Have a heart. (snapshots).

Martha Wittman, store manager of Nutra Foods of Huber Heights, located just outside Dayton, Ohio, believes that life is about balance. At 35, she spends six days a week overseeing the store, which is owned by her aunt and uncle. But her activity doesn't cease at closing time. After hours, she lends her talents to other venues--for one, at her local church as adviser to the Parish Council, and for another, to children with disabilities at the Therapeutic Riding Institute (TRI) in Spring Valley, Ohio.

Wittman has always been passionate in equal parts about children and horses, and TRI, run entirely by volunteers, is a way to be involved with both.

"I used to have a horse, but I had to sell her. Then I saw an ad in the paper about TRI and joined them. I enjoyed it immediately, and I really welcomed the opportunity to stay connected with horses," says Wittman.

And with the children. "The children just love it. It is such a joy to see," she says.

Horseback riding helps handicapped children and adults in myriad ways. According to Betty Lou Townley, one of the founders of TRI, riding provides mental, physical and psychological benefits. Chief among them, it gives children who face innumerable challenges in life a chance to succeed at something, to feel a sense of accomplishment.

"When the instructor gives a direction and the children convey that to the horse and the horse responds--which happens 99 percent of the time--that positive response in itself is so significant," says Townley. Horseback riding has tremendous effects, among them improving hand-eye coordination, fine and gross motor skills, communication skills and peer relationships.

That's where Wittman comes in. She functions as a "side walker"--someone who walks beside the horse, helping both ...