Therapeutic Horseback Riding (THR)

Therapeutic horseback riding (THR) uses horses and specialized instruction to help individuals with disabilities improve their physical, emotional, cognitive, and social well-being by teaching horsemanship and riding skills in a supportive environment. The rhythmic movement of the horse mimics a human walk, stimulating muscles and improving balance, coordination, and strength, while the bond with the horse builds confidence, self-esteem, and provides emotional support, making it a holistic form of therapy.  

How it works
  • Adaptive Activities: Sessions are tailored for special needs, adapting equipment or using special mounting techniques (like ramps or trained horses) for safety. 
  • Instructor-Led: Certified instructors guide riders through activities like grooming, leading, and riding, focusing on the rider's goals, not just riding skill. 
  • Focus on Connection:
    Emphasis is placed on building a relationship with the horse, fostering trust and communication. 


Key Benefits
  • Physical: Improved balance, core strength, flexibility, coordination, and motor skills.
  • Cognitive: Better focus, listening skills, and clearer speech.
  • Emotional: Increased confidence, self-esteem, patience, emotional control, and stress relief.
  • Social: Friendship, empathy, respect for animals, and interaction with nature. 

Who it helps
  • People with developmental disabilities (e.g., Autism).
  • Neuromuscular disorders.
  • Physical and mental health conditions.
  • Those needing to maintain gains from other therapies or seeking an engaging outdoor activity. 

Life Skills

Horses are amazing at teaching us valuable life skills that we can carry into our day to day interactions and school/work life. These types of lessons focus on the skills we learn from horses and connecting them to real-life scenarios and situations. These lessons are focused on connection and communication with the horses both on the ground and under saddle. 

Key Skills Developed
  • Social-Emotional Skills: Empathy, self-awareness, emotional regulation, confidence, and self-esteem.
  • Communication: Clear verbal and non-verbal communication, active listening, and boundary setting.
  • Leadership & Teamwork: Decision-making, problem-solving, trust, and collaboration.
  • Personal Growth: Stress management, mindfulness, focus, and resilience.

Who It's For
  • Individuals: For personal development, stress relief, and building life skills.
  • Corporations/Organizations: For team building, leadership training, and improving workplace dynamics.
  • Educational Settings: To support students' social-emotional learning and well-being.

Benefits
Participants often experience reduced anxiety, increased self-assurance, clearer communication, and a greater sense of connection and purpose.

Equine Assisted Therapy

"Equine-assisted psychotherapy, sometimes referred to as EAP, EAT, or “equine therapy,” refers to activities with horses that are conducted while being supervised by a mental health professional and a horse trainer or other equine specialist. Equine therapy has been used to treat anxiety, ADHD, eating disorders, addiction, depression, and many other mental health conditions, and, in addition to targeting symptoms of those disorders, is theorized to help patients build confidence, self-awareness, and empathy. (Psychology Today)"

I am currently pursuing my graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Eastern Oregon University.  My anticipated Graduation Date is AUGUST 2026! I will be taking the board exam and then will have my provisional license in counseling in the state of Oregon. I will be focused on gaining the training necessary to be able to facilitate Equine Assisted Psychotherapy within my counseling journey!

I will be unable to offer EAT until these steps have been completed, so check back for updates!

Lesson Types

We teach all 4 seasons! At our facility we rarely do camps. Instead we do Seasonal Punch Card Specials. We also do random scheduled lessons, weekly lessons, every other week, once a month, and basically whatever fits your budget.

We provide Lessons of various types to suit most needs.

Private Lessons  - 1 Hour ($50) - 1 on 1 lesson, private instruction. Can be on a school horse or a student owned horse. Private lessons are required prior to joining a group, unless you have reference to being able to walk, trot, post the trot and demonstrate safety in numbers.

Dual/Semi-Private Lesson  - 1 Hour ($90) -. A dual or Semi-Private lesson is a lesson with 2 students and 1 instructor. These can be on a school horses or a student owned horses. This can be both Adaptive Riders or a sibling/parent lesson. It's always more fun with a friend!

Group Lessons - 1 hour ($35 per person) - These are 3-5 riders and need to be privately arranged or utilize our drop in groups. Pre approval for drop in groups is required.