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Riverwood Therapeutic Riding Center is a non-profit organization and a North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) approved center. We follow NARHA's standards and guidelines and have certified instructors who work with the riders to improve physical conditioning while increasing their self-esteem.
Our main objective is to use equine oriented activities for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of people with disabilities. The therapeutic riding program typically includes children with developmental disabilities such as brain, language, or neurodevelopmental disorders.
Another objective of Riverwood is to provide a long-term care facility for well-trained horses whose age or chronic illness have shortened their productive lives. The horses are retrained for use in Riverwood's therapeutic riding program for children and adults with a variety of disabilities. The horses receive regular light exercise, veterinary care and farrier visits including corrective shoeing and special diets when needed.
The riding center is supervised by seven staff members and as many as one hundred volunteers (per session) who help facilitate the therapeutic horseback riding sessions. The staff includes four NARHA certified instructors; an occupational therapist and a physical therapist consultant and a bookkeeper.
Riverwood currently operates two ten week and two eight week sessions per year. At least fifteen one-hour therapeutic riding sessions are held each week, each involving four to eight students.
