Therapeutic Riding

SERVICES

Our Therapeutic riding program is the heart and soul of Horses with Hearts.

Our equine-assisted services programs utilize mounted and unmounted activities to minimize or overcome challenges faced by those struggling with addiction, mental health obstacles, and learning disabilities.

Your Path Begins Here

Therapeutic riding allows individuals with any type of special need (physical, mental or emotional) the opportunity to participate in mounted horseback riding sessions.

These sessions are provided for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of people with special needs through playing games and teaching horsemanship and riding skills.

Therapeutic riding sessions are designed to meet each participant’s individual goals.

Benefits to therapeutic riding include but are not inclusive to:

Increase muscle strength, flexibility and coordination
Encourage positive behavior and social interaction
Improve memory, speech and learning skills
Instill an overall sense of accomplishment and responsibility
Build skills to increase trust and communication
Identify and learn to use talents and skills more effectively
Provide an enjoyable and productive recreational activity
Promote an overall sense of well-being and self-esteem

Let's Talk About

Who Can Ride

The minimum riding age is 3 years old. We are able to work with a wide range of diagnoses and ages, including, but are not limited to:

- Autism
- Anxiety
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Cerebral Palsy
- Cognitive Developmental Delay
- Down Syndrome
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Reactive Attachment Disorder
- Traumatic Brain Injury

In order for someone to participate in the Therapeutic Riding Sessions at Horses with Hearts they must meet the safety standards set by the Board of Directors:

Horses with Hearts must be able to safely mount, dismount or maintain a participant on the horse
Horses with Hearts must be able to provide a horse and volunteers that can safety carry and maintain participant during all activities

At Horses with Hearts, we do our best to serve everyone but there may be some individuals we cannot serve due to the following:

Weight limit restrictions
Behavioral concerns
Medical concerns that make riding unsafe.

Horses with Hearts is a Premium Accredited Path International Center and we require participants to complete required paperwork on annual basis including a Physician’s Health History form. Once paperwork is received and an available spot has been identified prospective participants will have an intake meeting with a Horses with Hearts representative to ensure the program is a good fit for the individual.

Michael spent his first 7 years in an orphanage in Eastern Europe and spent most of his time indoors. When he came to his home in the US, he was afraid of many things that he saw outside. He was amazed at wind blowing through the trees. And when he first realized he saw the colors of a rainbow in the sky it scared him so much he frantically grabbed hold of his Dad to protect him.

When Michael first went to Horses with Hearts, they took things very slowly as you could see the fear and tenseness in his body. Over the past 4 years he has grown and gained so much confidence. He now arrives at the farm ready and eager to greet his horse and get on and ride. He has also overcome the fear of being close to the horse on the ground and is learning to groom and lead his horse around the arena before he rides. This confidence is extending to other things. He swims all over the deep end of the pool, dives into waves at the beach and at the amusement park will go on rides that he wouldn’t go near last year. All of this has come from the confidence he has gained while working and riding a horse at Horses with Hearts.

– A forever grateful mom

People Always Ask

Why The Horse

The three-dimensional movement of the horse mimics the human walk. The corrective stimulation and exercise from this movement profoundly affects the physical, cognitive, sensory and vestibular systems, which in turn can create abilities in a person with a disability to accomplish things previously not thought possible.

The horse is also a tremendous motivator. Horses and humans together often create a natural bonding relationship. Participants have been known to say their first words, or have taken their first steps because of the powerful influence of the horse. Plus, it is just plain fun!

As a mom who’s child has a rare disease, I am extra in tune to my child’s progress. Lyra rides spring and fall, and when we came back for this season a lot of the volunteers told us how much she has grown.

It’s such a good feeling to have a team know her, and see her growth as well. This season her volume and speech has been so much better. The side walkers will ask her a question, and I can now hear her on the side answer them. Plus, it’s amazing to see your child communicating. When we started riding, she wouldn’t say a single thing. What a huge difference. But, in addition to time/years, every time we ride we see advances in speech. Her communication on the way home is always so much more than the rest of the day.

Lyra also rides for core strength. There is nothing like riding a horse. She has low muscle tone, and her body does so much work when she rides that she is wobbly when she gets off. We couldn’t replicate that. Especially by her just sitting. Her strength has grown this season.

We will continue to support and ride with HWH as long as they will have us. When Kay says that miracle happen, she’s not kidding. The progress we see is huge compared to any other therapy we do- all because of a horse!