Center of the Month

Unicorn Therapeutic Riding was founded by Erin Hurley, OTR/L in 1988 in South Jersey where it operated until 2008. After a ten year hiatus, Unicorn re-opened at their newly built facility in Pennington, NJ.  

Unicorn is a PATH Intl. Premier Accredited, 501©3 non-profit organization that aims to facilitate growth and rehabilitation through equine-assisted activities for children and adults with a wide range of capabilities. We provide adaptive riding lessons, using modified teaching strategies and equipment, to help our students learn riding and horsemanship skills through instruction from our staff of PATH CTRI certified instructors, a dedicated group of volunteers, and Physical and Occupational Therapists.

Kaleidoscope Therapeutic Riding Program is located in Medford, NJ at Flora Lea Farm. The family owned and operated farm also runs a traditional lesson program, horse leasing and boarding, as well as several annual horse shows. 

The therapeutic riding program services children as well as adults. Young riders are introduced to riding skills through games. The mood of the program is fun, while maintaining safety for people and horses. Riding at Kaleidoscope focuses on the feeling of recreation. Students are encouraged to try new things and enjoy their horse time with lots of smiles. 

Riders are encouraged to be as independent as possible when riding as well as learning skills to care for their horses. When possible students learn to groom, tack and even lead their horses.  Some students have been able to cross over and also become volunteers to assist with other riders. 

Freedom Horse Farm is located in Long Valley NJ and was formed in 2009 to offer horses as partners in therapy. We are a small private facility and offer adaptive riding, traditional riding, equine assisted learning and a veterans program. We offer private lessons as well as group lessons. Group lessons are limited to two riders in the ring. We do have a monetary assistance program, thru Freedom Horse Inc., they assist those that would benefit from the activities at Freedom Horse Farm but need assistance with payment. Visitors are always welcome, but we do ask you to set up an appointment as some of the lessons are private. Contact us for more information at 908-797-4547.

Chariot Riders is a registered non-profit organization that is accredited by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.). Our facility is in Manchester, NJ. We service individuals as well as public and private schools. In addition to our lesson program, we also offer equestrian camps, in house and off premises horse shows, year-round riding in an indoor arena, IEA meets and activities, and group trips/activities. Riding lessons are taught by PATH Intl. certified staff using our specially trained horses. Riding students will be introduced to basic riding skills in a safe and secure environment. Lessons are booked individually based on rider ability and instructor availability.

The Chariot Riders riding program operates year-round, Monday – Saturday by appointment. Schools/group sessions are ongoing throughout the year.

For almost 50 years Mane Stream has provided programs for children and adults with special needs throughout central New Jersey, making us the second oldest program in the country. Founded by Octavia Brown on a backyard farm in Bedminster, Mane Stream has grown to a 12 acre farm in Oldwick with 13 horses serving almost 400 participants annually. In addition to our core programming of adaptive riding and therapy services, Mane Stream offers a summer camp for children of all abilities, programs for individuals living with cancer, senior adults with dementia, children coping with grief, individuals in recovery, school groups, scout troops and other community groups who can benefit from interaction with our specially trained staff and horses. Volunteers are an important and essential part of Mane Stream’s programs and we welcome everyone aged 14+ to be a part of our vibrant volunteer program.

Special Strides: Therapy, Recreation and Education on a farm.

Harvesting Hope… Breaking Boundaries… Realizing Potential.

Located on the beautiful 200 -acre Congress Hill farm, in Monroe NJ, Special Strides was established in 1998 to provide therapy, recreation and education utilizing the motion and e-motion of our amazing herd of 15 horses.

Physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists provide specialized therapy services incorporating hippotherapy (equine movement), sensory motor processing, and functional skill training into every 45- minute therapy session. Our talented adaptive riding instructors adapt their teaching methods to meet the learning needs of our clients to allow them to follow their recreational pursuits and become the equestrians of their dreams. Our ground based educational model stimulates individuals to find their passions and confidence alongside the horse instead of on top; learning about grooming, leading, communicating and training.

All of this is possible due to the hard work of our dedicated staff of therapists, riding instructors, horse handlers, volunteer side walkers, office staff, our herd of 15 wonderful horses and our donors. We are a non- profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all the individuals who come to us needing our programs and services. We raise monies throughout the year to support our robust financial assistance program enabling 50% of our client base of 110 individuals to receive the benefit of therapy, recreation or education at Special Strides.