My grandson, Damian, has been going to The Right Step for 2 years. When he started at age 2, he was walking with the help of a walker. Damian does not speak. He started at The Right Step, riding with a back rider and now, 2 yr later,he rides on his own, he walks without a walker and has started trying to say some words!! The people at The Right Step are the best!! They really care which means so much. We wouldn't be at any other place.
Everyone who comes to The Right Step, Inc. is warmly welcomed and genuinely cared for by the exceptional staff and volunteers, who also give the best possible care to the therapy horses. This small nonprofit is making a big impact on the lives of the clients who eagerly participate in adaptive horsemanship program.
EquuStyle Art and Travel magazine was proud to feature The Right Step, Inc. in the premier Winter 2023 issue and continues to support this amazing organization!
Volunteering for The Right Step, Inc. has been incredibly rewarding in many ways. The opportunity to give back to those with disabilities through the healing power of horses has taught me many things, and it's great to see our clients gain a sense of freedom and confidence through the Adaptive Riding Program. As a mother, seeing the smiles and impact for some of our young riders also fills me with joy.
The community of volunteers here is amazing and volunteering for this program is not just about helping others—it's also about being part of something bigger in the community. I highly recommend this experience to anyone looking to give back while connecting with incredible people and horses along the way!
Such a wonderful organization! The staff and volunteers are amazing and so are their horses, especially my favorite FredBob! As an equine bodyworker, I choose to donate my time to The Right Step, Inc. to help their horses and their mission.
I am constantly amazed by the clients, volunteers, and staff at The Right Step. As a volunteer, the minute I step into the barn I can feel myself relax totally. Just being around horses gives me a calm and peace I can't find anywhere else. I rode when I was a teenager but have not been around horses much since then. That's the great thing about The Right Step -- you don't have to know anything about horses to volunteer. They have taught me how to feed, water, muck, handwalk, and help out as a sidewalker with clients -- and I've only been a volunteer for about 3 months! I can't say enough good things about this organization.
I am always amazed at how horses help people, especially people with challenges. I think about one young girl in particular who is nonverbal, but she learned to reach for and touch a “go” sign to signal she wanted her horse to “walk on”. For her to be able to find a way to communicate was so exciting! This is the type of success that I’ve seen at The Right Step. There are greater accomplishments too, but this one touched my heart in the same way this girl touched the sign. A small but exhilarating step forward!
I'm a volunteer for this awesome place. The horses are so well taken care of and loved. The kids and adults we work with love the opportunity to work and learn with the horses. It's a great place to learn more confidence as well as horsemanship. I'm a lucky woman to be able to volunteer at this place!
I love being part of The Right Step team of staff and volunteers. Clients are paired with an appropriate horse based on their riding ability. Lessons not only support and reinforce the client's riding skills, but also provides more challenging exercises to help them achieve their riding goals.
The horses are so loved and cared for! They only work a few lessons 4 or 5 days a week, and they get time outside in turnout every afternoon to just be a horse and visit with their herd members.
Not only am I a volunteer, but I'm also a supporter. I see how my donations are used not only for basic horse care, but also BEMER treatments to improve microcirculation, and promote relaxation. These are some pampered horses!
This is an exceptional organization and I encourage you to support their therapeutic horse program.
(images from their Facebook page)
Hi, We are an equine therapy program that offers riding and ground lessons with our fabulous horses.
I was nominated for a local news award for volunteering for The Right Step. The award was a complete suprise to me. This program is not about me but about the good it does for our students. I look forward every week to seeing the progress each of the students makes. The smiles and the hard work they put in is inspiring . So many of them face huge challenges . This program also has the most wonderful instructors and volunteers I could ever want to work with. I also need to give kudos to our fabulous horses. They are so kind and hard working.
I just started volunteering here, but have met so many wonderful people! The work they do touches so many lives. Great work being done here!!
Parent of a volunteer. My daughter loves this place and loves volunteering with the horses and kids! The Right Step is a great place! The Right Step helps my daughter keep busy and stay out of trouble all the while helping the horses and kids with special needs.
I have now been teaching with The Right Step for a full year and volunteering for almost 2 years. With their help, I completed my certification to become a PATH Int'l Therapeutic Riding Instructor at the Registered level and together we achieved PATH Int'l Premier Accredited Certification. The program is growing and always looking for ways to improve. We have amazing riders, families, volunteers and horses allowing the program to operate 7 days a week helping so many with special needs. I am so happy to have all these wonderful people and animals in my life and can't wait to extend the family as the program grows in the future.
