Press Release – Therpeutic Riding – No one sat on the sidelines because of a disability at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA, this year. The EQUUS Foundation hosted a reception for the families and friends of the competitors in the first Therapeutic Riding Championship sponsored by the Pennsylvania National Horse Show Foundation (PNHS) on October 21, 2016.
Winning the Assisted Therapy Championship was Charles Turnbaugh of Newville, PA on “Mister Sneedercise”. Winning the Unassisted Therapy Championship was Rhiannon Calp of Hanover, PA on “Rio”.
“It was both inspiring and heartwarming that the Pennsylvania National Horse Show offered their venue not just for the riders, but for all of us in the audience”, said Lynn Coakley, EQUUS Foundation President.
The number of people with disabilities involved in sport and physical recreation is steadily increasing. People with a disability participate in high performance as well as in competitive and recreational sport – and the equestrian sport is no exception.
Riders worked to qualify this summer by showing at one of the three local Pennsylvania horse shows: Columbia Riding Club on July 10; Benefit for the Shining Stars Therapeutic Riding Program on August 6 at the Gettysburg Riding Club; and Leg Up Farm Horse Show on September 10. All riders who participated in the designated classes at one of these shows were invited to compete in the championship.
Dubbed “Foundation Friday”, festivities also included the inaugural Therapy Horse of the Year Award named in honor of Anne and Jack Wagner, who partnered with Easter Seals in York to run an all-volunteer therapeutic riding program for 25 years. The winner was Clyde, the pride and joy of the Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Academy in Philadelphia, PA. Accepting the honors for Clyde was Barbara Wertheimer, Executive Director, and Teresa Doherty, Program Director.
The EQUUS Foundation is the only national charity solely dedicated to horse welfare and the horse-human bond. The EQUUS Foundation provide resources to over 1,000 equine charities across the United States, and award over $250,000 annually to organizations operating at the highest standards for horse care and use, and for programs where it is needed most.
Source: Press Release
