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Riding Lessons Horsemanship Class Introductory Lessons Mommy & Me Summer Camp Hippotherapy Autism Social Skills Group Class Trips Equine Assisted Learning/Psychotherapy Scouting Badges Calendar
Group and individual lessons are available for able-bodied and disabled riders, 4 to Adult, Monday through Friday between the hours of 10:00am - 5:30pm, and Saturdays, between the hours of 10:00am - 4:00pm. Riding lessons are taught by NARHA certified staff using our specially trained horses. Riding students will be introduced to basic riding skills in a safe and secure environment. Lessons are offered in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Lessons are booked individually based on rider ability and instructor availability.
To book lessons or for more information about this year's lesson schedule please call our office at 908-735-5912. A Participant Registration form must be completed before the first lesson.
Payment is due at the time of registration. Only lessons cancelled by the staff will be rescheduled during make-up week. There are no refunds on lessons. All riders must pay an annual insurance charge of $50.
See our calendar for the lesson schedule.
Week-to-week lessons are available as schedules permit. The cost of a single week-to-week riding lesson is $60.
New riders interested in trying horseback riding can sign up for our introductory lesson program, which consists of two private half-hour lessons either during the week or on Saturday. The best time to schedule introductory lessons is before a regular session. The cost for two introductory lessons is $85.
To book an introductory lesson or for more information, call our office at 908-735-5912.
A fun group that combines songs, games and ponies for children with special needs!
Riding with HEART is now offering a Mommy & Me program for preschoolers with special needs. The class is conducted by a certified PATH International riding instructor and combines playing games and singing songs while riding a pony. Moms are taught how to walk beside the pony so they can interact along with their child. What a fun way for children who have speech/ language delays, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, cognitive delays, low muscle tone or other special needs to have a Mommy & Me activity just for them!
Space is limited. Sign up by August 30, 2011. 30 minute classes will be held Tuesdays at 10:00 and 1:00 Classes go for 6 weeks. See our calendar for the latest schedule. The cost is $135 plus a $15 insurance fee.
RWH is starting a new program beginning this November. We are offering a Horsemanship Class on Wednesdays in November. Each hour-long session will focus on the care of the horse. Every week the participants will learn different aspects of horse care such as proper grooming, care of our tack, what horses eat and how to feed them and basic barn chores. Chris and Karen will have a jam packed hour of horse fun planned. If the weather and time permits a game on horseback or trail ride might be planned.
The horsemanship class will run for 4 weeks and the fee is $120. See our calendar for the latest schedule.
Hippotherapy is therapy on horseback performed by either a licensed physical ,speech, or occupational therapist in order to achieve improved neuromuscular function. The therapist uses the movement of the horse to facilitate postural control, sensory integration, and attention. The horse's movement provides movement patterns similar to that of the human pelvis at walk offering a unique opportunity to provide sensory, vestibular (movement and balance), and proprioceptive (information to the muscle and joint) input simultaneously. Therapy in this unique setting is both motivating and enjoyable!
Sue Liebross OTR/L is a N.J. licensed occupational therapist that has been using hippotherapy (occupational therapy on horseback) as a treatment tool since 1999. She is currently registered with PATH International as a level 2 trained practitioner. She will be available to work with your child - age 2 1/2 or older - Saturdays throughout the riding season.
Dorise Ciancimino-Benson MA, CCC-SLP is an ASHA certified Speech Language Pathologist with greater then 20 years experience working in a variety of settings with toddlers through adults. She holds a professional state license in New Jersey. Her medical, rehabilitation and educational experiences have helped her comprehend the functional needs of her clients to be become better communicators. She has experience in the areas of pediatric through adult oral-motor therapy, feeding disorders, speech/language and cognitive intervention. A variety of neurological and learning based diagnosis are welcomed. Her love of horses and their use in therapy are utilized as a tool to maximize each individual's potential.
For more information, call our office at 908-735-5912.
RWH is proud to offer a Social Skills Group for Children with Autism Group beginning in the Fall of 2010. Thanks to a generous grant from the William T. Morris foundation this program is offered to the parents at a nominal fee. The social skills group will focus on promoting social interaction among the participants using the unique atmosphere of the barn and horses. They will also be encouraged to interact with the volunteers that help during each session. Riders enjoy numerous physical benefits from the horse due to the multi-dimensional rhythmic movement of the horse as it moves at the walk or trot. The benefits to the rider are numerous and include eye/hand coordination, balance, muscle strength, socialization, body awareness, self-control, self-confidence, problem solving, fine motor coordination, sensory integration and communication.
