Programs

Download our brochure here:    June 2019 BRCTH Brochure

BRCTH offers 10-week spring and fall sessions, plus one or two weeks of adaptive, recreational day camp.  We now have access to an indoor arena, so lessons can occur even if the weather precludes riding outside.

Our 10-week SPRING SESSION will begin March 27th and will continue into early June. Lessons are offered on weekdays and Saturdays. It is our practice to complete an intake interview over the phone before we provide registration materials. Tuition for the 10-week sessions is $650. A $250 deposit must be received before we can hold a place on the schedule for the student. The balance of the tuition is due 30 days prior to the start of the session.  We offer an Early Bird Discount Program and installment plans. For families experiencing financial hardship, we can help locate funding sources or offer partial scholarships.

Therapeutic Riding uses riding instruction to address individual student’s strengths and deficit areas. Students are taught individually or when appropriate, in semi-private lessons or in small groups of no more than three students. Lessons include, when appropriate, grooming and basic horse care in addition to riding skills.  Lesson plans are individualized for each student; instruction is sequential and often presented in game format.  Attempts are made to integrate Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and other education/health goals and objectives into our goal setting and lesson planning.  Our certified instructors consult and collaborate with education and health care professionals whenever possible.  Instructors complete progress reports at the end of each session which are then shared with guardians and parents. We also utilize the 3-level TRAV Rider Achievement Certificate Program which documents student progress towards mastery of lesson-related tasks and serves as tool for monitoring and communicating student progress.

The center also offers Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) which is focused more on psycho-social learning. EAL is based on relationship-building through the observation of and the interaction with horses. EAL utilizes ground exercises to build trust, empathy, self-awareness and improve self-image. We have contractual relationships with Departments of Social Services for several counties through which we receive referrals. These services are offered year round.

We now provide EAL in the form of Memory Support Services to clients living with dementia; we serve private individuals or persons who reside in assisted living facilities. In 2022, we served residents from the Blue Ridge Hall and assisted living units of Shenandoah Valley Westminster Canterbury. These programs were very well received, and we will be providing services for residents again this spring. The program was featured in the May 28, 2022 issue of the Winchester Star newspaper.

Our FUN WITH HORSES DAY CAMP is scheduled for the last week of June, and in 2023, camp will start on June 26th. During this half-day, adaptive, recreational camp, we serve up to six children with special needs, age 7 to 12, with a staff to camper ratio of greater than 2:1.  The format includes therapeutic riding instruction, basic horse care and knowledge, mounted and unmounted games with horses and a full hour of art each day.  Staff includes PATH-certified instructors, an art instructor, and more than a dozen trained, caring volunteer conselors. We may offer a second week of camp starting on July 10th if registration warrants.

BRCTH students have the opportunity to participate in horse shows, in particular, the Annual TRAV Horse Show which is held in mid-October at the VA Horse Center in Lexington, VA. Classes include Equitation, Dressage and Games.  Everyone, including parents and siblings, always has a wonderful time watching and cheering on the other riders from all over the state and NC. This year the show is scheduled for October 21 and 22, and we will start preparing our students and horses this spring.

In 2023 and beyond, BRCTH will be looking into expanding our services to include school and group home programs, community service and vocational opportunities for adults with developmental delay, more programming for seniors in our community and piloting an EAL program for persons with brain injury. while continuing to increase the numbers of students who are individually referred for services.   Please contact us, or pass along our contact information, if you know of an aforementioned entity that could benefit from our services.  Or, download our brochure!