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I started volunteering with The Right Step in Dec of 2011. I instantly fell in love with the program and started working on becoming a PATH Int'l Certified Instructor so I could help teach the kids (I'm halfway to achieving this goal thanks to The Right Step). The horses used to help our students are some of the older horses out at Coventry Farms, the same horses I grew up riding as a kid at the same Farm. Getting to work with these horses again and watch them as they bring something special into the lives of people with a wide range of mental and physical disabilities that come to enjoy the benefits of the program is so incredible. This program allows the horses to have another chance to work and feel useful again as they are too sore to jump and handle the full work load of the other side of things there. Some of them have even spoken up in their own way to say they are completely done with Coventry Farms and only want to be used with The Right Step. The clients these horses help are amazing. I have had the worked with some that would not talk when they started and after a few months were using full sentences and you were lucky to get a word in of your own. I have also had the privilege of working with clients in wheelchairs and watching them develop strength and balance to the point where they can now hold themselves upright unassisted and independently control the horse. For 30 minutes those clients are completely free and moving on their own with the biggest smiles I've ever seen. Watching the horses and clients work together brings me and the other volunteers I've worked with so much joy and in itself a therapy for us, motivation to keep going both in the ring with them and outside of it in our everyday lives.
I am honored to serve on the Board of Directors for this amazing program. I see positive changes happening in the lives of our clients, volunteers, and instructors every day. We are working very hard to make our program better in everything we do. No one is content with the status quo and it show! I'd love to have you come out & see us in action!
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I have volunteered for The Right Step since its inception in 2008. I started as a horse leader/side walker and now have been on the board since 2011. I measure our "greatness" not in the fanciness of our facility or brochures but in our ability to change lives for the better. Not only do we have clients reporting that other doctors and therapists are amazed at their strength because of the riding, but also we have volunteers who have found a sense of community and compassion formerly lacking in their lives. I am proud to be a part of this wonderful organization.
I have been a volunteer since the inception of The Right Step and a certified EAP/EAGALA instructor whom has run a Veterans EAP Program to assist with homeless veterans. I have had the unique opportunity to see the program in action from both positions of volunteer and instructor which has provided me with a full spectrum of equine assisted growth, development and learning. These programs provide a unique opportunity for special needs children and adults which generate results not found through the traditional treatment plans most are familiar with. Clients derive both physical and psychological benefits from these programs and it assist in and enhances other developmental goals within each of their lives. Clients are not the only ones whom benefit but I have witnessed the impact made upon our many volunteers whom serve with their time, effort and donations. I have personally witnessed the growth, learning and life impacts to our volunteers for the horse runs free and caries the spirit on a journey. Please consider becoming part of The Right Step family
The Right Step is definitely a program I wish I volunteered with more often, for a while now since there are more and more amazing volunteers I have been helping out a little bit less. Even though I am not usually as involved with the program it is still possible to see the benefits coming out of it. There are always the volunteers who are so helpful and nice coming in and out of the barn as well as the clients who sometimes are out on trail rides and always look as though they are having fun. Overall it is just a wonderful thing to be around almost everyday and to see how much everyone; riders, families, volunteers and even the instructors can grow just by being a part of it.
The Right Step program has been an important part of my life for over two years. It is one of the most rewarding activities I have ever participated in. The benefits to the clients are physical and psychological. For the client to be in contact with his/her horse provides considerable sensory stimulation. The instructor and volunteers throughout each lesson provide for social connections that are enriching for the client and the volunteers. It is my joy and honor to serve my community in this way.
I have had the honor of volunteering with The Right Step since it began in 2008. I absolutely love everything about this program, the sense of community, the clients, the other volunteers I have met, and of course the horses! It's been amazing to watch the progress that the clients have made and to watch their smiles as they walk out of the arena after a lesson is a bonus!
I am honored to be a part of this special program that is so impactful to the community, families, riders and volunteers. There are no limitations or labels placed on these individuals and to see such strength, courage and trust these riders have with the trainers, volunteers and horses is amazing. I have never been around horses, was afraid of them since they are much bigger than I am, but I am now a horse lover. Just grooming them and talking to them is so cathartic. It is a great way to end your day by working in the program and seeing these kids smile and speaking for the first time. I want to thank The Right Step for letting me be part of something so majical.
