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 starting point of communication in which chaos is turned into a finely tuned day of serving clients. Equipment abbreviations and acronyms abound. Crib sheets posted in the barn and tack rooms help new volunteers decipher the code.

Top row of tack: 14 is the specific saddle; PC stands for Pro Choice, the saddle pad that fits that horse with that particular saddle; TLL is a Thin Line Large pad which is placed between the saddle and the Pro Choice pad; RR is for rainbow reins; NS means neck strap.

The Dot System
Upon arrival, volunteers erase the red dot next to their names. The dot for each horse’s tack is erased once it has been pulled. As horses are brought into the cross ties, the dots next to their names are wiped clear. This protocol makes it easy for the Lesson Treatments Assistant (LTA) to spot any missing elements and fill them quickly.
As leaders and horses head to their respective arenas for lessons, the LTA and volunteer barn crew take a deep breath…and then prepare for the next hour of lessons.