Happy Trails Riding Academy is a PATH International premier accredited program which enriches the lives of children and adults with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities through equine facilitated therapy. Therapeutic horsemanship has been proven to provide a unique opportunity for self-improvement and independence in a positive learning environment, while offering a challenging alternative to traditional therapy.
Happy Trails assist riders with cerebral palsy, ADD, ADHD, head trauma/brain injury, sight/hearing impaired, developmentally disabled, autism, Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome and others.? The horse’s body moves the rider’s body like it is walking.? No piece of gym equipment can replicate this three-dimensional motion.? Benefits from therapeutic riding:? increased balance, strength and flexibility, increased ability to process information, improved language and communication skills, and increased independence and self-confidence.
Our riders range in age from 3 to 50+ with the majority (90%) under the age of eighteen. The following communities were served in 2010: Tulare, Visalia, Porterville, Hanford, Lindsay, Tipton, Exeter, Dinuba, Fresno, Lemoore, Woodlake, Corcoran, Farmersville, Pixley, Strathmore, Sultana, Springville, and Ridgecrest.