Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship Finds New Home in Bedford

By Alexandra Steinberg April 9, 2015

Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship, which provides horse therapy for those with special needs, found a new home in Bedford. The stable's instructors are certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship.

After an intensive search, Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship found a facility in Bedford to call its own.

Endeavor provides therapeutic riding to children with special needs, including physical and mental disabilities. Children can ride, groom, care for, and feed the horses as well as learn how to successfully run a farm.

The group works with a variety of clients ranging from ages 2 to 70, but the majority of clients are children.

Founder and advanced-level PATH-certified instructor Emily Wygod, member of the board of directors Susan Berg, and other staff members looked at many barns in Bedford, but not many were handicapped accessible or up to their standards. In February, the therapeutic horsemanship group found its forever home on a farm across from Fox Lane High School.

“We’re so excited!” Wygod says. “The barn needed a little care, so we’re spending the month of March fixing it up and getting it ready for our spring program in April.”

Endeavor doesn’t exclude siblings who don’t have disabilities from joining in the fun therapy program. Board member Caroline Black has signed up her two sons—14-year-old Will, who is diagnosed with ADHD, low muscle tone, and global developmental delays, and 8-year-old Luke—for sessions together. She says that the sessions have helped her sons grow closer as siblings.

“It’s an activity that kids can do together; horses don’t judge,” Berg says.

While Marny Mansfield, program director, is the only occupational therapist on staff, all instructors provide hippotherapy and are certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International. Mansfield was also the PATH International instructor of the year in 2014, and is a PATH International master instructor.

Forty-five-minute group riding and 30-minute private riding cost $60 per session. Thirty-minute private hippotherapy riding costs $80 per session.

Above photo: Will Black, 14, who is diagnosed with ADHD and low muscle tone, works with volunteer Sharon Ricketts and Frida the pony at Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship.

Photo by Bill Black