HEALING HORSES THERAPEUTIC RIDING PROGRAM

Established in July 2007, Healing Horses is a 501©3 organization dedicated to providing equine-assisted therapeutic services to children and adults with special needs. The program offers benefits to individuals of all ages with physical, cognitive, mental health, and behavioral challenges. Healing Horses currently offers therapeutic riding lessons and equine-assisted activities for children and adults with disabilities, children in the foster care system, and veterans living with PTSD.

Therapeutic Riding incorporates the use of a horse to achieve a variety of benefits to our riders, such as:

Physical: A horse’s rhythm and gait mimics that of the human gait, and the horse’s body heat helps to warm-up muscles and joints to make them more limber and improve range of motion. Riding has also been shown to result in improved balance and strength, improved coordination, stretching of tight or spastic muscles, improved respiration and circulation, increased stimulation of the senses, and more.

Emotional/Cognitive/Behavioral: Individuals with difficulty communicating and connecting with other people often find it easy to bond with a horse, and that relationship helps build trust. Research also shows equine-assisted thereapy helps to increase self-confidence and risk-taking abilities; increase patience, control, and self-discipline; and promotes respect and care for animals and people. And recently, equine therapy has been shown to benefit veterans living with PTSD.

An instructor certified by PATH International (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) conducts lessons with the assistance of a team of volunteers. Class sizes vary, depending on the abilities of riders and their support needs. Our horses are chosen based on temperament, conformation, age, ability to perform specific tasks and overall nature and personality. Lessons are offered year round in 13 week sessions, once a week (or every other week), for one hour per lesson. We offer therapeutic riding at a rate considerably lower than other riding centers to ensure we’re accessible to those in need. We provide scholarships to those in extreme financial need, and provide services free of charge to veterans and children in our foster care program.