The hardest working members of the TRI team are our horses. Considering donating a horse to our herd? Please read on…
Therapeutic Riding Horses
The concept that Adaptive Horsemanship lessons are easy, low-stress “pony rides” for people with disabilities is utterly untrue. In fact, our program horses must deal with even greater demands than a typical riding academy, including riders who cannot be balanced, loud noises and unfamiliar arena equipment. Horses in our program must accept up to 3 volunteers surrounding them during a lesson and tolerate different people riding, leading, and handling them each week. This is not a cushy retirement opportunity but a demanding work-from-home assignment for sturdy, patient, and well-loved horses.
Our horses work in a unique and demanding environment. to meet those needs we can only consider horses for donation that match the following criteria:
Between the ages of 5 years and 20 years.
Between approximately 14 hands and 16.2 hands.
Sound for flatwork and light arena riding with only routine maintenance or medical needs. Restrictions on high-performance activities may be considered if the horse is stepping down from a performance career (ex. jumping, barrel racing or upper-level dressage).
Does not require shoes to remain sound. Our farm can be muddy and we cannot maintain corrective shoes.
Able to walk, trot (or second gait), and canter with smooth transitions.
A minimum of 2 years under saddle, and is currently being ridden at least 3 days a week.
Offered for a minimum 60-day trial at our facility. A 90-day trial is preferred to ensure horses entering our program are happy!
During the trial period we will determine if the horse is:
Accepting of inexperienced and/or unbalanced riders.
Obedient to both voice and leg signals.
Respectul of inexperienced volunteer handlers on the ground.
Tolerant of people walking beside them during lessons.
Accepting of assistive devices and equipment.
Para-Dressage Horses
TRI is a USEF/USPEA Para-Dressage Center of Excellence we have a particular need for horses with dressage experience. Our nationally-classified riders adhere to the same training scale as able-bodied dressage riders, and often compete in local shows. We are interested in horses that are reliably trained and have competed through first level. Para-dressage may the perfect career for an upper-level horse who needs a step down in training or competing.
If you have a horse you think might be a good match, contact: rider@therapeuticridinginc.org or call 734-677-0303 x 2.