Horses are herd animals and therefore very in tune with their surroundings. They can sense a rider's emotions. They know if the rider is happy, nervous, excited, angry, tense or relaxed. A horse can detect even the smallest movement of the rider and will respond; therefore a rider can communicate non-verbally as well as verbally and get an immediate response from the horse. Horses are non-judgmental and are willing to please. This interaction with the horse promotes communication from the rider in a fun and exciting activity.
The program begins with the riders participating in a greeting activity encouraging communication with fellow participants and the volunteers that are assigned as each rider's buddy for the day. We will then progress to a group game to promote a bond and interaction within the group before moving into the barn. Once in the barn, riders will groom and tack up their horse beginning the bonding experience between rider and horse. Once tacked up and wearing approved helmets, riders will mount up and participate in a group riding lesson under the instruction of a NARHA certified therapeutic riding instructor.
For more information, call our office at 908-735-5912.
Fee: $180.00 per sessionRWH offers week-long summer horseback riding camp. For dates and times, please see our calendar. The camp is open to special needs and able-bodied children ages 5-17. Campers have the opportunity to be involved in the total horse experience.
Children attending camp will spend their day learning the art and science of good horsemanship. A riding instructor will teach a daily English riding lesson. The remainder of the day will be spent grooming the horses and learning about horse care from camp personnel. The camp day will also include arts and crafts projects, group activities, and time to play with fellow campers. Each camper will receive a t-shirt. Friday is Pizza Day. Each child is responsible for bringing money if he wishes to purchase pizza. Transportation and lunch are the responsibility of parents.
See our calendar for the latest schedule.
For more information about summer camp, please call our office at 908-735-5912. You can download the Camp Application here. A Participant Registration form must be completed as well to participate in camp.
RWH is a great destination for your organization. Upon request, we can schedule group lessons for your summer camp, class trip, scouts, etc. To request a group lesson, call our office at 908-735-5912.
Equine Therapy is an Experiential Intervention model which uses horses as therapeutic guides for growth and learning. Equine Therapy can be used with children, adults, families, couples and groups. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is not horsemanship. The focus is not on riding, but on psychology. A licensed clinical professional is needed in order to consider the activities EAP. Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) is similar to EAP, in that is involves partnering with horses. EAL and EAP are often interchanged, but EAL encompasses more of the horsemanship skills associated with Equine Therapy. EAL is the process, while EAP is a therapeutic modality.
Both EAL and EAP partners with horses experientially for emotional awareness and behavioral learning. EAP can be compared to other experiential therapies which teach individuals about understanding their feelings, behaviors, and patterns of reacting when confronted with situations that challenge or reflect their current life situation. Often these types of therapies are 'live' glimpses of what one experiences when confronted with challenging situations in their everyday life. The idea is to duplicate a situation metaphorically that reflects a common human challenge, and observe these interactions within a professional therapeutic setting. The Therapeutic Team can help 'decode' the behavior with the participants as it occurs in the moment rather than rely on an individual or group's verbal analysis of the situation. EAL/EAP often addresses the following areas:
Because horses are prey animals, they have a keen sense of survival in the wild. This means that they must be astute observers of their surroundings and communicate this quickly to the herd. This is how they have survived for thousands of years. As a result, they quickly sense a group's attitudes, feelings and responses. They respond to what they see, hear (tonality) and feel, not to 'verbal conversation'. Therefore, nonverbal communication takes precedent over verbal. In the world of humans, 85% of what we think and feel is communicated through nonverbal communication; however, because verbal exchange is what we are cued into, we overlook our meta communication and thus often respond with conflicting requests. Our body language may speak 'get away from me', but our words may ask 'engage me please'. As a result we often end up with a mixed bag of reactions from others. Horses are brilliant acknowledgers of these nonverbal cues and they naturally reveal our intentions, what we physically and emotionally project rather than what we verbalize. They are non-judgmental, merely gathering the facts and presenting them to us through observable and physical feedback: moving away, striking out, pinning or moving their ears or tail.
Equine and human interaction encourages mutual non-verbal communication between horse and individual, which results in the development of assertiveness, creative thinking, and problem-solving techniques. The ground activities we use seek to engage the participants in solving a problem. The obstacle courses presented are metaphors for real life situations, and the intuitive nature of the animal exposes the underlying beliefs behind the behavior of the participants. Through the use of therapeutic observational non-judgmental query, participants seek creative solutions to the obstacles that are presented and gain insight into their strengths as well as their patterns of interaction which restricts their natural potential. For more information about these and other programs please call (908) 735-5912 or email us.
RWH provides classes designed to meet the requirements of the Boy Scouts Horsemanship Badge, Girl Scout Horse Fan, Horse Rider, and Horse Sense Badges. Badges can be completed by groups or individuals. Please call our office at 908-735-5912 for more information.
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