MIDDLEBURG, Fla. -- A group of horse enthusiasts in northeast Florida is working to form a nonprofit, therapeutic equestrian center with a special goal of helping disabled and wounded veterans.

On Saturday, they're holding a fundraising event aimed at helping the cause they call "Horses For Heroes."

Vietnam veteran Jack Davenport is one person who's already been helped by equestrian therapy. A little over a year ago, the former war medic suffered a heart attack and a stroke. He was in a wheelchair, and underwent traditional physical therapy.

Now, he's riding a horse named Dakota, with help from his daughter Becky, an occupational therapist and avid horse rider. She said her riding program called Hope Therapy is giving her father new hope and new health.

"To be up on the horse and riding again and doing things that I'd wanted to do ... I really felt like it was a major sense of achievement," Jack Davenport said.

"The horse helps your balance," said Becky Davenport. "The shifting side to side duplicates the human gait."

The program works primarily with physically disabled youngsters, and some adults. Becky Davenport said there's a need in Jacksonville for a broader program, to combine the needs of disabled military personnel and those with emotional disabilities.

Now, work is under way to launch a new organization called H.O.R.S.E. Therapies, Inc., or Helping Others Rehabilitate through the Services of Equines.

The organization will be a nonprofit therapeutic equestrian center and will provide programs under the auspices of two national organizations, the North American riding for the Handicapped Association, and the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association.

All services will be offered at the same location.

Thanks to this therapy, Jack Davenport is able to use his arm that he couldn't even move before. Programs like Horse Therapy get clients in the saddle, doing things that they usually would do at a therapy session, only it's even more challenging from the back of a horse.

Beyond the therapeutic help, there's also the thrill of the ride for Jack Davenport.

"Yeah, you feel like you're the king of the world," he said.

Saturday's event, "Weekend For Warriors," begins at 10 a.m. at the Clay County Fairgrounds on State Road 16. The event begins with free activities for children.

Evening entertainment begins at 7 p.m. and includes performances by the Royal Lipizzan Stallions and Denny Chapman's Wild West Show. Tickets for the evening event are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and military and $6 for children ages 6 to 14.

For more information on "Weekend For Warriors," visit the event's Web site.