Formerly known as Lesson Treatment Assistants (LTAs), the Program Support Team (PST) is among the most vital members of The Shea Center staff, and the name change says it all. They don’t support just one department; they support every program department. From our core therapy and adaptive riding programs to our horses, volunteers, barn crew, evening military services, and summer camp, the PST keeps the entire program moving. Our team of five — three full-time and two part-time — brings specialized skills that stretch even further, with individual members trained in areas like barn management, volunteer and staff education, and facilities care, including power washing and tending our therapy garden.
Their day starts early and rarely slows down. They may arrive as early as 7:30 a.m., depending on the session schedule. From the moment they clock in, the program support team is checking the Daily Lesson Schedule (DLS) digital boards, exercising their assigned horses by lunging or trail riding, pulling tack, and working with onsite volunteers and staff to make sure the morning runs smoothly, all before the first client ever arrives.
Thirty minutes before the first session, the pace picks up. The program support staff coordinate and delegate to volunteers, teach and guide newer ones, and get horses and tack ready for therapy treatments and adaptive riding lessons. Once a client session begins, the PST is most often on horse-handling duty, either ground-driving or leading, expertly trained to manage each horse’s movement so the therapist can focus entirely on treatment and the instructors on their lesson plan.
Behind the scenes, the work never really stops. The PST keeps program areas clean and tack organized and ready — sweeping, folding laundry, cleaning arenas, and caring for tack — while keeping a watchful eye on volunteer safety around the crossties, tack rooms, personnel, and horses. They pitch in with barn crew tasks too, from cleaning stalls and managing turnouts to running the Eurowalker. As the day winds down, they may even help prepare for our evening military services, and when needed, they’re right there supporting summer camp.
It’s an ever-changing environment—horse swaps, shifting volunteer assignments, last-minute cancellations, and tack adjustments—but the PST handles it all with steadiness and care. It’s no wonder they regularly clock eight to 10 miles of walking in a single day! The Shea Center runs as smoothly as it does because of them, and we are deeply grateful for everything they do.
