Our Mission
We provide equine-assisted programs that foster joy and well-being through connections with our horses and team members in an uplifting and inclusive environment.
To provide stimulating and engaging horse-back riding lessons to students with a variety of special needs for the benefit of physical and emotional growth.
To serve as a support community for parents and caregivers to share in the joy of the growth of their students.
To offer fulfilling opportunities for our volunteers to make a significant impact by guiding our students and/or working with our horses.
Our Goals
Our Dedicated Team
Jackie Saxton
Executive Director
Jeff Spears
President
Alexis Parker
Vice President
Kitty Sarosy
Secretary
Rick Hofsheier
Treasurer
Who Benefits?
Benefits of Volunteering
With busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, the benefits of volunteering are enormous to you, your family, and your community.
Become connected to other people
Volunteering allows people to interact more, meet new people, and expand their network. When you volunteer, not only does it make your ties to the community stronger, you also meet people who share your interests and gain a wider support group.
Beneficial to a person’s mental health
By being a volunteer, you increase your self-confidence, self-esteem, and even develop a more positive outlook on life. Because you are doing something good for the community, you feel a sense of accomplishment and take pride in what you’ve done.
Beneficial to a person’s physical health
Volunteering allows you to be constantly going about, keeps you busy, and highly active. In some cases, volunteering was able to aid in reducing the symptoms of some illnesses such as chronic pain and heart disease.
Other benefits of volunteering
Working as a volunteer can aid in the advancement of your career through experience and development of skills. Volunteering allows you to develop and practice skills often utilized in the workplace such as planning projects, problem solving, critical thinking, time management, organization, communication, and teamwork. Those who want to enter a new career can use volunteering to enable them to gain experience in the field as well as meet people whom he or she may likely end up working with.
Benefits of Therapeutic Riding
Throughout the world, horseback riding is considered uniquely beneficial. Therapeutic riding, which originated in Europe, has been actively helping individuals with special needs since the 1950’s. Therapeutic riding uses equine-oriented activities for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well-being of people with special needs and emotional issues.
Horseback riding requires the participant to address issues such as communication, trust, honesty, accountability, responsibility, patience, relationships, self-respect, respect for others, self-confidence, anger, and social skills. Interacting with a horse challenges issues of fear and self-confidence. In order to mount a horse, the rider must first overcome their fear and learn to trust both their volunteers and horse. Learning to work with horses builds self-confidence and raises self-esteem. Participants learn to work through fear, set goals, and achieve those goals.
Persons with special needs benefit physically and emotionally from therapeutic riding activities. Horseback activities encourage stretching and strengthening of underused or underdeveloped muscles, improve posture and coordination, help develop gross and fine motor skills, increase the riders’ awareness of their body in space, and improve their range of motion. In addition, riders with disabilities increase their self-esteem and self-confidence, learn problem solving skills, and increase their ability to focus and stay on task. All of this while they are having fun!
Physical Benefits
- Stretching of tight or spastic muscles
- Decreased spasticity
- Increased range of motion of the joints
- Reduction of abnormal movement patterns
- Improved respiration and circulation
- Improved appetite and digestion
- Sensory integration.
Social Benefits
- Friendship
- Increased experiences
- Enjoyment
Psychological Benefits:
- Improved self-confidence
- Increased interest in the outside world
- Increased interest in one’s own life
- Development of patience
- Emotional control and self-discipline
- Sense of normality
- Expansion of the focus of control
Educational Benefits:
- Remedial Reading
- Remedial Math
- Sequencing, patterning and motor planning
- Improved eye-hand coordination
- Visual spatial perception
- Differentiation
Show Your Support
Rider Testimonials
See how Helping Horse is making a difference in people lives.
We LOVE Helping Horse. It is an AMAZING program for children with disabilities…it shows them a different way of life; just because they are disabled doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy that way of life. You guys have been a gift from God! We love you!
Riding has helped Kate respond faster and talk loud enough for the horses to hear commands like "walk on!" Each week she meets her horse, Del, at the gate and is ready to ride. Helping Horse really is an awe-inspiring program.
We love Helping Horse! Being able to see Cassie's joy and love for the horses, the therapeutic riding activities, and the people brings us immeasurable feelings of belonging to a group of people who connects with ALL of our family... Let's just say that being included altogether is never taken for granted and creates the very best memories!
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Thank You To All Our Supporters!
