After serving six years and completing three deployments to Kuwait and Afghanistan, Travis Mossbarger left the Air Force 13 years ago. At first, the transition to civilian life seemed smooth. He enrolled in college, where he earned a degree in web and graphic design...
Belle came to The Shea Center on an equine therapy scholarship from the Brynn Wheeler Foundation. As Belle prepares to enter her senior year of high school, she stays busy with theater, creating YouTube videos, and frequent trips to Disneyland. She hopes to become a...
Through his story, Rob reveals how his military experience led him to The Shea Center—and a new sense of purpose. "I'm a retired disabled veteran who served 26 years in the military, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. My time in service—especially combat...
Seventeen-year-old Emma began riding at The Shea Center last December, and from the start, something clicked. After struggling to progress in previous therapeutic riding programs, she quickly found connection and momentum, especially with her horse, Warrior. Each...
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...