Following the 2024 PNHS, the PNHS Foundation awarded grant funding to 41 therapeutic riding centers, equine rescues and other equine-assisted services programs. Now, in the lead-up to the 2025 PNHS, we are shining the spotlight on many of these recipient organizations!

Bridlepath Equine Center, a 501(c)3 nonprofit therapeutic horsemanship program, opened its doors on September 12, 2023. The organization’s mission is to pave a pathway of growth and independence for individuals with special needs utilizing therapeutic horsemanship and specialized group programming.

Tell us more about Bridlepath Equine Center’s mission and how you serve the community.

“We serve individuals as young as 4 and through adulthood. Currently, we have about 30 participants who come on a weekly basis year-round – with a growing waitlist that is estimated to be about two years long!

“Those participants come for an hour each week in a private or semi-private (two to three individuals) session that includes both mounted and unmounted horsemanship activities. Our specialized group programming includes field trips, summer day camps and extended group programming such as school groups, Hoofbeat Haven (a cancer support group in partnership with Penn State’s Four Diamonds program) and Unbridled Courage (a support group for adopted/foster care families of children with special needs).

“We are fortunate to be able to run year-round, as we have an indoor and an outdoor arena. We also have a sensory trail that includes sensory stations working on fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, depth perception, problem solving, spatial awareness and more. We utilize the different riding areas based on what is most beneficial to our participants.”

What are some of the biggest challenges your organization currently faces?

“To meet the needs of our growing waitlist – while also being intentional about not growing too fast – we need to expand our equine herd. Because we work with an incredible population of individuals who oftentimes struggle with balance, fine and gross motor skills, impulse control, subconscious behaviors, etc., we are very picky about the horses we bring into our program. Our horses must be sound, safe and sane. We also have a strong desire for them to enjoy their job. Considering all of that, we have found that finding the appropriate horse(s) for our program has been quite the process, but a necessary one.

“Another struggle, as a new nonprofit, is making sure we have the funds to meet our general operating expenses. To run one weekly session costs Bridlepath about $100 per individual per session. However, because we are not covered by insurance (we are considered a “therapeutic” activity and not “therapy”), we try to keep our services as affordable as possible for our participants (who often have other expenses outside of therapeutic horsemanship in their other day-to-day activities). Of the $100 expense, we only charge $25-$50 per participant depending on their financial needs. We have a separate fund available for folks to donate directly for providing this financial aid.

“This means that every session we hold, we are in the red by 50 to 75 percent, thus making our reliance on monthly donors, one-time donations, sponsorships and grants immense. We are finding that as a newly founded program, we’ve had to build our reputation from scratch. We are hoping that the number of monthly donors increases, now that we have been in service for just over a year and a half.”

How has the PNHS Foundation grant impacted your program’s ability to serve your community?

“We’ve had the honor and opportunity to receive this grant both in 2024 (for adaptive tack and equipment) and 2025 (for a vaulting barrel). Being a startup, we are cautious with our spending, but hold ourselves to the highest standards in terms of quality for our incredible participants. These grants have allowed us to purchase adaptive tack and equipment to meet the needs of the variety of diagnoses we work with and to allow our participants to be as independent as possible.

“Independence is not always an option when using equipment that is generally used in a recreational program setting. By having adaptive equipment, we’ve seen participants learn to steer independently, trot independently, groom and tack their horse independently…The list goes on and on.

“The vaulting barrel can be utilized in a variety of ways during our therapeutic horsemanship sessions – balance exercises, figuring out how to safely adapt a mount or dismount to allow a participant to be as independent as possible without causing discomfort on our program horses’ backs, having an inanimate object that mimics the height and width of a real horse for participants who may have some hesitations about riding a horse. The opportunities are endless, and we are so excited to start incorporating this tool into our program!”

Can you share a success story of a horse or participant who benefited from your program?

“We have an adult rider who is nonverbal and has cerebral palsy. When he first came to our program about a year and a half ago, he was hesitant to complete tasks (both mounted and unmounted) independently. As time went on, he became more comfortable with his team of volunteers, staff and his horse, Benson. Utilizing adaptive equipment, Adam is now able to steer his horse independently at the walk without assistance from sidewalkers. He is becoming stronger at the posting trot on-lead; he knows and demonstrates the order and use of his grooming tools; he assists with tacking his horse, and he is able to make independent decisions when given visual cues or choices.”

Adam’s parents, Anita and Butch, shared the following, “Our son Adam has been doing therapeutic riding since he was 2 years old. He is now 25 years old. He has ridden at various facilities throughout the years. We found Bridlepath Equine shortly before they opened up, and Adam was their very first rider. In the last 16 months, Adam has made so much progress with his riding. After riding for 23 years, he only started steering his horse through obstacles, etc. by himself at Bridlepath Equine. He is once again doing two-point which he did a long time ago but hasn’t done in the last several years. He is even posting now, for the first time ever.

He has gained so much confidence while working with Danielle, Bob and Teal as his team. They are a wonderful team to work with. They have the drive to get Adam to do what he needs to do, and they make it fun. Adam loves trail rides, which is usually the end goal for his riding lessons. He has to accomplish several things before they go on the trail, and that helps him to work hard so he can do his favorite activity.

Bridlepath Equine has been a godsend to our family and this community. It is so exciting to see all that he has accomplished in the short time he has been riding there, and we are looking forward to seeing even more accomplishments in the near future.”

Click to watch video of Adam thriving at Bridlepath Equine!

What future goals do you have for your program and how can additional support help?

“To meet the needs of our waitlist, the most immediate goal is to bring on two more program horses, for a total of six horses, and to hire one more therapeutic horsemanship instructor. While we prefer a care lease of our program horses, we understand it is not always feasible for folks. We do have it in our budget to purchase a horse, but additional support would allow us to expand a bit more should an ideal candidate of a horse become available.

“Additional support would help with the hire of a new instructor, as well as the ability to purchase more supplies, adaptive equipment and overall general operating expenses to suit the growing number of participants in our program.

“Our long-term goal is to offer more specialized group programming opportunities for the community as well, which comes through community outreach, word of mouth and simply education to the general public of what therapeutic horsemanship is all about. Outside of financial support, we also need item donations, more followers on Facebook & Instagram (and sharing our page with friends and family!) and advocates for our program who would be willing to spread the word within their communities.”

Is there anything else you’d like donors/grant supporters to know about the impact of their support?

“There is not a donation or grant amount that is too small! Any support plays a huge role in our program, and supporters should know that they are absolutely a crucial part of the impact we have on this amazing group of individuals with special needs. I wish all of our supporters could see firsthand the smiles, successes and goals that our participants so proudly get to show off every time they come.

“We are so incredibly proud of each and every one of our participants, and we want our community to know that we truly couldn’t do it without them! By supporting Bridlepath Equine Center, we are able to continue offering high quality therapeutic horsemanship services to individuals with special needs at an affordable cost to them. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being a part of it!

For more information, folks are welcome to check out our website at www.bridlepathequinecenter.org.”

Support organizations such as Bridlepath Equine Center by donating to the PNHS Foundation here.