Font Size:

Program Details

Address:
Phone:
Fax:
URL:

Activities Offered
  • Hippotherapy
  • Horseback Riding
Transportation
  • Accessible by Public Transportation: No

  • Transportation Provided by the Program: No

Notes

NCEFT is a non-profit, California 501 (c) (3) corporation that improves the lives of children and adults with disabilities by:

  • Providing equine assisted therapeutic and recreational activities, and
  • Contributing professional instruction, research and education in the field of hippotherapy and therapeutic riding.

NCEFT is a Premiere Accredited Center of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA).

NCEFT’s Programs include Hippotherapy, Therapeutic Vaulting and Therapeutic Riding Programs offering a continuum of care to support patients through different levels of treatment and the benefits of equine assisted activities over time.

Each Hippotherapy session is 30 minutes in length, and at most we treat two patients each half hour. Therapeutic Vaulting and Therapeutic Riding Groups are presented in hour long sessions, once per week. We take a summer and winter break of approximately 6 weeks in duration, so that our horses may rest.

The NCEFT Hippotherapy Program

NCEFT has one of the largest hippotherapy programs in the United States, providing skilled hippotherapy intervention for close to 100 children and adults per week. Mostly children and some adults with diagnoses such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, developmental disorders, cerebral vascular accident, traumatic brain injury, and a myriad of other congenital and acquired conditions participate in our Hippotherapy Program.

Recreational Programs

NCEFT patients who have met all their hippotherapy goals and wish to learn riding skills but have certain behavioral or physical challenges which need to be addressed prior to entering a therapeutic riding group, may benefit from our Recreational Programs. Truly, this is a transition from patient to student rider. This non-skilled service is conducted with a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and its focus is to prepare the student for successful participation in the recreational sport of riding. Once a student is prepared for success, they can begin a traditional therapeutic riding program where they will continue to learn horsemanship and equestrian skills.

The NCEFT Therapeutic Riding Program

Therapeutic Riding though not therapy provides the persons with disabilities served by NCEFT with the opportunity to learn horsemanship and sportsmanship. Students may have progressed from Hippotherapy and/or Therapeutic Vaulting to participate therapeutic riding. Activities include learning anatomy of a horse, grooming, tacking up a horse, and becoming as independent as possible in accomplished equestrian skills. Comprehensively, these programs’ benefits offer multi-dimensional learning which complement other therapies and provide participants with experiences that improve self-esteem, self-confidence, communication skills, academic ability and many other facets of their lives.

NCEFT Physical and Occupational Therapists and certified Therapeutic Riding Instructors work together as a team to provide integrated multidisciplinary equine facilitated therapy to achieve physical, occupational and speech therapy treatment that draws from hippotherapy, therapeutic vaulting and rehabilitative riding services.

Therapeutic Vaulting

Therapeutic Vaulting was developed to specifically address the needs of children with disabilities who require a higher level of challenges. As many of our children grow, become more mobile and stronger, they are prepared to participate in a more demanding equine related activity. These same children however, continue to have therapeutic needs which prevent them from transitioning to a traditional therapeutic riding environment or which will prevent them from being successful in a less-structured group settings for recreational riding.

Patients having received hippotherapy often go on to participate in Therapeutic Vaulting, as they grow, develop and gain increased function. The more mobile patient who is strong enough to participates in more demanding and recreational equine activity can begin Therapeutic Vaulting.

Provided in a peer group setting, these patients perform gymnastics on a moving horse that results in educational, psychosocial and emotional benefits.