SADDLE LIGHT CENTER INC
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Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide equestrian therapy for children, teenagers and adults that have a disability including: neurological, orthopedic, learning and emotional as well as a wide range of others. Our goal is to inspire our riders to accomplishments previously considered beyond their capabilities.
About This Cause
The Saddle Light Center was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1991 to provide equine-assisted therapy for the disabled population of San Antonio, TX and surrounding counties. We currently serve 52 riders each week. We have 7 paid employees, 3FT and 4PT with 110 volunteers assisting the Instructors and Therapists. We currently have 10 horses and 3 ponies to provide our services for our clients by 3 Therapeutic Riding Instructors and 2 Physical Therapist. Therapeutic Riding is provided by a riding instructor who has completed courses and certification to teach equestrian skills to an individual with a disability. Hippotherapy has to be provided by a licensed Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist or Speech Pathologist, treating the disability but using the horse as a tool in the treatment strategy delivering the therapy. We upgraded our therapy facility to a PATH Intl. Premier Center in 2017 and passed re-certification in 2023. Hippotherapy and Therapeutic Riding are growing in recognition as an effective alternative form of therapy. Many children with a diagnosis have received therapy all of their lives from ECI (early childhood intervention at 1-3 years of age) and through the school system. Many children grow bored, plateau or loose interest in standard clinical therapies. The parents are looking for an alternative form of therapy where their children can continue to grow, develop and be challenged. They hear from other parents about The Saddle Light Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship and what we can offer. The parents contact our office and fill out the forms necessary to enroll in our program These forms include a physician's referral and from that an evaluation is performed and together with the parents the decision is made to place their child into the Therapeutic Riding program or be place in the Hippotherapy program. We have age groups from 3 and up to 40+ years of age. We have individuals of various ethnic backgrounds such as Hispanic, African American, Asian and Anglo. We have scholarship funding available for those who qualify for assistance. Scholarships are based on the family gross annual income and the number of family members through an application process with proof of income. The horses that come to the Saddle Light Center to be used in our program have had a career and their owners are looking for a semi-retirement position. The horses may have been show horses, trail riding or pleasure horses. They may have raised a child or two in a family and the owners don't want to sell them and loose contact with them. Talking to other horse owner and their Veterinarian they hear about us and our organization and what we do. Some of the horses have old injuries that need extra care, medication and less physical demands, so this activity is a great fit for many horses. The horses are slowly introduced to our program and after 3 months of re-adaption they begin helping the children. The Saddle Light Center also provides a learning experience for many interns from different organizations and universities and clinical rotations for students in the Allied Health field. To quote Winston Churchill: "The outside of the horse is good for the inside of man"