Most of our horses are generously donated by individuals. Because not all horses are good candidates for a therapeutic riding program, each horse goes through a thorough 90-day trial period. A program horse candidate must be calm, react positively to human...
Among the large variety of horse breeds at The Shea Center, the American Quarter Horse is the most popular. The Quarter Horse is an ideal mount for equine-related therapies because of its temperament and disposition. The horses are known for their warm personality, a...
Hello Shea Friends! Many of you have asked about our virtual services and how they help our clients. This message introduces our telehealth services. Telehealth is a medically recognized therapy and though it’s not something The Shea Center has offered in the past, it...
At The Shea Center, we take pride in our horses and make sure they have top quality care. In their line of work, it is crucial that our horses have the maximum amount of mobility so our clients receive the best movement their horse has to offer. Sue Kellogg Graf is...
In this video, staff members Katy Purmort and Janelle Robinson explain the whys and wherefores of pairing particular horses with clients.
At The Shea Center, we strive to give our horses the best possible foundation for working in our program. Because each horse comes from a different background and has multiple staff and client riders, consistency in our horses’ training is a must. Dressage is the...
Departures, arrivals, boarding times, crew members…the barn on a busy day of therapeutic/adaptive riding is a lot like a metropolitan airport: lots of moving parts, and timing is everything. Ground zero for organizing all the activity is our white board. This is the...
Orange County Register featured article on The Shea Center and our telehealth services. "How can a client simulate the movement of riding a horse at home? How can clients share a connection with their horse when they can’t touch the animal? Answering those...
One of the reasons horses wear shoes is so their hooves don’t chip. Their hooves grow just as human toenails do and need to be trimmed every 6 – 8 weeks. At that time, the horses shoes are replaced. The horses at The Shea Center wear conventional horseshoes, but there...
Here is a video by PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Instructor Manager, Alex, with exercises you can do at home to help rotate your neck and shoulders for adaptive riding. Think about how many times your instructor has said "look up" or "look through...