Testimonials

Our 19 year old son has been participating consistently as a therapeutic rider for several years in the Spirit Open Equestrian Program and we feel extremely fortunate for this opportunity. Therapeutic riding is known to have physical, cognitive, emotional, and social benefits. Only the best therapeutic riding programs achieve the delicate balance of seeing improvement in all of these areas by offering a thoughtfully, skillfully, and individually tailored riding experience for each of the students they serve. Spirit is the best of the riding programs in which our son has participated. Not only has he made significant gains in physical strength and endurance, coordinated purposeful movement, and balance; he has also improved his ability to listen, follow instructions, and maintain focus. With the assistance of the skilled instructors and the many well trained volunteers, and with the opportunity to care for, interact and ride healthy well managed horses, we have seen our son develop, maintain, and build actual equestrian skills bringing him ever closer to his goal of becoming an independent rider. This aspect of the Spirit Open Equestrian program sets it apart from others. The goal is for each therapeutic student to advance to their highest potential and ability level while enjoying the friendship, comradery, and support of the Spirit team. Through the Spirit program, our son has developed a new and enduring passion for all things equestrian. By being a member of the spirit team he has not only begun to see himself as a more confident and skilled horseman but also as a friend, a team member, and as belonging to the world of equestrian sport. If you ask him where he is the happiest, he will tell you it’s on the back of a good horse.