Riding Unlimited Therapeutic Riding and Carriage Driving Center –
a place where possibilities are unlimited…
Riding Unlimited is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with physical, intellectual and emotional disabilities through the power of the horse.
Riding Unlimited began in 1990 in a leased facility with six borrowed horses, 70 volunteers, three instructors and 24 riders. In 1997 a 49 acre ranch was purchased to meet the increasing demands of the program and expand the number of riders that could be served.
Riding Unlimited is a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, Int'l (PATH) (formerly NARHA) Premier Accredited Center. Riding Unlimited participants range in age from 2 to senior adults..
Our programs include:
• Therapeutic riding instruction in small groups or private lessons.
• Participation in Special Olympics Equestrian Competition, Chisholm Challenge for Special Riders Horse Show and other shows.
• Instruction for the Riding Unlimited exhibition riders and drill team.
• Carriage driving
Rider disabilities may include:
• Cerebral Palsy
• Spina Bifida
• Attention Deficit Disorder
• Intellectual Disability
• Down Syndrome
• Autism
• Developmental Disability
• Visual & Hearing Impaired
• Brain Injury
• Paraplegia
Through exercises such as relay races, obstacle courses and ring toss, riders learn right-left discrimination, sequencing, language development and cooperation while enjoying a pleasurable experience that increases self-esteem, concentration and confidence.
Helen Thomson once said that “in riding a horse we borrow freedom”. Every week our students borrow freedom from their walkers and their wheelchairs. The horse gives them legs. The horse gives them a 3-dimensional movement that mimics human walking gait – movement that is difficult to duplicate in a clinical setting. The benefits for the student include improvement in muscle strength, mobility, body control and balance. Riders also experience improved respiration, circulation and digestion.
For individuals with disabilities, equine-assisted activities have been shown to improve muscle tone, balance, posture, coordination, motor development as well as emotional well-being. Therapeutic carriage driving is unique in that it offers people who cannot ride the opportunity to participate in an equine activity. Driving a horse also utilizes to a greater degree eye/hand coordination and spatial awareness. You should see the excitement in our student’s faces as they look beyond their disabilities and see their possibilities!
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