Adaptive Horsemanship Curriculum
Why Do we include unmounted activities?
When TRI was founded in 1984, lessons included instruction in all aspects of horsemanship—not just riding. Grooming, tacking, and basic horse care were all part of lessons. Over the years, to meet the demands of a growing program with limited non-profit funds, those unmounted or ground activities were phased out in favor of riding. But, without ground activities, our participants are missing out on many opportunities to learn important skills, better connect with peers, and develop a stronger student-instructor relationship.
We have witnessed the benefits of groundwork in our summer camps, showmanship series, and on the days when the weather has not been favorable for riding. The instructional staff at TRI believes in the abilities of each and every participant that we serve, and we have been continually amazed at the gains we see in ground lessons. Riders with tactile aversions have touched a horse for the first time, or riders with weakness in one arm have found the motivation to use that weak side when grooming. With these proven successes, we’re asking everyone to give groundwork a try as we improve our program through our new, comprehensive “Adaptive Horsemanship” curriculum.
What are the benefits of unmounted activities?
Unmounted or ground activities are commonplace in equine-assisted activities. They promote positive life skills, teamwork, confidence and fitness. We are reintroducing unmounted lessons at TRI to:
Help our participants learn new skills. Currently, our adaptive horsemanship program offers an excellent introduction to horseback riding. But there is so much more to learn about horses! Grooming, tack & equipment, stable management, and handling horses on the ground are skills that we will be able to introduce.
Allow more interaction with peers. “Meeting new friends” is a social goal for many of our participants, and teamwork is easily fostered during ground lessons.
Provide more focused instructional time. Ground activities will help instructors connect with participants. We will have more time to learn preferences, establish goals, and gain insight into techniques that will help mounted instruction.
How Does it work?
In each semester, participants will have a combination of mounted and unmounted lessons. For unmounted lessons, participants will work in pairs, matched with those of like abilities. Mounted lessons will be conducted as groups of 4 riders.
Ground lessons will be based on horse management skills—adapted to each participant’s abilities—from the US Pony Club program, which is the respected foundation of all youth equestrian sports.