I had the pleasure of working with The Right Step last spring with their first-ever "Hoedown" to help raise awareness of the foundation and money for scholarships. I was immediately impressed with the work they do regarding equine therapy, and seeing the benefits of this therapy first-hand was truly moving. I was so touched by the good they do, that I decided to get involved with their fundraiser last year. Since it was the first year of the Hoedown, there was lots to do and I was able to be help from the ground level with everything from helping with the overall concept of the event, sponsorships, silent auction items, entertainment and much more. It was a lot of work but seeing the fruits of our labors come together to help people who so greatly benefit from equine therapy, made it all worth while. I highly recommend The Right Step not only as a place for superior equine therapy, but as an organization who's work directly impacts the community in a very positive way.
I joined this organization 2yrs ago with no real expectations, all I knew is that I wanted to give back to the community. What I have found is a wonderfully passionate organization that does so much for so many people. The Right Step, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit that focuses on equestrian therapy. Our mission is to help the lives of people with disabilities through the healing power of horses. While that is a true statement, we do so much more. We have clients of all ages but primarily we work with children and young adults suffering with Autism. Our clients become our family. To watch as they improve their quality of life by improving the cognitive, motor, emotional and aptitude skills it's not only a blessing for them, but their families, friends and everyone at TRS. Coventry farms is a wonderful facility that has a proud heritage of horsemanship. They have created a true utopia that our clients can take advantage of. Our instructors do this work for one reason, love. They love their clients, they love the therapy horses, they love the volunteers, but most importantly they LOVE coming to work day in and day out. We had our fundraising Gala this past weekend and our guests included: Board Members, Volunteers, Clients and people from the community. I was reminded through out the entire evening why TRS needs to be around. It is a fantastic place that gives way more then it receives. I encourage you to learn more on www.therightstepinc.org
Hello All, I became a part of The Right Step because of the people I met when I went to visit the facility. I am an avid horsewoman, and I was looking to find a great fit for my passion for horses and my desire to help others. The people I met there are so committed and dedicated to the cause, it's so inspirational to help them in their endeavor. The kids are great, there is never a dull moment watching them learn and seeing the therapeutic benefits first-hand. One child in particular has been a thrill to watch; she's actually the daughter of a fellow Board Member. I have witnessed her overcoming various obstacles in leaps and bounds; it's like seeing a different person every few weeks. The horses are well-maintained and enjoy a pleasant life on Coventry Farms. We are very appreciative of Coventry and their generosity to allow us to further this vision, there seems to be no end to what we can do at The Right Step. This is a unique and phenomenal organization that will only continue to expand and help others heal.
I have been volunteering with The Right Step for over 4 1/2 years and I can personally attest to the benefits, both physical and psycological, that our clients have derived from our theraputic riding program. I intend to continue with The Right Step indefinitely.
I love working with everyone at The Right Step therapeutic riding program! Seeing the growth our riders accomplish is very rewarding. I have a million stories to tell. The volunteers make the program work and they are fantastic. TRS has been very lucky to get to work with the horses. Okay, I have to tell one of my million stories regarding just one of the horses we use. Louie let us know that the rider was going to have a seizure so we were ready when it happened just a few minutes later. I just can't say enough about the great program of The Right Step.
I love everything about volunteering with The Right Step. As a newer volunteer, I was able to contribute right away, despite it being several years since I have interacted with horses/ponies. The various riding instructors and volunteers have made me feel at home and have given me just enough information to assist with lessons with various clients, but not too much information that I become overwhelmed.
I have been able to use the online sign-up process to volunteer on a schedule that I enjoy and I am made to feel appreciated every time I come out and volunteer. In addition, there seem to be a minimum of "politics". When I help out with the horses or clients, the emphasis is to provide a positive, high-quality, safe riding experience to that client and I have been able to see the numerous benefits of Therapeutic Riding to the clients in just a few short months with The Right Step!
TheRightStep 04/08/2011
Thanks for volunteering with us and for taking the time to write such a nice review!
Comments ( 1 )
TheRightStep 12/07/2015 Thank you! We love Damian and are proud of his accomplishments! He is an absolute joy!