Through the charity and Papamoa locals Linda and Kevin Hitchman, Zahnee began weekly horse-riding lessons last July.
After recovering from her operation in September, she was soon back riding pony Matchie and won five ribbons and a treasured letter from Olympian Mark Todd.
The charity helped her tell her story through a children's book.
She worked with Sue Farrell from Rotorua and book designer Bruce Wallace from Auckland to produce a tale of a little girl overcoming the odds to achieve her dream. "It's a gorgeous book, the illustrations and designs are just beautiful," charity founder Leah Evans said.
The book will provide Zahnee, who also lives with Asperger's syndrome, a sustainable means to fund her own charity, Zahnee's Cause, which helps children needing treatment or operations overseas that are not government-funded.