Come join the fun at Depot Fest on Saturday, September 8th!  This fun street fair will be held in the Depot District and highlights include Lemonade Day, vendor booths, food, and a breaking the Guinness Book of World Record’s record for Longest Soul Train.  Sunrise will be serving up Pork Chop Sandwiches and Roasted Corn.  Put on your dancing shoes and come on down to enjoy the fun.  Festivities run from 12-6 pm.  Stay for the evening concert featuring Big James and the Chicago Play Boys & the Tempted Souls Band.  Tickets are $15 in advance and can be purchased at the Sunrise Booth.  Money raised supports the mission of Sunrise Therapeutic Riding Center to promote the health and social development of those with physical, mental, and social challenges through equine assisted therapeutic activities.

Your shopping matters. Shop for Father’s Day at http://smile.amazon.com/ch/31-0979407 and Amazon donates to Sunrise Inc. Therapeutic Riding Center to support our programs!

On Wednesday, April 18, riders, volunteers, and staff came together to celebrate the successful completion of our early Spring riding session.  Over 35 people enjoyed pizza and s’mores while connecting with each other and sharing stories about their Sunrise Experience.  We would like to thank all of our volunteers who help us make a difference in the lives of others.  The Sunrise barn is filled with smiles and laughter during lessons and our volunteers contribute to that joy.  Our riders are very special to us.  Thank you for allowing us into your lives and sharing your challenges, hopes, dreams, and achievements with us.  You all are such an inspiration.

Our next ten week session of lessons begins on Monday, April 30.  If you would like to participate, let us know.  We are scheduling lessons now and have a few spaces left.  If you would like to become a volunteer, give us a call and we will get you trained to help as a sidewalker, horse leader, or stable maintenance.  If you are interested in making a monetary donation to Sunrise, our Scholarship Fund helps our riders in need who cannot afford to pay.  Currently, 90% of our riders receive assistance from the Scholarship Fund which is supported by generous donations from people like you.  We are very excited to begin our next round of lessons and look forward to the Ice Cream Sundae Party to once again celebrate our success!

We are currently accepting riders for the Spring Session.  If you or someone you know could benefit from Horse Therapy, give us a call at 765-935-4291 and reserve your time slot.   Lessons can be held between 9 am -9 pm Mondays thru Fridays.

 

Sunrise, Inc. Therapeutic Riding Center is now offering equestrian programs for veterans and certification mentoring for individuals pursuing PATH Intl. registered instructor certification.

“Being around horses is a unique form of recreational therapy that has demonstrable physical, mental, and emotional benefits,” explains Veterans Program Coordinator Robin Hirtle. “Veterans with physical and mental wounds can come to Sunrise to relax and learn new skills in a calm, positive environment.”

Injured or disabled veterans are eligible to participate in Sunrise’s therapeutic riding and horsemanship programs free of charge. Veterans will have the option of enrolling in a ten week course beginning in spring 2016, or registering for private lessons. Further information about these options is available here.

As part of it’s expansion of services, Sunrise will also be offering mentoring opportunities for individuals pursuing Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) registered instructor certification. This twelve week program accepts applications from PATH Intl. members who have already begun the certification process, and covers safety standards, various illnesses and disabilities, and instructor training. Mentees will be able to complete their required teaching hours through this program.

A recent article by the College of William and Mary in Virginia talks about how the Therapeutic riding can assist children with autism in the classroom. Autism is the most common of the disabilities that Sunrise serves.

One parent of a student quoted: “My daughter’s progress has been remarkable, in my eyes, surpassing my wildest expectations.” Another parent said “The only regret I have is that I didn’t enroll my son sooner.”

As an instructor I have watched the slow transitions as well as the fast ones. One day I had a rider come out that was shy, hid behind his mother most of the time and I worked on getting him to come out of his shell, every time he comes out now he gives me a hug with a big thank you. I have watched another rider who took much longer to get out of his shell where he was afraid of riding he needed a leader and side-walkers when he started off, as the lessons progressed he started sitting up taller focusing on what he was doing better. I have seen screaming students turn into confident proud riders, I have seen riders that would cry at things they couldn’t control become more accepting to trying something new and learning that mistakes happen and they can work to fix them or move on from them.

Have you heard the term hippotherapy and then the term therapeutic riding but, not sure if there is a difference?

There is actually a difference between hippotherapy and therapeutic riding.  Hippotherapy is really about the horses movement, the walk of the horse is rhythmic and repetitive, it is the movement that is a foundation to improve an individual’s sensory processing.  The Hippotherapy Association defines “Hippotherapy: Hippotherapy is a physical, occupational, or speech and language therapy treatment strategy that utilizes equine movement.”

Therapists have found this type of therapy may be beneficial for  Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Developmental Delay, Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, Autism and Learning or Language Disabilities.

So, what’s therapeutic riding?  Well, that can involve more than just the movement of the horse.  Therapeutic riding includes activity, riding, learning about the horse, health benefits, physical activity and many other benefits of riding.  Visit PATH’s website for more information about the benefits of therapeutic riding.

Visit both Hippotherapy Association and PATH to learn more!

Horse therapy or therapeutic riding for special needs individuals can make a huge difference in their lives.  If you have a child but not sure of the benefits take a moment to listen to a recent news story in Texas about the benefits of therapeutic riding.