WESTERN RIDING THERAPY PROJECT
Our Western riding therapy project is to either breed and then train American breeds of stock horse (Quarter Horse, Paint Horse or Appaloosa) to be ridden in the Western style, or purchase seasoned Western trained horses and specially train these horses to carry disabled riders.
We specify these breeds of horse due to their calm yet sensitive natures and shallow, comfortable way of moving and the Western style of riding due to the deep Western saddle with wide heavy stirrups to help steady legs that don’t move and a roping horn for the rider to steady themselves on and with the horses being taught to neck rein, which requires only one hand to steer with, this leaves the rider’s other hand free to hold on if they feel the need.
These horses will first be trained to work individually, confidently and calmly in all situations, like police horses are (to be ‘bombproof’ as possible) and then be trained to work in trios, so that a disabled rider has an outrider either side of them, for safety and reassurance if the rider is nervous.
Once the Verwood site is up and running, we will look to place trios of our specialist horses at riding facilities adjacent to miles of off-road riding, places that can teach the basics of Western riding or have an instructor that can travel to instruct volunteers and riders.
Specialist Western saddles will be used that incorporate an airline lap belt.
A hoist for mounting and an accessible toilet will be at any centre offering Western Riding for the disabled.,
From little things, great things grow…
It has been a long wait for our homebred youngsters to ‘come of age’ for the basics of their backing to be taught, but here we are.
Will they make the grade of sensible yet sensitive mounts for Western riding therapy?
We have two youngsters, one mare and one gelding and they each have their own page for you to watch their progress, we have included their baby and growing photos, you can watch them take their first ‘baby steps’ under saddle and watch how our volunteer ‘test pilots’ get on and see if any join an ‘airborne division’ 🤭
We are looking for more volunteers to take their education further, hacking out, beach rides, attending Western riding clinics and even shows.
We are also looking for volunteers who are content just to help from the ground, so feeding, grooming, tacking up etc and eventually help disabled riders to ride once we are open for business.
We also have a palomino filly, Cherokee’s full sister, born July 2025 who is showing a fabulous temperament to be a therapy horse. You’ll see why she was named ‘Dipsy’ on her page….
OUR TWO OLDER HORSES
OUR TWO YOUNGSTERS
NEW HORSE COMING THIS FEBRUARY 2026
With funding comes the amazing opportunity to fast track being able to offer Western riding therapy with the purchase of a 10 year old American Quarter Horse strawberry roan mare from Denmark, our youngsters, Cherry and Jester are still a year away from ‘graduating’.
This beautiful strawberry roan mare is a trained Western pleasure horse, so extremely smooths gaits but is equally good exploring out on the trail.
Her nature is calm and kind so we have great hope of seeing many happy smiling faces once ‘Berry’ has settled in and got back into fitness.
Berry is due to make the journey to the UK with John Parker horse transport who I’ve always entrusted with the transport of my horses from Europe to the UK and should be with us by mid February.
We will be including a photo album of Berry’s travels with John Parker from collection in Denmark, overnight stop, to delivery at Verwood Farm, Verwood.