Therapeutic Horsemanship

Therapeutic Riding lessons, otherwise known as adaptive riding, are horseback riding lessons utilizing adaptations and accommodations for individuals with physical, mental and/or emotional disabilities.

Adaptations/accommodations are used to tailor the lessons to the individual needs of the rider for improved learning and progress towards the rider’s goals. These can include but are not limited to: horse selection, tack used and/or modified to suit the rider’s needs, the use of lead walkers and/or side walkers during mounted activities, and incorporation of other toys, games, and arena equipment into the lesson activities.

Therapeutic riding uses the instruction of basic riding skills and horsemanship to meet a rider’s goals. Grooming, groundwork, and horse care skills can and will be utilized -as deemed appropriate by the PATH Instructor- in a rider’s lessons.

Paperwork includes a section for the physician to complete for clearance that mounted activities are not a contraindication to the individual’s condition(s).

Therapeutic Riding Benefits

Therapeutic and adaptive riding provides a multitude of physical, cognitive and emotional benefits including;

Increases in strength, flexibility, balance, mobility, core stability and range of motion
Improvement in motor planning, gross and fine motor skills, proprioception and coordination
Surges in confidence, self esteem, independence, interpersonal skills and leadership

Form

Stable Moments® is a mentorship program designed for foster and adopted youth who have experienced early developmental trauma using equine assisted learning to facilitate life skill growth. Each child is matched with one horse and one community mentor, for one hour, once a week, for 10 months. The philosophy of Stable Moments® is to utilize the therapeutic interaction of horses with the one-on-one time of a Stable Moments® mentor, to teach these children how to communicate with their horses through body language, energy, and pressure. This is a non-riding program. We focus on groundwork-based interaction that helps them develop a greater capacity for empathy, social, and self-awareness.

Animal-Assisted Services

Connecting with small animals interactively and engagingly opens the mind, body, and heart to an experience that creates trust, promotes healing, and bonds mentor, mentee, and animal through exploring growth, developmental, and life skills in the ranch environment.

Events

Our Ranch Team wants to engage your group with an interactive experience that will leave you with a memory of wonder and curiosity while relaxing and engaging together and with animals. Enjoy our peaceful oasis in the Ranch’s beautiful environment. These events correlate our Missiona and Philosophy into group tours of the facility, pastures, paddocks, and nature trails. With group-team building activities, animal interaction, meditation and relaxation, groundwork activities, and even riding options available.

Schedule your group – school, group homes, community centers, clubs, housing facilities, corporate, nonprofit, and the like, at The Ranch!