Equine therapeutic activities simply wouldn’t exist without the exceptional horses making up therapeutic teams across the world. Each equine team member has an important role, which requires us to be selective when considering a new induction to our therapeutic troop.
If you are considering donating your horse (or pony) to our program to be used in our therapeutic activities, please read through the following section. Before reading, please note that your horse may not be ready to be involved in therapeutic activities. If your horse doesn’t quite fit the criteria set out below, check out our Rescue and Revocation page to see what other kind of role your horse could play.
The following are our current therapeutic horse criteria:
Preferred Age: 6 – 12 years old
Gender: Mares
Height: 14.2Hh and Under
Soundness/Condition: The horse must have a free-moving stride at all gaits with no physical issues that could cause them to be uncomfortable (with or without a saddle/rider and/or carriage/driver). They must be in good condition with excellent conformation, and healthy without the need for any corrective shoes, feeds, supplements, or medications.
Personality/Temperament: The horse needs to be patient, kind, quiet, and understanding — and they simply MUST enjoy attention! Every horse must be tolerant of therapeutic settings (and of varied riders and drivers), with impeccable ground manners, no objection to tack, and a willingness to accept people attending to riders/drivers around them. In addition, they must be able to tolerate loud noises and sporadic movements: horses who bite, buck, rear, kick, pace, crib or wind-suck are not eligible for acceptance.
Training: Horses must be well mannered on the ground and competent and safe under saddle and/or harness.
If your horse or pony fits the criteria listed above, please feel free to complete our application: