Horse About stables: Making a difference for our children...

  • Horseback riding lessons for kids has many great benefits.

    The Horse About Riding Program is a non-profit organization, formed to provide horseback riding opportunities to the underprivileged children of our community.

    Horses keep kids active. Nowadays so many kids suffering from weight problems. Parents are always looking for a way to get the kids away from the TV and the computer and add healthy activity to a child's life. Horseback riding lessons for kids is the perfect solution!! Riding horses is both good physical exercise and fun. It gets kids outdoors in the fresh air and teaches respect for nature. Horseback riding improves balance and coordination. As a child progresses in their skills they develop confidence and a sense of freedom. There are many benefits of horseback riding lessons for kids. Exercise, motivation, focus, and imagination allow children to grow into fit, responsible, happy and well adjusted adults.

    Horseback riding for kids lets the child's imagination run wild. The trail becomes a playground, ripe for any scenario. The trails are place for imaginations where human spirit, as well as horses can run free.

    Teen years are tough, but having a interest in horseback riding often provides a focus for kids to keep them out of trouble. So many parents of horse kids will tell you that having a teen interested in horses was worth every penny they spent. Instead of hanging out with the opposite sex, or getting into drugs, they spent hanging out at the stable.

    Students attend weekly lessons, for a session of 6-8 weeks. They ride in groups of no more than 4 per session to maximize individual attention, for approximately 60-90 minutes each session. Classical riding instruction, which teaches basic correct skills with a highly qualified instructor, with safe horsemanship, is the primary focus of these sessions. This is to teach the skill of horseback riding, on the same level, as those more fortunate to afford private riding lessons.
    The sessions are at held at Double R Stables, where the program is run year round.

    The Horse About Riding Program is funded solely by donations from corporate and individual sponsors. This program is free of charge to the riders.

    Contact us: (828) 552-0076

    Here are the programs we offer with local schools:

    Ride for Pride:
    Local schoolchildren come to the stables and ride in groups of 8-12. We work with the teachers to provide a safe and fun experience. Kids who do their reading assignments get to ride! It's a great incentive. Our kids have marked improvement in their reading scores.

    Horse Love:
    This is an invitation for kids from our local school system to have the opportunity to come out for 4 weeks and take lessons, learn horse care, grooming and just be around their favorite animal. To qualify for this program, we are requesting the school systems to identify children who are underprivileged and have exhibited "I love horses" behavior in the classroom. i.e., write about, and draw horses, etc. Targeted age group is elementary school. Groups of 4 kids will meet one afternoon per week, for a month.
    We also are developing outreach programs with inner-city children and children in group homes - enabling them to discover the joys of camping, barn life, and interaction with the horses. We will expand these programs as funds allow, since we want to offer our services without cost to underprivileged and at-risk children.

  • Equine Assisted Learning (EAL)
    Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is a unique approach to learning that involves interactive, goal-oriented activities with horses.
    EAL allows clients to learn through their experience. This occurs when they are interacting with their environment, including the people, animals and situations involved, for an educational purpose. By taking part in structured activities, participants are better able to reflect on what takes place and apply it to other areas of their lives.
    The horses are utilized as metaphors in these activities to build life skills and to promote the exploration of behaviors. The fact that horses exhibit personalities, attitudes and moods as unique as any teenager's provides endless experiences and situations for discussion, analysis and learning.

    At Horse About, Inc., equine-assisted learning programs are tailored to meet the specific needs and goals of the participants. For example:
    • In working as a group to get a horse to walk backwards, students learn about their own problem solving and communication skills.

    • Youth from an alternative high school supplement their science curriculum by visiting an equine veterinary clinic and learning how to take a horse's heart rate and respiration rate.

    • Students in an after school program work on social skills by making appointments and interviewing horse owners to learn more about the responsibilities of horse ownership. The results are displayed on "stall cards" which each student presents at a gathering of friends and family.

    • Building an obstacle course to lead their horses through helps youth to develop decision-making and goal-setting skills.

    Responsibility is exercised when all participants are expected to wear appropriate attire, be on time and cleaning up after themselves and their horses.