• Hippotherapy
• Horseback Riding

• Adaptive equipment available
  

• Fee to participate in the Program :

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

The J. F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center is dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities through the highest-quality therapeutic riding programs and is committed to making ongoing, meaningful contributions to the field of therapeutic riding.

The Shea Center is designated by the North American Riding from the Handicapped Association (NARHA) as a "premier center"—the highest possible level of accreditation. It is one of the very few fully-accredited therapeutic riding centers in the United States that offers full-time hippotherapy and therapeutic sport riding programs.

• Therapeutic English Riding
  • Sport— Individuals with various disabilities participate in a structured program to acquire skills leading to the accomplishment of specific horsemanship goals as well as therapeutic goals.
  • Recreation— Individuals participate in a variety of horse-related activities for social and therapeutic benefits.
• Vaulting
  Individual or team vaulting consists of performing challenging gymnastics on a moving horse for improved flexibility, motor planning, balance, and strength.
• Hippotherapy (HPOT)
  Hippotherapy is derived from a Greek word meaning "horse." In this form of treatment, the horse’s body moves in the same three-dimensional motions as the human walk. Thus, the rider’s body is also directed naturally into a three-dimensional "walking" motion that no piece of equipment can replicate.
  
  Treatment is based on principles of classic hippotherapy, neuromotor function and sensory processing. It is performed by a licensed health professional to achieve physical goals, but may also affect psychological, cognitive, behavioral and communication functions. It is a one-on-one treatment that uses activities on the horse that are meaningful to the client.
  
  Specially trained physical and occupational therapists use hippotherapy for clients with movement dysfunction. The horse influences the client, rather than the client controlling the horse. The therapist directs the movement of the horse, analyzes the client’s responses, and adjusts the treatment accordingly. The goals are to improve posture, balance, mobility, and function.
  
  Hippotherapy can be the client’s only therapy, or may be used as one tool in the overall treatment plan.
  Hippotherapy is a medically-recognized treatment with an insurance billing code. While the Center neither does direct insurance billing nor receives reimbursement directly from insurance companies, the staff can assist clients with providing treatment documentation when seeking their own reimbursement.