Grace Riders
GRACE Rides currently schedules equine-assisted activity and therapy sessions Tuesday through Friday. We sometimes have Saturday activities as well (particularly for in-house horse shows and also for other horse shows in our area). We operate on a Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer Session schedule (usually ranging from 6 to 12 weeks each), with short breaks between each and on important holidays.
We limit ourselves to numbers of riders and classes of therapeutic needs that we know we can handle safely and with the highest quality of love, care, and attention. Sessions generally last 45 minutes, and include 1 to 4 participants per session. A critical factor in accomplishing this is having sufficient VOLUNTEER assistance for each new child. Please check out our “Volunteering” page, and consider joining our team!
STEPS TO GET YOU GOING:
The first step towards joining a session is to complete paperwork, click here to download a Rider Application packet, and get it to GRACE Rides. Please note that one of these pages is to be completed and signed by a physician very familiar with the rider who is applying to our program. This packet provides us with information that we need to determine an appropriate group within which the new rider might be placed (based primarily on age and cognitive/physical challenges, which we attempt to match somewhat within each group session).
The second step is to schedule and complete a hands-on, one-on-one evaluation with the new rider and the instructor(s) at GRACE Rides. This gives us the additional information that we need to complete the rider’s group session placement, and to develop an individual riding instruction and therapy plan to meet the needs and goals of each rider. Once you are in a lesson group, we keep activity/goal progress notes in a privacy-protected individual file, updated at each lesson. We also complete a skill progress evaluation twice each year for each participant, and update goals and plans accordingly.
The final step is getting into the saddle at your scheduled session day and time, once each week. With that accomplished, you will take big life-improving steps as you develop relationships with your new friends–your horse, your instructor, your companion riders and your volunteer support team–and as you experience the joys of our GRACE-full horse companions!
COSTS:
The costs to provide these rides are covered through the donations of time and treasure by our Grace-full supporters. We do not want to limit any rider from participating because of a lack of funds and we work with parents and guardians and families to partner with us to find financial support for the mission to keep our riders tall in the saddle. Please plan and pray on how you can partner with us to keep all our kids riding.