Our rider’s all use safe , high quality , well maintained equipment including safety stirrups and wear safety equipment including a riding helmet, jumping vests boots with a heel.
EVERY RIDER is supplied with equipment that is designed to assist with their particular needs and may include: special reins for those with only partial use of hands and arms, special saddles for those with little or no balance or who are unable to sit in a conventional saddle, and adaptive equipment to give extra body support.
Special teaching techniques allow for the rider’s needs, which may range from a straight therapeutic value to purely recreational.
Through participation in this program, individuals learn to believe in themselves, have positive identity, sense of purpose, optimism and psychological well-being. Programs such as ours are essential to ensuring a healthy community in the Kingston Region.
The benefits of Therapeutic Riding include improved: posture, core strength, speech, coordination, fine and gross motor skills, social skills, riding skills, self-esteem, and simple academic skills . ie. counting, number recognition, letters, sequencing.
From one of our Families " This program has been an amazing thing. He has gained core strength and since doing horseback riding is able to get Into a standing position. Cathy's horses are amazing to work with, Thank you" Another rider is now able to ride a 2 wheel bike without adaptive items due to the improved balance skills she has developed.
Our Therapy Horses are specifically trained to support the efforts of rehabilitation to more than 30 students in the Kingston Area to date.
We use mounting blocks and a wheelchair accessible mounting platform and ramps where necessary to help with getting riders onto the horse’s back.
Riding Lessons
A safe and happy place to learn to ride and experience the benefits of therapeutic horse back riding.
We offer an opportunity to develop the emotional bond of harmony and partnership with a horse or pony, while in the company of others who share this interest Our program is based on quality not quantity.
We help our Students achieve their riding dreams !
They have been learning growing and developing with our positive and safety conscious coaching style.
All ages, interests and skill levels welcome.
Our horses, ponies, Staff and Volunteers are
Well behaved (sometimes the staff are unruly … LOL ) trained and happy in there jobs.
Contact Cathy to find out which type of lesson would most suit your needs
The five Principles of healthy child development are:
- A Caring Adult: The existence of a caring adult who provides supportive relationships is the one key attribute that stood out in defining quality programs for children. The establishment of caring, positive, and supportive relationships with adults can help children 6 to 12 develop positive social skills, self-esteem, and self confidence. A program’s quality is dependent upon effective interactions between staff and youth within the environment that staff creates.
- Friends: Positive peer interaction is a key component of effective programs. Friends expand the child’s world beyond one’s family; share in humour; test loyalty; form their first audience; and offer support and criticism. Positive environments foster inclusion, acceptance, the opportunity for fun in constructive play, and the opportunity to develop and practice pro-social skills.
- Participation: Children need to make choices, have a voice, and do things by and for themselves, which supports positive self-expression, physical activity, and interaction with others.
- Play: Stressing fun, creativity, and co-operation, play lets children shape their environment using their imaginations. In addition, play is integral to the acquisition and development of motor and social skills, cognitive function, and creativity.
- Mastery: Providing children with activities and tasks that enable them to feel special, important, and successful. This type of rich content-based learning, led by teachers and coaches who encourage mastery (both through structured and unstructured strategies) helps to promote learning.
(also known as equine-assisted activity or adaptive riding) is used to teach riding skills to people with disabilities.
Therapeutic riding is beneficial for children and adults who present with any of a wide range of cognitive, physical, and emotional conditions.
Kingston Area Riding Assisted Therapy
