Therapeutic Riding - Horse Therapy for Disabled Children

The Center's Therapeutic Riding program benefits children and adults who have a variety of special needs relating to cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, and autism to stroke recovery and learning disabilities. Students ride specially trained horses with our certified instructors in weekly sessions to develop increased balance and muscle control, improve concentration and short-term memory, and enhance their confidence and self-esteem.

See how Therapeutic Riding at Helen Woodward Animal Center is changing the lives of the Ausen family.

Therapeutic Riding News and Notes

Donate Your Used Tack and Horse Items and Benefit a Great Cause

Is your tack room bursting at the seams with all the great deals you snagged at last weekend's big tack sale? Are you looking to clear-out the gently used tack, blankets, wraps and miscellaneous supplies you no longer have room for? Donate these items to the Therapeutic Riding Program at Helen Woodward Animal Center! We'll use your tax-deductible donations for our upcoming Tack Sale, benefitting our program which provides riding lessons for children and adults with special needs. Proceeds from the Tack Sale will aid all operations of the department, including necessary care for our horses’ food, bedding and medical needs, as well as scholarships for riders. Donations are being accepted now through Wednesday March, 14. Then tell your friends to join us at the Helen Woodward Therapeutic Riding Tack Sale on Saturday, March 17! Contact the Therapeutic Riding Program at 858-756-4117 ext. 381 for any questions, or to arrange a drop-off time for your donation. Thank you for helping make our Tack Sale a success and for supporting our very special horses and riders!

The 2011 Therapeutic Riding Annual Horse Show was a huge success

The program puts on a show for the clients of the program to be able to have a special day of their own. They can invite any and all friends and family to watch them ride and show off the skills they have worked on all year. This year was a bit different because the program had been closed down for construction of the new arena. The clients had been back on horses for just a short 8 weeks before the show. The show was a great way to kick off re-starting the program and all of the clients have come back without missing a beat.

This year’s show was Halloween themed. The horses came out as the Charger’s football team with the Charger’s Bolt and a player’s number painted on their rump. Volunteers and clients were encouraged to wear costumes, but they had to be appropriate to be around horses. Throughout the day, we saw many great costumes including Spongebob Squarepants, Knights, Lady Bugs, Cowboys, Skeletons, the Marine Corp Bulldog mascot, and many more. Each rider was honored with a trophy at the end of their ride. Most years the clients get a blue ribbon, but this year we were able to make it even more special.

Thanks to Joseph at Pogy’s Trophys and to the generous donations of some of our program volunteers. This was truly the “icing on the cake” for many of these riders as they have never received a trophy before. Program Manager, Alicia Roe, says “It was priceless to see their faces light up with excitement as they held their trophy over head for all to see.”

We were honored to have special guests present trophies during the afternoon classes. Olympic Dressage rider, Steffen Peters and his wife Shannon took time out of their busy schedules to watch several classes and give riders their well-deserved trophies. They were also seen greeting many of the horses and getting to know some of the riders. Captain McQuead, from the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Department also helped give out trophies and support the program for the great efforts it makes to bring smiles to the clients’ faces. Thank you, Steffen and Shannon, and Captain McQuead for making the day even more special.

The show included two main types of classes with many different skill levels. One class type went through a series of obstacles to show their control in steering, stopping, and trotting. The obstacles included weaving cones, a zigzag, ground poles, and getting a bean bag in a hula-hoop. The other class type demonstrated trotting and the figure eight. The figure eight is a riding figure of two circles of the same size that come together in the middle, which shows horse and rider’s balance and control in both directions. Regardless of which class each rider was in they were able to perform at their own level of independence.

For most of the classes the clients were off lead during their performance, showing they have learned to control their horse through the use of their aids. This includes their hands, voice, legs, eyes and body positioning. There was one other class with just one rider at the end of the day. One of our more advanced students got to show off her skills at the trot and canter by taking her horse over a course of ground poles at the trot and cantering the full arena, with no assistance.

We are proud of the advancements and improvements of every client. This year we had 30 clients participate in the show out of 47 that are enrolled. We had none of our 10 horses participate and every single one was on their absolute best behavior all day long. They were perfectly behaved with music, clapping, costumes, and overall excitement. The show is a hard day of work for the horses so they will get to relax and recover for the entire week after the show before starting the next eight-week session. Meanwhile, the instructors will begin planning the fun and skills the riders will work on for the coming session.

LOOKING TO GET INVOLVED, BUT DON’T HAVE THE TIME?

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