Physical Health United States Project #47140

Equine Therapy for 20 Children with Special Needs

by Equine-Assisted Therapies of South Florida

Equine Therapy for 20 Children with Special Needs

Project Report | Apr 13, 2022
Spring Riders Benefit from Scholarships

By David Plath | Development Director

Hope steers her horse through an obstacle course.

Dear Friend,

Your generosity has helped provide scholarships for 36 children and adults with special needs who are just about to begin 10-weeks of lessons in our Therapeutic Riding or Unmounted Horsemanship programs.

For 40 years, our barn has been a refuge for individuals of all ages and abilities. Beginning this week, we welcome back 75 children and adults with a wide variety of disabilities for the 10-week Spring session who will be partnering with our 10 specially trained horses to enjoy the benefits of equine-assisted services.

I want to share with you one story of how your generosity is helping an individual with special needs here at Equine-Assisted Therapies of South Florida.

Hope is 14 years old has been riding with her twin sister in the Therapeutic Riding program for 7 years. Hope has Cerebral Palsy with hemiplegia to the right side of her body, affecting her muscle control, fine and gross motor skills, and stamina. Since Hope has been riding, she has improved greatly in her ability to maintain her position in the saddle and in her ability to effectively direct her horse. She now rides mostly unassisted in her lessons, balancing in and out of the saddle for two-point and trotting exercise. With adaptive reins, she demonstrates more advanced steering techniques and riding patterns.

We thank you for your support of individuals like Hope. You have helped to pave the Path to Independence for her and others. We ask humbly you to consider making another gift as we come to the close of the year that will help our participants experience life without limits throughout the coming year.

With deep appreciation,

David Plath

Faith and Hope with awards at Special Olympics.

Links:

Back to all project reports

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.