Meet the always charming Major! His calm demeanor and natural forward movement make him a great fit for his job at The Shea Center. Why we love him: Major is a sensitive yet easy going horse who likes to move! He is quite personable and loves a good face rub, which...
Paul Worley was raised in Eden, NC, and since he was a young boy wanted to become a United States Marine. He achieved his goal, became a gunnery sergeant, and spent a 20-year career in the military. After he served several tours of duty and retired from the Marine...
Gabriella, age 4, doesn’t stop smiling while riding Huckleberry. When she arrived at The Shea Center two years ago, she was timid and had weakness in her right side. Once Gabriella started participating in occupational therapy utilizing hippotherapy, her core strength...
The Shea Center hosted its second annual Equine Training with OC Fire Authority’s Urban Search & Rescue Team (US&R) with over 100 first responders on-site at our therapeutic horseback riding center. See the firefighters in action by watching the video...
Why we love her: Nadine serves as a leader and sidewalker and assists at the barn pulling and putting away tack. She stuffs hay balls for our horses (eating from the hay ball slows their eating, which is beneficial for digestion and mimics grazing), and on Friday...
Exciting news We have a new member of our herd... Murray! Murray is a 17-year-old, chestnut Mustang Arabian cross standing at 13.2 hands high. He was donated to us by the Mulder family and has a background as a child’s show pony and was trained in dressage,...
Leo, age 5, was diagnosed with autism at three. He has been through all the clinical therapies, but his favorite is occupational therapy utilizing hippotherapy at The Shea Center. Leo is motivated to play and engage in activities on the horse that help him build his...
Luca was born with a bright light inside of him and a contagious excitement for life. He was very expressive and used gestures to communicate what he wanted or needed during the first two years of his life. When he was two and not saying any words, the pediatrician...
Why we love him: Paul volunteers all day on Thursdays, working down at the barn in the mornings, keeping the crossties swept, tack put away, and helping out wherever needed. In the afternoons, he leads and sidewalks in lessons. Paul is always upbeat and calm. During...
Seven-year-old second-grade twins Ellie and Liz have been Shea Center clients for a year. With the onset of the pandemic, the girls began to be anxious about their surroundings by not feeling safe, not wanting to play outside, or being afraid of bugs and so forth. For...