Equine Assisted Activities
Special People, Special Horses Enriching Lives
Renaissance Farm is dedicated to the cultivation of the unique and natural, partnership between humans and equines, through the understanding and education of equine behavior and fostering relationships beneficial to both human and equine health and well being. Our mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment where children and adults with special needs can experience the extraordinary therapeutic benefits of equine assisted activities.
Equine Assisted Activities (EAA) is a comprehensive term for all equine activities and therapies designed for people with disabilities or other special needs. EAA activities are carefully designed by professionals to be safe and effective for students. The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) was founded in 1969 to promote and support equine facilitated activities for individuals with disabilities. NARHA is a membership organization that fosters safe, professional, ethical and therapeutic equine activities through education, communication, standards and research for people with and without disabilities.
Benefits of Equine Assisted Activities
Many parents, therapists, medical support personnel and participants are convinced that involvement in Equine Assisted Activities has numerous benefits including physical, educational and psychosocial, for people with disabilities. Interacting with an equine in a farm environment is a unique experience involving all of the senses. When a student ventures into such a foreign and stimulating environment, a feeling of independence and adventure often result. Additionally, the relationship with a horse lends the participant a sense of responsibility, self-confidence, an avenue of communication and endless educational opportunities. While astride, horseback riding gently and rhythmically influences the rider's body into a pattern that is similar to a human gait, often with beneficial results. Reported physical benefits include improved balance, posture, strength, flexibility, coordination and motor development.
PHYSICALLY: The horse’s movement has a dynamic affect on the rider’s body. The horse stimulates the rider’s pelvic and trunk in a manner that closely resembles the normal gait of a human. This movement can be used to produce specific physical changes in the rider including: normalization of muscle tone; improvement in posture, balance, coordination, and increased endurance.
SENSORIALLY: The horse, farm and the riding environment offer a wide variety of input to students. Movement exploration on the horse, combined with the many sights and sounds one encounters on the farm and in the riding program, contribute to the organization and integration of sensory input.
EMOTIONALLY: The success of overcoming fear and anxiety, and the ability to achieve riding and other related skills, help riders achieve self-worth and increase self esteem. Relationships develop between students, volunteers, horses and staff and are all an integral part of the positive, emotional experience.
COGNITIVELY: The horse provides a strong motivation for riders. Riding lessons incorporate activities and games on horseback designed to help achieve specific goals such as: following multi-step directions; staying on task, color or number recognition; and reinforcing existing skills as well as learning new ones.
SOCIALLY: Therapeutic Equine Assisted Activities enable individuals to interact with their peers, program volunteers and staff in a positive and enjoyable environment.
Who can benefit
Students with physical, emotional, cognitive and neurological challenges can benefit from Equine Assisted Activities. Students who may require a more nurturing or non-competitive environment interested in developing human equine relationships, horsemanship and other equestrian skill can benefit from Equine Assisted Activities.
After meeting with students, families and caregivers, the Renaissance Farm Staff create an individualized curriculum to safely and effectively meet each student’s needs and goals. Private and semi private weekly lessons are offered and activities may include; horsemanship, grooming and tacking, horse care, stable management, recreational and trail riding, developmental vaulting and carriage driving.
Maria Blackstone is an Advanced Level Therapeutic Riding and Carriage Driving Instructor, certified through the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) in both cognitive and physical disabilities. While living in New England, Maria founded and directed a large therapeutic riding center for eight years. Over the past three decades, her love of horses has led her to study and enjoy a variety of equestrian sports and disciplines including; dressage, jumping, carriage driving and vaulting. Recognizing this special bond between humans and horses and the countless physical and emotional benefits of equine assisted activities, is what makes working with special needs student her passion.
Many of our special needs students require as many as four staff members to provide a safe and effective lesson. Volunteers help Renaissance Farm to keep lessons affordable for special needs children from a variety of economic backgrounds. If you love children and horses, consider becoming a Renaissance Farm Volunteer. Horse experience is helpful, but not required to become a volunteer. All the necessary training will be provided to make your volunteer experience an enjoyable and rewarding one
The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) is a membership organization whose goal is to promote safe, professional, ethical and therapeutic equine activities for people with and without disabilities, through education, communication, standards and research.
NARHA was formed in 1969 to promote equine assisted activities for individuals with disabilities. With nearly 800 member centers, a total of more than 35,000 children and adults find a sense of independence through involvement with horses. These member centers range from small, one person programs, to large operations with several instructors and therapists. In addition to horseback riding, a center may offer any number of equine activities such as driving, vaulting, trail riding, competition, ground work or stable management. Through a wide variety of educational resources, the association helps individuals start and maintain successful riding programs. There are more than 24,000 volunteers, 2,500 instructors, 5,400 therapy horses and thousands of contributors from all over the world helping at NARHA centers. For more information about NARHA visit the NARHA website at www.narha.org.
Renaissance Farm, LLC | 196 Wolfe Branch Road | Bulls Gap, Tennessee 37711 | 423-235-9746
mblackstone@renaissancefarmtn.com