Our Program

Therapeutic horseback riding has been proven to benefit people of all ages with physical, mental, psychological, social and learning disabilities. We currently offer the following programs:

For children and adults with disabilities who are able to mount and sit astride a horse with or without assistance. During weekly sessions, ARCH nationally certified instructors work on posture, balance, concentration, attention, speech and number, letter, and color recognition. These areas of focus are met through sequencing of tasks, horsemanship, and games. Riders improve while having fun and learning through the use of the horse. (see FAQ's below)

For those who cannot, due to their disability, sit astride a horse safely but want to participate at our facility. These children and adults are taught the skills needed to groom and tack horses used in the program. Through stroking with brushes, the upper body becomes stronger and more balanced. Through the use of the horse, many begin to speak, socialize, and even have psychological breakthroughs.

Available for all Special Education classes. Through single day contracts students participate as a group, enjoying grooming and tacking when appropriate, and are introduced to the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding. A series of contracted dates result in greater focus and concentration which carries over into the classroom and at home.

Offered to elementary school classes. During an 8 to 12 week curriculum, students spend one full school day a week at ARCH. Through this unique curriculum students learn subjects through visual, auditory, and hands on techniques. Science and Health are held in the barn and include horse anatomy, animal care and health, nutrition, and equine vocational skills. Math includes budgeting, how to measure a horse in hands, and basic math skills pertaining to the agricultural industry. All subject areas revolve around the equine industry. Students learn more easily and retain information longer with this on site school curriculum. The roll over into the classroom increased state testing up to 20% for the children who participated in our pilot program in 2004.

This program was designed and piloted in Indiana with unprecedented success. The ‘COWBOY POETRY’ curriculum is an inventive way to introduce life skills such as respect, trust, cooperation, teamwork, social manners, and others to students needing role models, standards, and rules to improve life conditions. One school day a week is spent at ARCH with the students’ classroom teacher and ARCH nationally certified instructors. Through group discussions, oral presentations, journal writing, and testing of skills through the use of the horses, these students become aware of their self worth, their abilities and potentials in life. Teachers and disciplinarians are impressed with the positive chances in these students.

We are part of the NARHA national program developed specifically for injured and disabled war veterans. Individuals, agencies, organizations and groups interested in participating are asked to call Extension Services at 609-926-2233 for details.

3:00 to 6:30 pm Monday thru Thursday
9:00 am to Noon Thursday only
9:00 am to 2:30 pm on Saturday
School contracts are available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday during school hours
Scout badge work contracts are available on Sundays

For more information, or to schedule a rider evaluation, please call our
Program Director (609-926-2233). Upon evaluation, an appropriate
program for the rider can be developed and lessons scheduled.

What ages do your accept for your programs? Some programs are age specific. However for individual sessions we can accept no one less than two years of age. This is for maximum benefit to the rider and for safety reasons. Our riders' ages range from 2 to 82!!

My daughter is in a wheelchair, how will you get her on a horse? We have a wheelchair accessible mounting ramp and our trained volunteers and NAHRA certified instructors can assist your daughter in getting safely on a horse.

Can a rider with special needs, although not formally diagnosed, be accepted? Definitely. As long as your child has a need for our services, and you have your physician complete the forms, we will schedule an evaluation and discuss a potential curriculum for your child.

Can clients ride more than once a week? Yes. If space is available, riders can schedule more than one riding session a week.

We can’t commit to a weekly schedule; can riders be scheduled less frequently? Less frequent sessions would not benefit our riders, and therefore we do not schedule ‘at will’ sessions.

Can riders use a bicycle helmet to wear when riding? No, bicycle helmets are not rated for horseback riding, however, we have helmets in all sizes available to use during your lesson. We also have helmets for sale to our riders.

Can my other children come to ride? At this time we do not accept average-developing students for riding lessons, but we are glad to have volunteers! Also, check out our Barn Rats program for children ages 7 to 11.