Eleven-year-old Shea Center client Ella is currently in her second round of therapy at the Center. She first rode in 2016 and 2017, when she was just four years old, and quickly fell in love with horses—especially her therapy partners, Rushmore and Alik. After several...
Four-year-old Jane loves being on a horse. She has been a Shea Center client for 1.5 years and currently rides Murray, sometimes getting so engaged that she cries when it’s time to dismount. Jane has a rare genetic condition called ALG13-CDG, which appears in...
Six-year-old Savva survived a brain stroke in utero, resulting in diagnoses of hemiplegic cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and a speech impairment. While these challenges are part of his journey, they have never defined who he is. Savva is a joyful, adventurous, and...
Twenty-year-old Megan Shook began riding at The Shea Center when she was five and continued intermittently until the age of 13. Born prematurely, Megan spent her first three months in the NICU, and even as an infant, she showed sensitivity to loud sounds. Diagnosed...
Naomi is a joyful 3-year-old preschooler who has been participating in physical therapy using hippotherapy at The Shea Center for a year. Born with vocal cord paralysis, Naomi was also later diagnosed with Poland syndrome, a condition marked by missing muscles and...
Thirteen-year-old Dylan has been an adaptive riding client at The Shea Center for sixteen months. He is diagnosed with postural scoliosis, low tone, autism, and ADHD. According to his mother, Rebecca, riding at Shea has significantly improved Dylan's core...
Seven-year-old Neil has been participating in physical therapy using hippotherapy as a client at The Shea Center for a year and a half. Neil was born weighing 1.5 pounds and experienced severe bilateral brain bleeds as well as the development of cysts, which led to a...
Dana Butler-Moburg, the CEO of The Shea Center, had a surprising phone conversation recently when she called the Center's computer help line and was connected with technician Stephen Williams. As they waited for Dana's computer to reboot, the conversation turned to...
In equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) clients work on improving their quality of life by working towards a variety of goals. These could include improving communication skills, setting and maintaining boundaries at work or school, learning healthy coping skills to...
Meet Yusuf, a vibrant three-year-old with a passion for horseback riding! Just seven months ago, Yusuf began his journey at The Shea Center with a diagnosis of autism and speech delay. Since then, his progress in occupational therapy utilizing hippotherapy has been...