USA Adaptive Horseback Riding

Adaptive horseback riding offers individuals with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs, the opportunity to engage in therapeutic and recreational riding. Horses can provide emotional, physical, and psychological benefits, including improving balance, core strength, and coordination, while also fostering a connection with animals and nature. Many adaptive riding centers across the USA have developed programs to cater to the unique needs of wheelchair users, with accessible facilities and specialized equipment. Below is a list of 10 notable places in the USA where wheelchair users can participate in adaptive horseback riding, along with the amenities they provide and potential barriers.

1. Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship – Newbury Park, California

Wheelchair-accessible barn, mounting ramps, and hoists to assist riders from wheelchairs to saddles. Certified therapeutic riding instructors and occupational therapists work with participants. Outdoor arena surfaces may pose challenges for users with manual wheelchairs, especially on uneven or gravel pathways. Booking in advance is required due to limited availability.

2. Equest Therapeutic Horsemanship – Dallas, Texas

Equest offers wheelchair-accessible facilities, including mounting ramps, adaptive saddles, and helmets. They have trained volunteers and therapists who ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. The outdoor environment can become problematic in extreme weather, such as heat in the summer, though the center is equipped with shade and misting systems to alleviate this.

3. Dream Catcher Stables – Houston, Texas

The center provides an accessible indoor arena, allowing year-round riding. The stable is equipped with mounting blocks and a hydraulic lift to transfer riders from their wheelchairs. The rural location may make transportation more difficult for wheelchair users without accessible vehicles.

4. Freedom Ride – Orlando, Florida

Located centrally in Orlando, Freedom Ride offers a wheelchair-accessible ramp for easy mounting, experienced instructors certified by PATH International (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship), and adaptive riding gear. Limited parking and rough terrain in certain areas of the riding trails might present obstacles for individuals using power wheelchairs.

5. Horses for Healing – Bentonville, Arkansas

Horses for Healing provides a covered riding arena, wheelchair-accessible facilities, and specially trained horses. The staff includes licensed physical and occupational therapists. Inclement weather can affect outdoor experiences despite having covered arenas, and some areas may have uneven ground outside the primary riding space.

6. Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center – Redmond, Washington

This center features fully accessible indoor and outdoor arenas, hydraulic lifts, and pathways that are easy for wheelchair users to navigate. There are also therapeutic riding and hippotherapy programs available. The surrounding rural landscape might require additional transportation services to access the center from urban areas.

7. High Hopes Therapeutic Riding – Old Lyme, Connecticut

High Hopes offers a comprehensive program with specialized tack, lifts, ramps, and adaptive equipment for wheelchair users. The center has a large, climate-controlled indoor arena and sensory trails. Availability of sessions may be limited, and advance booking is encouraged. The facility may also have challenges with accessibility on more rural trails.

8. Therapeutic Riding of Tucson (TROT) – Tucson, Arizona

TROT provides mounting platforms and assistive technology to help wheelchair users transfer onto horses. The facility includes accessible bathrooms and smooth surfaces around the barn and arena. Extreme summer heat in Arizona can limit riding times, though the center offers morning and evening sessions to avoid the midday heat.

9. Horses and Humans Research Foundation – Chardon, Ohio

Horses and Humans is a research-based center offering adaptive riding for individuals with mobility impairments. The site features accessible parking, pathways, mounting ramps, and specialized saddles. Outdoor arenas may present difficulty for some wheelchair users due to the occasional muddy conditions and hilly terrain.

10. GallopNYC – New York, New York

Located in the heart of New York City, GallopNYC provides adaptive riding with full accessibility, including lifts, specialized tack, and trained volunteers to assist with mounting and riding. Urban congestion may make transportation to the facility a challenge. However, the location is accessible via New York’s public transportation, which includes paratransit services.

Amenities and Barriers Overview

Each of these adaptive riding centers provides key amenities for individuals who use wheelchairs, including:

1. Wheelchair-accessible mounting systems: Ramps, lifts, or platforms to facilitate easy transfers from a wheelchair to a horse.
2. Adaptive tack and equipment: Specialized saddles, reins, and stirrups for individuals with limited mobility.
3. Accessible arenas and pathways: Some centers offer climate-controlled indoor arenas or smooth outdoor surfaces to accommodate wheelchair users.
4. Trained staff and volunteers: Certified riding instructors, occupational therapists, and physical therapists are often available to ensure a safe and tailored experience.

However, some barriers persist:

1. Rough or uneven terrain: Many rural or outdoor environments can make it difficult for wheelchair users, particularly those using manual wheelchairs.
2. Weather conditions: Extreme heat, cold, or rain can affect outdoor sessions, although many centers have adapted by providing covered or indoor arenas.
3. Transportation: Accessing some rural locations or ensuring accessible transportation can pose a challenge, especially for centers located outside urban areas.