A young child wearing a helmet rides a decorated white horse during sunset at an outdoor event. A woman holds the horse's bridle, and several people, also wearing helmets, are seen in the background at a rodeo or fairground setting.

Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT)

EAAT is different than recreational riding as it focuses on overall physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing and not on performance while riding.
We believe that horses have God-given healing abilities so we focus on interacting with our beautiful and gentle animals to achieve a sense of wellness and peace for our students and their families.

Interactions with the horses include:

  • Grooming

  • Groundwork

  • Pasture therapy

  • Horse Back Riding

Our goal with EAAT is to cultivate both relationships with our horses and increase skill sets for our students- whether they are physical, emotional, or mental. Working with the families, we will set goals and our instructors and volunteers will assist students to reach specific goals.

The Benefits

Person riding a horse outdoors, wearing a pink helmet, glasses, orange sweatshirt, and camouflage pants during the daytime.

The Physical Benefits

Beyond the obvious exercise, horseback riding is incredibly beneficial for students with physical disabilities. Horseback riding will increase muscle tone, balance, reflexes, strength, and flexibility.

A young boy with light-colored hair and a colorful T-shirt reaching out to touch a brown horse with a purple halter inside a stable with wooden beams and metal siding.

The Emotional Benefits

Just being in the presence of horses can reduce anxiety due to a reduction in cortisol. Most interestingly, horses can mirror emotions, creating an awareness in students on how they can regulate their feelings.

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.

- Winston Churchill