The hardest working members of the TRI team are our horses. Considering donating a horse to our herd? Please read on…

Therapeutic Riding Horses

The concept that Adaptive Horsemanship lessons are easy, low-stress “pony rides” for people with disabilities is utterly untrue. In fact, our program horses must deal with even greater demands than a typical riding academy, including riders who cannot be balanced, loud noises and unfamiliar arena equipment. Horses in our program must accept up to 3 volunteers surrounding them during a lesson and tolerate different people riding, leading, and handling them each week. This is not a cushy retirement opportunity but a demanding work-from-home assignment for sturdy, patient, and well-loved horses.

Our horses work in a unique and demanding environment. to meet those needs we can only consider horses for donation that match the following criteria:

  • Between the ages of 5 years and 20 years.

  • Between approximately 14 hands and 16.2 hands.

  • Sound for flatwork and light arena riding with only routine maintenance or medical needs. Restrictions on high-performance activities may be considered if the horse is stepping down from a performance career (ex. jumping, barrel racing or upper-level dressage).

  • Does not require shoes to remain sound. Our farm can be muddy and we cannot maintain corrective shoes.

  • Able to walk, trot (or second gait), and canter with smooth transitions.

  • A minimum of 2 years under saddle, and is currently being ridden at least 3 days a week.

  • Offered for a minimum 60-day trial at our facility. A 90-day trial is preferred to ensure horses entering our program are happy!

During the trial period we will determine if the horse is:

  • Accepting of inexperienced and/or unbalanced riders.

  • Obedient to both voice and leg signals.

  • Respectul of inexperienced volunteer handlers on the ground.

  • Tolerant of people walking beside them during lessons.

  • Accepting of assistive devices and equipment.

Para-Dressage Horses

TRI is a USEF/USPEA Para-Dressage Center of Excellence we have a particular need for horses with dressage experience. Our nationally-classified riders adhere to the same training scale as able-bodied dressage riders, and often compete in local shows. We are interested in horses that are reliably trained and have competed through first level. Para-dressage may the perfect career for an upper-level horse who needs a step down in training or competing.

If you have a horse you think might be a good match, contact: rider@therapeuticridinginc.org or call 734-677-0303 x 2.