John Romero, 18, feels empowered when the Las Campanas Compadres team helps lift him from his wheelchair onto a special saddle atop his favorite horse — a Norwegian Fjord named Shiloh.

Romero has been taking riding lessons with Las Campanas Compadres, an organization that provides free horseback riding, swimming and art lessons to people with disabilities, for nearly two years, and has gone from having to ride with another person on the horse with him to riding all by himself.

"His independence has increased," his mom, Darlene Romero, said proudly. "As someone who doesn't really have mobile independence, this kind of thing really increases his ability to feel like he can do things that other people take for granted."

"He's much more determined to do things on his own," said John's riding instructor, Georgia Smith.

"John's whole self-esteem has gone up a lot," said Lawrence Becerra, one of the founders of the program. "He's a lot more independent, a lot more confident about himself."

Romero, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, said his favorite part about taking both riding and swimming lessons with the Las Campanas Compadres crew is "the friendship."

"He's an extraordinary, extraordinary young man," Suzanna Becerra, one of the program's founders, said.

The roots

The Becerras moved to New Mexico five years ago after what was supposed to be a vacation.

"We both lived in London and we were looking for a second home," Lawrence said. The couple tried out a few high-profile spots like the South of France and Italy, but it was on vacation that they found the spot. "We decided to come for a couple weeks and never left."

But Santa Fe didn't become a second home — they moved here instead.

After they decided to make their lives here, friends asked if they'd like to become instructors for the Adaptive Ski Program, which provides ski lessons for people with disabilities. They jumped at the opportunity.

"We were up there teaching and absolutely loving it," Suzanna Becerra said. "We fell in love with a couple of our students, and their parents in fact, and asked if they'd ever been on a horse before and if not would they like to get on a horse. The answer was yes."

The couple lives in Las Campanas where the state-of-the-art equestrian center and pool are accessible only to property owners and guests.

"It's a big facility," Lawrence Becerra noted as he walked down the hallways of the stables in the equestrian center. "This is probably one of the best riding facilities in the country. It's an amazing place."

They knew that the equestrian center was closed on Mondays, so they thought that would be a perfect day to offer horseback riding lessons.

"We went to management ... and I said, 'If it's closed on Mondays and you have this beautiful facility, I'll pay for everything that needs to be paid for if you'll give us the facility to use for free,' " Lawrence Becerra said. "And they did."

"Without even flinching an eye, they gave us everything we needed," Suzanna Becerra said.

That was in May 2007 and since then, the program has grown to include more than 30 students who range from age 2 1/2 to 55. In addition to horseback riding, the program offers swimming lessons, art lessons and fishing excursions.

"The dream of it is completely coming true," Suzanna Becerra said. "I come away on a Monday and feel extremely good about myself because this is what it does for me — it makes me feel good that I'm helping and giving back to the community."

The logistics

The Becerras never intended Las Campanas Compadres to be a nonprofit that relied on community donations. They had always planned to pay for everything, but when they called for volunteers, people in the community who were either too busy or too scared of horses and insisted that they be able to contribute monetarily instead.

"We've been very surprised at just how generous people are," Lawrence Becerra said.

"We're also trying very hard not to be a charitable fund that goes out and asks people for money," Suzanna Becerra said. "Generally people have offered (money) without us going out there and that's the way we want to keep it."

The Becerras have used donations to pay for the program's swimming and riding instructors and bits of equipment here and there.

"The rates they charge us are about as good a bargain as you can imagine," Lawrence Becerra said about the instructor fees. "It's very generous of people who show up on time to volunteer. It's very generous of people who sit on our board."

The Becerras cover the accounting, legal, insurance and Web site costs. Lawrence has a successful career in finance. The program has an approximate $50,000 annual budget.

The process

The process to get students has generally been word-of-mouth, the Becerras said. They've given a few presentations at local schools and both teachers and doctors refer students to the therapeutic riding program.

Students fill out an application, provide evidence from their doctor regarding their condition, the Las Campanas team meets with the families and then they start lessons.

"We do our best to accommodate everybody," Lawrence Becerra said. "To my knowledge, we haven't turned anybody down yet."

The special saddle

Recently, the Becerras purchased a $6,500 special saddle as a gift to the program to benefit students who use wheelchairs.

The saddle looks like a small armchair with comfy, furry orange seat covers.

"It's a huge contraption," Suzanna Becerra said with a hearty laugh. "It rattles and it shakes."

Previously, riding instructor Smith would climb atop the horse and hold John while he rode.

"With (John) it was never a fear factor," said Lawrence Becerra. "It was a physical factor, because he has severe physical limitations."

So now, not only is John fearless, he's able to ride by himself thanks to his saddle, said Lawrence Becerra.

"It was a surprise, a huge surprise," Darlene Romero said. "It made him feel proud that he didn't need a back rider anymore. Of course it was like he and Georgia (Smith) broke up, but the independence that it gave him to be able to brag to his family, 'I have my own saddle now and I could ride by myself,' was a big deal."

The volunteers

The Becerras maintain that Las Campanas Compadres wouldn't be successful if it weren't for the pool of approximately 40 volunteers.

"It's very rewarding for the person who contributes to see that first smile when they feel a little bit more in control," said volunteer Laila Gilliland. "It means bringing some kind of happiness to those children's lives — a little bit of sunshine."

Norman Becht has been volunteering since Day One, he said.

"Every Monday he's here on time," Suzanna Becerra said. "Anything that needs to be done — he's just amazing."

"It's a nice thing to do and it's gratifying," said volunteer Jack Berger. "When a kids says, 'I like you, Jack,' it's a gratifying thing."

The program needs volunteers, specifically male volunteers.

"We have some younger men who need the support," Gilliland said.

To fill out a volunteer application, visit www.lascampanascompadres.com.

The benefits

The parents of the students are grateful for the program — not only because it's free — but because it's extraordinary.

"It's a great program," said Lisa Schwade, mother of Jacob and Alexia Schwade, who both take riding and swimming lessons. "When you have a child with special needs, it's a big financial burden, so it's nice that there's something like this."

"It's a wonderful program," Nathan Schwade agreed.

The Schwades say the swimming lessons have helped their daughter conquer fear and have helped their son with his coordination. The children have been taking lessons for a month.

"Lexi was very afraid of the water and she's overcoming that," Lisa said. Alexia, initially afraid of horses, is still getting used to Shiloh.

Jacob has blossomed around the horses, Lisa Schwade said.

"He was always pretty interested," Schwade said. "He's real gentle around the animals."

They also like the environment.

"These activities provide therapeutic advantages in a nontherapeutic environment," Schwade added. "Our kids think everything is just playing."

At first, Darlene Romero was a little apprehensive when John wanted to get involved in the program. He had ridden a horse before in a different program and was excited to get back in the saddle again.

"As a parent, I was a little bit hesitant to put him in the hands of somebody else that I didn't know anything about," Romero said. But after observing another lesson, she knew it would be work out. "It just gave me so much assurance that these people know what they're doing. They're well-trained and they're so kind-hearted."

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.

To see a video about the people in this article go to www.tinyurl.com/sfnmvideo

For more information on volunteering, becoming a student or donating, visit www.lascampanascompadres.com.