Therapeutic Strides For Disabled Kids

RideAbility is a non-profit therapeutic riding program dedicated to improving the bodies, minds and spirits of kids with special needs. Therapeutic riding and other equine assisted activities can help students develop strength, balance, control, self-confidence and self-esteem.

RideAbility is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving Minnesota. Donations and gifts ARE tax deductible. We gladly accept monetary donations, gifts of tack and other equipment for our horses, as well as riding clothes for our students.

Volunteers are key to the success of any therapeutic horsemanship program.

Please feel free to visit us at our website, www.rideability.org - we'd love to hear from you.

Candi, the white mare pictured on this page, is representative of the wonderful horses that provide the basis for our therapeutic equine program.

Candi, a 28-year old part-Appaloosa, has been a member of the RideAbility team for several years. All RideAbility horses must be formally approved to qualify. Horses chosen for our program are selected based on overall demeanor, gentle nature, steady performance, and stability. They must be unflappable and patient. Candi epitomizes these qualities. While 28 years is a rather advanced age for a horse, Candi still gives us her all and is a favorite in our stable. Visiting children always want to know who that tall white horse is, and if they may ride her.

Always kind, gentle and steady, Candi has helped transform beginning riders who are literally afraid to touch a horse into riders who beam with broad smiles as they ride with confidence. It is a stunning event to witness one of these riders, several of whom are autistic, becoming more expressive and interactive with a horse and his or her peers in the program. Many riders' family members remark that they wouldn't have believed the difference the program can make if they hadn't witnessed it themselves.

If you like, you may sponsor Candi or one of our other horses - details are available at www.mtdn.com/RideAbility - where you can see how much difference a relatively small donation can make.

By Valerie Kiger
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

Horses were a big part of Mary Lubahn's life. She passed her love of horses on to her sons during frequent trail rides. She was living her dream.

Then, her daughter Kathryn was born with spina bifida. She thought the trail rides, and the dream, were over.

Luckily, her neighbor helped her find a new dream, in a program the women helped found 11 years ago called RideAbility. With a grant from the 4-H club to cover insurance costs, Lubahn, neighbor Ellen Newman and physical therapist Lynne McCutcheon, began developing a riding program for children with physical or mental disabilities and their families.

"We started out with three children of friends in my backyard," Lubahn said. RideAbility has never stopped growing, now serving 125 students each year.

For more of the story, right this way >>>>

RideAbility is a member of NARHA.

The therapeutic value of horseback riding goes back centuries although the origin of organized therapeutic riding is relatively recently. The achievements of Lis Hartel of Denmark are generally regarded as the impetus for the formation of therapeutic riding centers in Europe. Polio impaired Hartel's mobility but not her spirit.

NARHA is proud to provide opportunities for people with varying ability levels to challenge themselves physically and emotionally and to set goals to improve their quality of life via the horse. Training professionals to support and facilitate this process, educating the public about the positive impact of the human/animal bond and setting national standards for safe and effective equine facilitated therapy/activities will continue to dictate NARHA's growth.

*NARHA is the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, a 501(c)(3) organization - see www.narha.org for details.

We welcome donations from our friends. We are also always interested in volunteers.
If you'd like to contribute, please find us at the Make The Difference Network site - www.mtdn.com/rideability. You'll see some of our "pet projects."

If you would like to be a volunteer, or if you know someone who would benefit from being in our program, please visit our website, www.RideAbility.org - and although our focus is on younger students, we do NOT discriminate - students of all ages are welcome. We try our level best to deal with any special needs.

Like most non-profit organizations, the gap between our current operation and our goals is a matter of resources. This isn't a strictly financial statement.

RideAbility is always doing outreach - we're quite certain that there are many potential students out there who could benefit by being involved in our program. We try our best to accommodate anyone who's interested - but we have to find them first. To this end, we appeal to individuals through media and to groups by direct associaton, such as opening dialogue between RideAbility and a local autism support group and another NARHA affiliate near us.

We're also always looking for volunteers. Volunteers don't require any background with horses. We train "hands on," and we have many tasks that don't involve horses such as fund raising and administration. If you're interested, we can find you something to do!

We do work on making it easy to donate. We have auctions each year as fundraisers, family events such as barn dances and luncheons, and "Rideathons."
We've recently developoed online mechanisms to collect donations on Squidoo and elsewhere; we also have business relationships that allow us to receive rebates from credit card charges and online orders for equine products. Details may be found on our webesite, www.RideAbility.org