Mission Statement

Lend A Hand Therapeutic Riding Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that utilizes equine-related activities for the therapy of individuals with physical, developmental, and emotional differences. We offer both Hippotherapy and Therapeutic Riding. Hippotherapy is a practice in which physical, occupational, and speech therapists employ the horse’s movement as a treatment tool to improve neuromuscular function, language and fine motor skills. Hippotherapy relies on the sensory input provided by the horse’s rhythmic and repetitive gaits to prompt a neuromuscular response in the rider – a response that mimics the movement a child’s body would ordinarily make while walking. Therapeutic Riding is a practice in which a riding instructor makes use of the horse and equine-oriented activities to achieve a variety of therapeutic goals, including cognitive, physical, emotional, social, educational and behavioral goals. It is our philosophy to provide our services in a safe, caring, natural farm environment, and to treat our students and our horses with the compassion and understanding needed to accomplish any given goal as a team. Our program provides teams that consist of physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, riding instructors, trained volunteers, clients, and horses.