Higher Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center

Our Organization

Who Should Join?

Higher Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center may be beneficial for adults or children with various disabilities and special needs. For individuals with disabilities, equine-assisted activities have been shown to improve muscle tone, balance, posture, coordination, motor development as well as emotional well being. Conditions which may be helped by horseback riding are as follows:

• Cerebral Palsy
• Spina Bifida
• Downs Syndrome
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Brain Injury
• Brachial Plexus Injury
• Learning/Language Disability
• Developmental Delays
• Autism
• Attention Deficit Disorder

Of course there are many other disabilities that will benefit from therapeutic riding. Each person is on a case-by-case basis. Please speak to us directly with questions or concerns to determine if the program is right for you.

How Our Program Works

With any new program, you will have trial and error. Of course, we hope to have little error but will no doubt learn as we go. Since the first session, we have seen great improvement already, improvement from the participants to the instructors and volunteers. Each day we find more resources to help improve the program. For example, Higher Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center joined NAHRA, a support and resource organization. From NAHRA we have gained access to many forms for administrative purposes to instruction lessons. We will continue to gain more information as we grow and improve.

The program is designed to improve balance, eye/hand coordination, language skills, and improved visual acuity, group participation and social skills (among many other items). In the beginning, participants are hesitant, but as time goes by we see more involvement and an eagerness to be involved. The bond is developed between rider and horse and continues to grow each week.

The rider is asked to groom their horse, blanket and saddle the horse and continue to be responsible throughout the session. We have designed exercises to promote social interaction through group participation, responsibility and control by directing the horse and increase range of motion and muscle control by riding the horse. For example, when riding the horse, one must weave through barrels, or place rings over cones as you ride by. The next instrument to be used is an arch that the rider and horse will go through. When passing under a bar, the rider will be asked to reach up and ring a bell to promote increased upper extremity range of motion.

Higher Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center believes that not all of the education and therapy is through riding alone. We are currently developing tools that will be sent home in between sessions for further encouragement and learning. Even though riding a horse is the best part, there clearly is more to a horse than just riding.

As you may be aware of, we have applied for a grant. We are anxiously awaiting the result. When the grant is approved, the plan is for an indoor riding arena to be built. When this happens, the possibilities are endless. Until then, we continue to use the tools that we can build ourselves or have been donated. We understand that it seems a long time away, but assure you we will give 100% of ourselves to continue improvement until that time comes.