Welcome to The Boost’s first-ever list of Equine-Assisted Services! Its focus: the New York City area and Lower Hudson Valley.
Horses have proven psychosocial effects on children and adults with a range of disabilities. Interactions with horses can improve self-esteem, self-confidence and feelings of freedom, and have multiple therapeutic effects as well.
“A lot of times we see people really coming alive when they’re on a horse,” Sarah Uzelac, a psychologist and executive director of the Topfield Center equine center in Cold Spring, N.Y., tells The Boost.
“We find for example that our riders often talk to their horses — a horse is always going to listen and is never going to walk away. The work also requires hand-eye coordination, for you to think about what you’re going to do next, which helps with executive functioning, and to communicate a plan to your horse in a way the horse can interpret. Riders learn quickly because it’s so immediately rewarding.”
In addition, horses provide broad body-to-body contact, which can help people strengthen their core and work on balance and weight distribution. Riding can also decrease muscle spasticity and hypertonicity due to a horse’s warmer body temperature; gently stretches hips and legs; and “provides vector forces similar to walking, thus improving motor function and core strength.”
Terminology
Broadly speaking, Equine-Assisted Services can be broken down this way:
Ground Programs: Conducted off the horse (unmounted), they’re where people generally learn how to groom, feed and water horses, and how to handle themselves around a horse’s behaviors, which, in turn, can help regulate their own behaviors. They’re also encouraged to build a relationship with the horses.
Adaptive, or Therapeutic, Riding: These are riding lessons, on a saddled horse, adapted to each person’s special needs. All the Adapted Riding programs listed minus one use instructors certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.). Certification is voluntary.
Hippotherapy, or Equine-Assisted Therapy: These are therapeutic riding sessions that focus on maximum contact with the horse’s movements and far less on riding skills. Therapy is provided by either a licensed occupational, physical, or speech therapist who help clients reach functional goals. (Learn more at the American Hippotherapy Association.)
Keep in Mind
- Please check first with the experts who know your loved one’s needs and capabilities. They can help determine if Equine-Assisted Services is the right path for you.
- Reimbursement: Adaptive Riding and Grounds Programs can usually be submitted for Self-Direction reimbursement. Hippotherapy is covered (depending on your plan) through health insurance plans.
- I’m not personally familiar with these programs and can not speak to their safety or legitimacy.
Equine-Assisted Programs
This list is designed to grow. Know of one? Contact me here.
ACCESS EQUESTRIAN (Westchester)
- Address: 1 Succabone Rd., Mount Kisco, NY 10549
- What it offers
- Hippotherapy
- Adaptive Riding & Horsemanship
- Pricing
- Financial aid: No
CENTER FOR THERAPEUTIC RIDING OF THE EAST END (Suffolk)
- Address: 93 Merchants Path, Sagaponack, NY 11962
- What it offers:
- Therapeutic Riding
- Equine Assisted Services (Ground Programs)
- Pricing: $50-$75/session
- Financial aid: Yes
CHILDREN OF PROMISE STABLES (COPS) (Rockland)
- Address: 135 Convent Rd., Nanuet, NY 10954
- What it offers
- Adapted Riding
- Ground programs
- Pricing: $70/session
- Financial aid: Grants are available for eligible participants
ENDEAVOR THERAPEUTIC HORSEMANSHIP (Westchester)
- Address: 556 Croton Lake Rd., Bedford Corners, NY 10549
- What it offers
- Therapeutic Horsemanship: This includes adaptive riding and grounds programs
- Hippotherapy
- Pricing: Ask for prices
- Financial aid: Yes, need-based scholarships
GALLOP NYC (Queens & Brooklyn)
- Addresses: 3 locations
- 88-03 70th Rd., Forest Hills, NY 11375
- 80-98 Linden Blvd., Howard Beach, NY 11414
- Prospect Park, near the corner of Caton Avenue and Coney Island Avenue
- What it offers:
- Therapeutic Riding
- Hippotherapy
- Pricing
- Financial aid: Full and partial tuition scholarships are available
HORSE ABILITY (Nassau)
- Address: 223 Store Hill Rd., Old Westbury, NY 11568
- What it offers:
- Hippotherapy
- Adaptive Riding
- G.O.A.L.S Development Program: For ages 18+ only, it’s customized to each individual and utilizes the farm environment and horses to develop life skills, improve self-esteem and more.
- Pricing: $55 to $75/session
- Financial Aid: All participants are on a 50% scholarship, and sliding-scale pricing is offered
PEGASUS THERAPEUTIC RIDING (Westchester)
- Address: 310 Peace Lake Rd., Brewster, NY 10509
- What it offers:
- Therapeutic Riding
- Therapeutic Horsemanship (Ground Programs)
- Pricing: $50/lesson plus $25 insurance fee
- Financial aid: Yes
SKY BLUE EQUESTRIAN CENTER (Westchester)
Note: I’m waiting to hear back from the program for the fact-check.
- Address: 52 Montrose Station Rd., Cortland Manor, NY 10567
SKY THERAPEUTIC RIDING LI (Suffolk)
- Address: Parkview Stables, 989 Connetquot Ave., Central Islip, NY 11722
- What it offers:
- Therapeutic Riding
- Pricing: Ask for prices
- Financial aid: No
STABLE EQUINE ASSISTED THERAPY & LEARNING (Westchester & Bronx)
- Address: 2 locations
- Twin Lakes Barn, 960 California Rd., Bronxville, NY 10708
- Riverdale Stables, 6394 Broadway, Van Cortland Park, Bronx, NY 10471
- What it offers:
- Hippotherapy
- Ground Programs
- Pricing: $100-$125/session
- Financial Aid: No
TOPFIELD CENTER (Putnam)
- Address: 115 Stonecrop Lane, Cold Spring, NY 10516
- What it offers:
- Adaptive Riding
- Ground Programs
- Pricing: $65-$85/session
- Financial aid: Yes, scholarship application on website
VENTURE EQUESTRIAN (Rockland)
Part of Venture Together, a nonprofit provider of support and services.
- Address: 15 Fernald Dr., Stony Point, NY 10980 (Rockland)
- What it offers:
- Therapeutic Riding (Note: Instructor is Path Int. trained, but not currently certified)
- Pricing
- Financial aid: No
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