• Hippotherapy
• Horseback Riding

• Age range of participants: 2 to 69

• Accessible by Public Transportation: No
  
  
• Transportation Provided by the Program: No

The HeRD (Horses for Riders with Disabilities) Equine Assisted Therapy program approaches these needs in a fun, motivating, and unique way - through Adaptive Horseback Riding Lessons, Therapeutic Riding, and Hippotherapy.

• Adaptive Horseback Riding Lessons have been part of the HeRD program at Woodlands for almost 20 years. As the name implies, these are horseback riding lessons adapted to the needs of people with disabilities.
• In Therapeutic Riding, the student may still be learning to groom, tack, and ride a horse, but the actual goals of the lesson go far beyond learning horsemanship. Working with parents, teachers, medical professionals, etc., our Therapeutic Riding Instructor develops a plan to work on the personal needs of the student -- social skills, speech, improved mobility, remedial academics, etc. are all areas that can be a part of Therapeutic Riding. The ultimate goal of Therapeutic Riding is to improve the student's quality of life outside the stable environment.
• Hippotherapy is medical therapy provided under the direction of a licensed therapist. In conjunction with one of our Certified Riding Instructors and with the help of volunteers and a warm fuzzy horse, traditional therapy is moved out of the traditional office setting and performed using the horse as a motivating, mobile therapeutic treatment tool.