Glory Reins Riding School is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of children, teens, and adults through the experience of being with horses.
We provide a unique combination of equine related activities which include riding and ground management of horses.
Recreation and fun are encouraged.
We provide a supportive and caring environment for our riders.
Our motto is that lives can be transformed “one stride at a time”.
We aim to foster:
- Fun
- Intention
- Teamwork
- Life Skills
- Relationships
- Responsibility
- Horsemanship
- Mentoring and Leadership
- Focus and Follow Through
The goal of Glory Reins Riding School is to create an environment which few are able to experience today. We strive to impart life skills and an improved work ethic, while also installing a sense of confidence, trust and hope in the children as well as adults of our community; encouraging them to reach beyond limitations.
Most of the children/adults that participate in our program are hurting in some way. To Glory Reins, the word “hurting” takes on many shapes and forms: mentally, physically, emotionally, and functionally. Some of the disabilities served by therapeutic riding at Glory Reins Riding School can include but are not limited to: autism, Down’s syndrome, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, multiple sclerosis, emotional disabilities, PTSD, amputations, learning disabilities as well as attention deficit disorders. The “hurting” could come from numerous causes but the ” healing ” occurs while working closely with one of nature’s counselors, a beautiful horse.
A smaller percentage of students we work with simply do not have access to horses through any other means, financially or otherwise. It has been our growing experience that as “healthy” children/adults work, play and grow beside “broken” ones, both are encouraged to have a greater appreciation and understanding of others. It also brings hope to the spirit of the wounded to believe they too can have hope for the future.
Our horses are paired with a leader and a student for a 60-90 minute lesson beginning with grooming and care for the horse, a riding lesson, or ground manners lesson. Depending on ability, several tasks can occur, of which, specialized exercises on the horse, an incremental lesson pre-planned each week, or a possible “barn work” is scheduled and completed. All students are encouraged toward independence and responsibility with the care of “their” horse for the time during their lesson. All of this occurs with an emphasis on safety as well as guidance from certified instructors as well as volunteers during the entire time at the barn.
Another focus of Glory Reins is family and social interaction. A parent’s presence is often quite central to the healing process of a child. Family members sitting, enjoying the beauty of the barn, relaxing and encouraging their student has an impact. Teens working together side by side while helping younger students or more impaired students, teaches leadership. All of these aspects aid in healing and developing the true “family” environment of the barn experience.
Glory Reins Riding School uses volunteers as another outreach of our program. Teen leaderships skills are honed through volunteering. This occurs during weekly lessons and also through planned camps several times per year.
The benefits of Equine therapy and horsemanship have been well documented through the years. Therapeutic riding offers a motivational opportunity to improve attention span, concentration, memory, and language skill development. The positive horse and human interaction can result in a greater sense of teamwork, self esteem, responsibility and communication. The horse is an effective therapy tool because the horse’s movement stimulates a normal human gait. This gentle rhythmic movement helps improve balance, muscle control and tone, motor development and coordination, balance, posture, strength, and overall body awareness.
Through all these benefits of equine therapy and recreation, students are transformed, one stride at a time at Glory Reins Riding School.
Skills Gained Through Horse Riding Lessons
Planning
Coaching
Horsemanship
Creative Talent
Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Time Management
Teaching Beginners
Training and Mentoring
Planning schedule for Riders and Horse
Best Communication with Horse and Riders
Ability to handle the Horse and Rider very politely
Ability to teach a Rider how to apply Basic Foundation
Planned Activities
Glory Rein’s planned activities are to provide personal aid and rehabilitation therapy through horsemanship. By forming a partnership through horsemanship, several goals are brought into focus, which are directly transferable within the horsemanship training session to the physical, psychological or social arena of the participant.
These planned horsemanship activities provide secondary personal benefits of circulation, respiration, balance, coordination, agility, self-consciousness and mental relaxation that then directly carryover as improvements from the sessions to activities of daily living.
These activities further the organization’s main purpose of providing personal aid and rehabilitation through horsemanship, with the result of teens, trouble youth, or low income families being able to experience the transitional effect and realism transferable from horsemanship to betterment in their lives.
This horsemanship transformation that has been demonstrated through the years allows interpersonal relationships to be made as a result of positive interaction between the rider and his volunteers or instructors.
Through such contact the rider begins to experience goal-oriented behavior, which becomes the first or another goal achieved, making all the future goals progressively less difficult to work toward and accomplish.