SpiritHorse Therapeutic Riding Center of Canton, Inc.

The Suffield Community Fund at Greater Hartford Gives Foundation (formerly known as the Suffield Greater Together Community Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving) awards grants to nonprofits that directly support the Suffield community. The Suffield Community Fund committee is led by Suffield resident volunteers, with a shared commitment to strengthening the Suffield community through grantmaking. Periodically, the committee highlights the work of one of our grant recipients. Today, we highlight SpiritHorse Therapeutic Riding Center of Canton, Inc., for their work supporting Suffield residents in the Summer Equine Therapy Program.

SpiritHorse Equine Therapy provides private, equine-assisted therapeutic riding lessons tailored to the specific needs of the individual. The grant provided summer equine therapy to five Suffield children and adults with special needs. The average age was 17 years old; one rider was a veteran. The five riders shared 16 grant lessons during the summer break. The disabilities of the people who participated in this grant included Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Impaired vision, PTSD, intellectual disability, traumatic brain injury, and developmental delays.

The summer program included a 30-minute therapeutic riding lesson, developed to each participants’ ability and individual needs. The 30-minute mounted lesson focused on movement and skills on the horse. In an unmounted session, each student, with guidance and to the best of their ability, could lead, groom and saddle their horse before their lesson. While riding, each student’s individual needs, such as speech, sensory, balance, behavior and cognitive processing are addressed through horse therapy. This year SpiritHorse introduced the Equicizer, which is a mechanical horse that simulates live horse movement in the safety of the therapy room. Each of the grant lesson recipients used “Lucky” to practice riding and build strength that ultimately transferred to riding a live horse with confidence. This was the first time many had experienced horseback riding movement and the benefits from the horse simulator.

The Suffield Community Fund grant not only helped special needs participants in an engaging therapy program, but it also encouraged community participation in volunteering. The response of the Suffield community, including both volunteers wanting to help and parents seeking Therapeutic Riding for their children and adults with disabilities, to their therapy programs has been extremely positive.

SpiritHorse Therapeutic Riding Center provides weekly therapeutic riding lessons for people of all ages with disabilities. SpiritHorse has developed a research-based program of equine-assisted health care, which has a different goal than that of recreational therapy. All lessons are private and taught by certified SpiritHorse International Therapeutic Riding Instructors who volunteer their time with the organization. The support staff of instructors, sidewalkers, administrative and barn help are also volunteers. Check out their website https://www.spirithorsect.org/ Email: SpiritHorseCT@gmail.com

The Suffield Community Fund is funded by the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation (formerly known as the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving). For more information on Community Funds, the Board, the Foundation, and the grant application process please visit https://greaterhartfordgives.org/about-the-community-funds or email us at suffield@greaterhartfordgivescf.org