Five-year-old preschooler Bill rides Murray and has been a Shea Center speech therapy client utilizing hippotherapy as a treatment tool for eight months. Bill hit all his milestones as a baby until he was about 18 months old and began to have trouble expressing his...
Written by Ryann Smith Groseclose * This story was orinially shared in the 2023 December issue of Ladera Ranch Neighbors magazine. Meet Dan and Carina Gregersen. This friendly and outgoing couple met through mutual friends in Denmark in 2002. Dan had just graduated...
Tobin, diagnosed with epilepsy, is six years old and has been a Shea Center adaptive riding client for a year. Adaptive riding lessons develop horseback riding skills in individuals with disabilities and aim for each client to reach their highest level of...
Rev. Monsignor Art, or as we call him, Father Art, has been riding at The Shea Center for 12 years. He served as a pastor and rector at the Mission Basilica for over a decade and is currently working on his mobility and core strength while riding therapy horse Tess...
Alex, age six, was diagnosed with autism at four years old and has been participating in adaptive riding at The Shea Center for six months. Alex was referred to adaptive riding by his neurologist because he has anxiety - the movement of the horse and the focus it...
Joel’s big smile shows how much he loves riding at The Shea Center! In transitional kindergarten, he is an active five-year-old who also has fun doing karate and swimming. He has been a client in occupational therapy utilizing hippotherapy for a year. During this...
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...
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...
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...