,000 Teach for Excellence Mini Grant acquired by teacher Kerry Kelly. The Pinellas County grants are designed to help teachers initiate creative programs.

For the first day of the program, Dubendorff says that she is taking things slowly to acclimate children to their new surroundings. She also wants to make sure the children are matched with the horses that best suit their needs.

As each child rides, a trained Equither staffer leads the horse to keep an eye on its mood and temperament. At the same time, two volunteers stand on each side of the horse to monitor the child and prevent accidents.

"That is my A-No. 1 thing here. Safety is first, and fun is second," Dubendorff said.

Each of the children has special needs, and Dubendorff makes sure to meet them.

After Emily Broadwater, 4, was lifted off a bronze thoroughbred, Dubendorff rested her on a wooden platform and massaged her thighs to loosen them. Emily's mother, Colleen, said Emily needs help with her motor skills as well as delayed speech.

Mrs. Broadwater said she and her husband, Jan, had heard about the horseback riding program before and that she was glad her daughter could be a part of it.

"We were ecstatic, to say the least," she said. "We'll try pretty much anything to try and kick-start her speech."

While three to four children rode at a time, the rest sat on a mound of sand, playing with plastic tractors and pails and listening to music therapist Lisa Shea as she strummed The Itsy Bitsy Spider. Stacy White, who has been working for Equither for a few months, said that she has seen improvement with many of the kids. "It's definitely common for kids that can't walk and can't talk to get on, and they can ride," she said.

After finishing his 15-minute ride, Devin skipped past his mom on the way to the sand pile.

Minutes later, he sat at a picnic table with speech therapist Carol Robinson and wolfed down a sandwich.

Robinson said she was surprised by his serenity after the ride, as well as by his appetite.

"He's not a big eater, but he ate his whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich," she said.

Dubendorff started Equither three years ago. She was a physical therapist and had worked with children with special needs in clinics and schools for 12 years. Until 10 years ago, she had never ridden a horse, but she always wanted to. When she heard about therapeutic riding, she saw it as a chance to blend her passions.

Running a therapeutic riding program is hard work, but Dubendorff said that it is pure pleasure.

"What I do is not a job," she said. "We get to play and see the rewards that I didn't see in the clinic or in the school."

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