Forward Stride

Target demographics: individuals with and without disabilities

Geographic areas served: the Portland Metro area

Programs: Inclusive equestrian sports (riding, vaulting, driving)in our riding program, children and adults of all abilities have opportunities to develop horsemanship skills, fitness, and self-confidence through horseback riding lessons. Our model connects horsemanship with life skills in a safety-first environment. This adaptive program includes lessons in basic riding, dressage, western and jumping. We served 90-110 clients per week, about 50 percent of whom were children, and 3 percent of whom were veterans. Approximately 70 percent of our clients self-identify as having a physical, cognitive, or emotional diagnosis. In our equestrian vaulting program, clients of all abilities learn how to combine gymnastics and dance in partnership while atop a moving horse. We accentuate partnership with the horse, teammates, longueur, and coach. We served 6-10 clients a week, all of whom were children. Approximately, 50 percent of these clients self-identify as having a diagnosis. In our driving program, clients learn to control an equine from the seat of a cart or carriage. Driving allows individuals of all abilities, even those who would not be able to participate in riding or vaulting, to be able to enjoy the freedom of moving with a horse. We served 1 youth client, sent a staff member to be certified, and worked to train multiple equines to begin our program in earnest in the summer of 2018. Weekly sessions will be held year round, with the exception of 1 or 2 weeks of break at the end of each quarterly session.

clinical services (rehabilitative services and equine facilitated psychotherapy)our rehabilitative services (hippotherapy) program is therapy for people with physical and developmental challenges. Our licensed and highly trained therapists provide physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language pathology. Each clinician uses the uniquely therapeutic and challenging movement of the horse to add to the other benefits and modalities of their field of expertise. We served 25-30 clients each week, 90 percent of whom were children. Our equine facilitated psychotherapy (efp) is therapy for personal growth and treatment for those with mental health diagnoses. Sessions are available for adults, adolescents, and children, which can take place in an individual, family, or group therapy setting. We served 10-15 clients per week, about 50 percent of whom were children, and 10 percent of whom were veterans. Weekly sessions are held year round, with the exception of 1 or 2 weeks of break at the end of each quarterly session.

personal development (volunteer, vocational, equine facilitated learning)our volunteer program provides opportunities for everyone over the age of 12 to give back to our organization and learn new skills. We have between 100 and 150 volunteers per week and about 300 total individuals throughout the year. These volunteers help with our clinical services, inclusive equestrian sports and assist with caring for our herd of therapy horses and ponies. Our vocational training program provides paid internships specifically designed for clients who may otherwise have difficulties gaining regular employment to benefit from real-life work experience. Each intern works up to 10 hours per week and is paid minimum wage. Each intern receives individualized and personalized learning plans that focus on their particular needs and interest. We served 3 individuals, 18-24 years old, all three of which continued in our volunteer program after completing their internship. Equine facilitated learning (efl) is an experiential learning approach that promotes the development of life skills for educational, professional and personal goals through equine-assisted activities. We provided one time efl experiences and 4-6 week curriculum based efl sessions to clients. Some of the learning included communication, body language, group dynamics and problem solving. We provided almost 100 client hours of efl in the 2016-2017 year.