The therapeutic power of our horses...
nurtures the special abilities of children and adults with disabilities
Therapeutic riding helped Joashlie, a young woman with cerebral palsy, find strength, improved verbal communication, and abilities she didn't know she had. Learning to ride gave her confidence, joy to be able to pursue an activity she loves, and validation of her ability to partner with a horse.
Hippotherapy, that is utilizing our horses to improve communication and reach speech-language therapy goals, is another service we offer. Our horse trainer and therapeutic riding instructor is a certified speech-language pathologist and has a specialty in animal-assisted therapy. We are also looking to add equine-assisted physical therapy and occupational therapy to our program.
helps heal those suffering from trauma
Chris, a U.S. Army captain, professional horse trainer, and champion rider, suffered a horrific motorcycle accident resulting in multiple surgeries and the amputation of his arm. Equine-assisted therapy and horsemanship are helping him heal, allowing him to demonstrate his knowledge and abilities, and enabling him to reconnect with himself and people around him.
Working as a team with a mental health professional, our equine specialist in mental health and learning, and our amazing healing horses we can also provide equine-facilitated psychotherapy.
empowers our clients to improve their lives, the lives of their families and their community
Before starting equine-based therapy, Dwayne, a teen with autism, was solitary, often confining himself to his bedroom and avoiding contact and interaction with others. Since he started with therapeutic riding, he has become much more social, engaging with family and outside activities, has improved his ability to make decisions and stay focused, and is even making plans for college.
Want to learn more? Contact us today.
We are certified by PATH International
Our therapeutic riding instructors are certified through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, International (PATH, Int'l). We follow their standards of safety, which are the highest in the world, for clients, volunteers, horses, and staff.
Our COVID-19 response and protocol
We are dedicated to the safety and health of all our clients and volunteers. As such, our COVID-19 (or other infectious disease) policy will change as needed to follow protocols and regulations established by the government of Puerto Rico, the CDC and OSHA.
We honor your concerns. If a client/caregiver wishes for masks to be worn, all Horses of Hope volunteers and staff will mask during the lesson when closer than 10 feet apart outdoors. If the client/caregiver states that masks are not necessary, we will leave it to the discretion of each individual volunteer whether they wish to wear a mask or not for that lesson.
We ask you to help us keep everyone healthy. If you, your child, or a family member are not feeling well, please notify us and stay home until you/they are fever-free for at least 24 hours and have improving symptoms.
For information about recreational riding and horsemanship classes, call us at 269-267-5010.
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This seal shows funders our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and to transparency of information.