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Manes and Miracles
Home
Donate
  • Donate
  • Save on Your Taxes
  • Become a Miracle Maker
  • Sponsor
  • Amazon Wish List
Healing with Horses
  • Equine-Assisted Services
  • Camps
Volunteer
About Us
  • Our Team
  • Our Herd
  • M&M in the News
Events
  • Touchdown Showdown 2025
  • Our Events
Contact Us
Swag Shop
More
  • Home
  • Donate
    • Donate
    • Save on Your Taxes
    • Become a Miracle Maker
    • Sponsor
    • Amazon Wish List
  • Healing with Horses
    • Equine-Assisted Services
    • Camps
  • Volunteer
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Our Herd
    • M&M in the News
  • Events
    • Touchdown Showdown 2025
    • Our Events
  • Contact Us
  • Swag Shop
  • Home
  • Donate
    • Donate
    • Save on Your Taxes
    • Become a Miracle Maker
    • Sponsor
    • Amazon Wish List
  • Healing with Horses
    • Equine-Assisted Services
    • Camps
  • Volunteer
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • Our Herd
    • M&M in the News
  • Events
    • Touchdown Showdown 2025
    • Our Events
  • Contact Us
  • Swag Shop

Equine-Assisted Activities

Equine Assisted Activities (EAA) offer a unique form of human-equine interaction that provides a personalized learning experience. Through a carefully designed curriculum tailored to individual goals and needs, each EAA session helps participants develop and practice new skills. EAA fosters growth in self-awareness, self-esteem, confidence, problem-solving, emotional regulation, and self-control. While enriching and beneficial for overall wellness, please note that EAA is not considered a form of therapy.


Our EAA program is exclusively focused on groundwork (no riding involved). It’s ideal for those new to horses, individuals who exceed our weight limit, or anyone unable to participate in mounted activities. If you believe your child would benefit from EAA, please complete an application to get started.


"If you love horses, this is for you."

Adaptive Riding

Adaptive Riding tailors traditional horseback riding lessons to support students with disabilities. At Manes and Miracles, our weekly mounted lessons focus on teaching horsemanship and riding skills while providing numerous emotional and physical benefits. 


Participants work on skill-based goals through engaging in tasks and activities, which can lead to reduced feelings of depression and anxiety, increased self-esteem, improved focus, enhanced social skills, and a strengthened sense of control and connection. Physically, students may experience gains in strength, coordination, flexibility, and balance.


Our lessons are conducted by our PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor, Rebecca,  and typically involve small groups of 2-3 individuals for one-hour sessions each week. Adaptive Riding can be beneficial for students with conditions such as autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression, Down syndrome, and more. If you believe your child could benefit from Adaptive Riding, please complete an application to get started.


"She feels free to be herself and supported in a way that she could enjoy new activities."

Join the Waitlist

Now accepting applicants for the AR & EAT programs
Join the Waitlist

Equine-Assisted Therapy

Equine-assisted therapy (EAT), also called Hippotherapy (derived from the Greek word ‘hippos,’ meaning horse) is a specialized form of physical therapy that harnesses the movement of a walking horse to deliver targeted motor and sensory input. 


This approach helps build a foundation for improved neurological function and sensory integration, which enhance children's balance, strength, sitting posture, and sensory processing and can positively impact various daily activities.


It’s important to note that hippotherapy differs from therapeutic horseback riding. While horseback riding focuses on teaching specific riding skills, hippotherapy uses the horse’s movement as a tool to achieve therapeutic goals as part of a professional therapy treatment plan.


 We are not accepting new hippotherapy clients at this time, and there is no waitlist. Children participating in other programs at Manes and Miracles may be considered for equine-assisted therapy when openings become available. 

"Therapy is helping my son gain physical strength, but it is also helping him gain confidence."

Additional Equine Programs

Presently, Manes and Miracles does NOT offer any of the following:

  • Riding lessons for children without a doctor's diagnosis (including siblings of participants)
  • Equine-assisted behavioral therapy
  • Equine-assisted psychotherapy
  • Programs for adults

Client Intake Forms

All forms are required to be completed annually. 

Client Intake Forms (pdf)

Download

Health Care Provider Statement (docx)

Download

“Manes and Miracles has our hearts. Really truly! So blessed to know these people and be able to have had Hadley receive services there… The horses have been such a blessing in her healing journey… Her happy place!"


Lindsey, Hadley's Mom

What's so great about horses?

Basically… Everything!

The horse pelvis shares the same three-dimensional planes as the human pelvis: front to back (anterior/posterior or flexion/extension), side to side (lateral), and rotation. 

Experiencing the movement transmitted by the horse’s pelvis results in weight shifts, balance reactions, and core/pelvis motions which activate rider skills like motor planning, bilateral coordination, muscle strength, balance, visual perceptual, sensory regulation, weight-bearing, timing, and more – so essential for daily life.


Plus- Horses are fun! Riders are motivated to overcome mental blocks, stretching themselves to accomplish more than they might in a traditional therapy setting.


In Short: The dynamic movement of the horse combined with the dynamic environment leads to functional growth. 


Physical benefits include improvements in

  • Balance/equilibrium
  • Control of extremities
  • Coordination
  • Endurance
  • Eye-hand coordination
  • Fine motor skills such as writing, tying shoelaces, and snipping with scissors
  • Gross motor skills such as sitting, standing, and walking
  • Head and trunk control
  • Flexibility
  • Postural symmetry
  • Mobility
  • Motor planning
  • Muscle tone and strength
  • Range of motion
  • Respiratory control
  • Transitions
  • Trunk/core strength
  • Visual motor

Cognitive benefits include advancements in

  • Attention
  • Empathy
  • Emotional awareness
  • Stress tolerance
  • Expressing thoughts and needs
  • Self-regulation
  • Timing and grading of responses
  • Understanding of visual cues
  • Visual coordination
  • Confidence
  • Impulse control
  • Problem solving
  • Independence
  • Inter-personal relationships

“Tyce has been a Hippotherapy participant for two seasons. It is a therapy that he thoroughly enjoys. We have seen continued progress with Tyce’s abilities through Hippotherapy.”


Stacey, Tyce's Mom

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