On Saturday mornings, Lesson Treatment Assistants (LTAs) arrive at The Shea Center at 7:30 a.m., to get horses ready for the long day’s work. Working horses before their lessons is an important responsibility of the LTA position and a crucial part of the Shea horses’ fitness routine. The LTAs first step for getting a Saturday morning start is to check the equine board down at the barn.

On the board, staff members are assigned a number of horses and the type of work they should do with each horse. Every horse has a specific workout routine that is completely personalized. This routine may involve joining up with the horse in the round pen or long line lunging the horse in the arena. All LTAs are trained to work horses a number of different ways to provide them the most effective exercise. As the LTAs prepare their horses to be worked, they are also keeping track of the clock as Saturday mornings are one of the busiest times at The Shea Center.

LTAs must make sure that all of the tack for the day’s lessons is pulled out correctly and horses are getting ready for their lessons on time. As the LTAs are working their assigned horses, volunteers begin to show up and check the lesson boards to see what tack is being pulled. LTAs keep a close watch and once they’re done working horses, they check the volunteers’ progress. Horses start to be pulled at 8:30 a.m. and LTAs are on the radio, double checking tack for lessons and sending volunteers to help set up the arenas with obstacle courses or games.

Once 8:45 a.m. hits, volunteers are beginning to bridle the horses and LTA’s are checking saddles and bridles making sure everything is safe and secure. Lastly, the horses are sent to the correct arenas. For the LTAs that are assigned to ground drive in hippotherapy lessons, they gather up their lines and ground driving gear. It’s show time!