Culture Community A Lifetime Love of Horses Fuels a Final Wish By Mary Jo DiLonardo Senior Writer University of Cincinnati Mary Jo DiLonardo covers a wide range of topics focused on nature, health, science, and anything that helps make the world a better place. our editorial process Mary Jo DiLonardo Updated September 29, 2019 A beautiful horse. Callipso/Shutterstock Share Twitter Pinterest Email Culture History Travel Sustainable Fashion Art & Media Holidays Community Nelly Jacobs spent most of her life around horses, riding competitively and winning medals for show jumping until early signs of Parkinson's disease forced her to put away her saddle nearly 40 years ago. Now 87, the Dutch woman is confined to a wheelchair and has very limited movement. But two charities, The Care Group and Green Cross, heard about Jacobs' wish to ride one last time. The groups teamed up for The Hidden Desires project, which works to make wishes come true. They made plans with a local riding school for an amazing adventure. Jacobs recently visited the school with her son, Jan. She fed the horses, smelled the familiar scent of hay and then was carefully lifted on a special bed where she was able to lie on the backs of two horses. As the driver carefully steered the horses around the riding arena, Jacobs' face lit up with incredible joy and she whispered to her son, "heerlijk," which translates to "wonderful."