Eos Therapeutic Riding Center
OUR MAIN THERAPEUTIC RIDING PROGRAM
Riders participate in weekly forty-five-minute therapeutic riding sessions.
Each rider is supervised by an instructor, trained through the Council for Education and Certification in Therapeutic Horsemanship, and assisted by up to three other volunteers.
Our Seasons:
Spring (13 weeks April through June)
Fall (13 weeks last week of July through October)
Hours:
Tuesday through Thursday 12:00 to 8:00pm.
Veterans-Friday afternoons
Each riding session is tailored for the needs and abilities of the rider. For example, some riders are on an adapted surcingle while others ride on a saddle, with the goal of becoming an independent rider. Each riding session also includes various games and skill activities while on horseback to enhance balance, eye-hand coordination, strength, and a variety of other abilities. Riders must be approved by their physician for participation. Additionally, we ask physicians and therapists to give us input about the therapeutic goals of the rider and to suggest activities to include or exclude from the riders’ programs.
VETERANS PROGRAM
Our Hoof Beats and Hearts for Veterans program involves as many as ten vets who reside in the Orangeville Manor near Bloomsburg, as well as other local independent living veterans from the Bloomsburg area. All veterans participate in learning the connection of horse and human by grooming, learning to lead, and the Monty Roberts method of natural horsemanship training, with the end goal of riding! Monty always says, "Be gentle, listen, communicate, and earn the trust." The activities and relationships they develop with our hooved therapists contributes greatly to their sense of wellbeing.
VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
1.Volunteering from the Heart
Most of our volunteers work during our riding sessions serving as side-walkers and game participants with our riders. No experience with horses or people with special needs is required – just the desire to help others. Riding session volunteers are our greatest need. Some volunteers also work to help Eos with office work, facilities maintenance and to help in fundraising projects. Without all of these volunteers, Eos would not be possible.
2. Volunteering as Therapy
Riders aren’t the only ones who receive benefits from. Many of our volunteers say that they get a positive sense of well-being through their help to others. There are other people who experience great peace just by helping to take care of horses – our gentle giants. In recent years Eos has reached out to a number of people with various personal issues who receive help as they help us, and we have been able to extend our therapeutic mission year-round.
3. Volunteering as Service
Eos has received great support from many local schools, churches and organizations whose members have a service requirement programs. These supporters include Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, 4-H Clubs, Rotary Clubs, and many others.
OUR FACILITIES
The Center is located at Crystal Creek Acres, a twelve-acre farm four miles northwest of Bloomsburg, PA. Eos Therapeutic Riding Center accommodates our riders with an indoor riding arena, Kellen’sPlace, with a waiting area and stable facilities. The arena also includes appropriate ramps and mounting platforms for safely mounting and dismounting riders. We even have a motorized lift system that can take a rider directly from wheelchair to horseback. We also use an outside wooded trail and outdoor riding arena for some riders. Both the trail and the indoor riding arena contain various activity centers and games that are used to promote coordination, task completion, and upper body strength
