LENOIR CITY, Tenn. (WATE) - Rain or shine, if you visit a horse barn, you'll see riders and instructors hard at work all day just about every day. One of those barns, Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding in Lenoir City, also known as STAR, is a non-profit whose mission is to help people of all ages with disabilities or other challenges.

People like Aiden Leese. He looks forward to his weekly horseback rides at STAR. Spending time with his favorite horse "Zipper" a team of volunteers and his very own instructor is fun for Aiden.

But it is essential exercise for the 9-year-old boy who suffered a traumatic brain injury at the age of two.

"He couldn't talk. He lost all ability to basically do everything, so over the next couple of years as he got a litlte bit better, I started looking into ways to get him better, strong, and I found out about horses, they offer therapy," said Aiden's mother, Ashley.

After Ashley found STAR, Aiden slowly began to undergo some significant changes.

Brittany Ferrell is Program Director at STAR. She's been working with Aiden for close to 3 years.

"He is now, especially this summer, has started to ask the horse to walk by tapping its withers, by verbal commands, not with my hand over hand assistance, so that's a huge thing to see from him," she says.

Verbal commands from a previously non-verbal child mark great strides for Aiden.

His loving mom watches every moment from the stands.

STAR's founder and Executive Director Lynn Klimas Petr long dreamed of helping children and adults through therapeutic riding, exploring the physical benefits and the mysterious mental connection between humans and horses.

"Horses are always a mystery, " Petr said. "And they will forever be a mystery. It's one of those things depending on the person and what their needs are, the horse somehow fills that void."

When his session is over, Aiden still has an opportunity to interact with Zipper. The horse standing patiently, an important part of each milestone of the young rider who is also working so hard.

"He's been through a lot the last seven years, but he's a fighter," Ashley says.

For more information on Songwriters in the Round to benefit STAR, how to volunteer, and how to donate, click here.