SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS INC
16980 RIVERBOAT BEND, ALVA, FL 33920 specialequestrians.net

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO PROVIDE THERAPEAUTIC BENEFITS TO HANDICAPPED CITIZENS THROUGH A HORSEBACK RIDING PROGRAM.

4 NEW PARTICIPANTS WERE ADDED TO OUR THERAPEUTIC HORSEMANSHIP PROGRAM IN 2018-19. THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS SERVED FOR OUR THERAPEUTIC PROGRAM DURING 2020 WAS 102. ON MARCH 12, OUR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES WERE TEMPORARILY PAUSED BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. OUR STABLE COMMITTEE BEGAN WEEKLY MEETINGS TO CREATE A SAFE REOPENING PLAN TO PUT INTO PLACE ONCE THE LOCKDOWN WAS LIFTED. DURING THIS LOCKDOWN PERIOD, PARTICIPANTS WERE KEPT CONNECTED WITH SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS THROUGH WORKSHEETS, LETTERS, AND A NEW AT HOME HORSEMANSHIP PAGE WITH ONLINE ACTIVITIES TO BE ACCESSED FROM OUR WEBSITE. ONCE THE LOCKDOWN WAS LIFTED, INSTRUCTORS CAME TO SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS TO INITIATE FACETIME WITH THE PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR HORSES. YOUTUBE VIDEOS WERE MADE FOR PARTICIPANTS AND VOLUNTEERS TO ENJOY AND LEARN FROM, AT A DISTANCE. A SURVEY WAS SENT TO PARTICIPANTS TO INQUIRE ABOUT WHICH OF OUR DISTANCE ACTIVITIES, PARTICIPANTS WOULD LIKE TO TAKE PART IN. IN MAY OF 2020, SURVEYS WERE SENT TO ALL PARTICIPANTS AND VOLUNTEERS TO ASSESS WHO WAS COMFORTABLE RETURNING TO OUR CENTER AND WHO WOULD BE ABLE TO FOLLOW OUR SAFETY PROTOCOLS. THE SURVEYS GAVE US VALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO PROCEED WITH OUR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES WHEN WE REOPENED. SAFETY VIDEOS FOR PARTICIPANTS AND VOLUNTEERS WERE MADE AT SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS. LINKS FOR THE VIDEOS WERE SHARED WITH ALL VOLUNTEERS AND PARTICIPANTS. NEW VOLUNTEERS MUST WATCH THE SAFETY VIDEOS BEFORE THEY BEGIN THEIR VOLUNTEER WORK. BY JUNE OF 2020, WE HAD IDENTIFIED ALL PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE CLOSE TO INDEPENDENT IN THEIR RIDING. THEY DID NOT NEED SIDEWALKERS OR ASSISTANCE IN MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING. THESE PARTICIPANTS WERE ABLE TO WEAR A MASK AND FOLLOW ALL OF OUR SAFETY PROTOCOLS. MANY OF OUR PARTICIPANTS AND VOLUNTEERS WERE STILL TOO FEARFUL OF COVID TO RETURN. ABOUT 48 VOLUNTEERS WERE COMFORTABLE COMING BACK. 17 PARTICIPANTS RETURNED TO SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS, IN JUNE. WE WERE JUST HAPPY TO BE OPEN AGAIN, AND THIS LIMITED OPENING GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT ALL OF OUR SAFETY PROTOCOLS INTO PLACE AND PRACTICE THEM. THIS LIMITED OPENING GAVE US THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE COULD STILL SAFELY OFFER OUR SERVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY AND WE WERE ABLE TO PUT OUR NEW PROCEDURES INTO PRACTICE. WE FOLLOW THEM TO THIS DAY AND WILL CONTINUE AS LONG AS NECESSARY. DURING THIS YEAR OF THE PANDEMIC, VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION SHUT DOWN IN MARCH. IN AUGUST, VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION BEGAN AGAIN, USING ZOOM MEETINGS FOR THE MAIN INFORMATIONAL AND INTRODUCTION OF THE VOLUNTEERS. AN IN-PERSON TOUR AND INTERVIEW WERE ALSO INCLUDED AFTER THE ZOOM ORIENTATION, USING PHYSICAL DISTANCING AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS. IN 2020, WE WERE ABLE TO PUT 57 VOLUNTEERS THROUGH VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION USING TRADITIONAL ORIENTATION FROM JANUARY TO MARCH (21) AND ZOOM ORIENTATION FROM AUGUST THROUGH DECEMBER OF 2020 (36). SINCE REOPENING IN JUNE OF 2020, SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS HAS NOT USED OUR OWN VOLUNTEERS AS SIDEWALKERS IN OUR THERAPEUTIC RIDING CLASSES, DUE TO OUR SAFETY PROTOCOLS FOR PHYSICAL DISTANCING. WE HAVE TRAINED MORE THAN 25 FAMILY MEMBERS AND CAREGIVERS TO BE THE SIDEWALKERS FOR THEIR CHILDREN, ALLOWING US TO BRING BACK MANY MORE OF OUR PARTICIPANTS WHO NEED SIDEWALKERS. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2020, WE REOPENED FOR THE FALL SESSION OF THERAPEUTIC HORSEMANSHIP WITH CLOSE TO 50 PARTICIPANTS. SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS CONTINUES TO USE OUR OWN VOLUNTEERS AS HORSE LEADERS. WE HAVE ADDED MANY NEW JOBS THAT DID NOT EXIST BEFORE THE PANDEMIC SUCH AS: SANITIZING EQUIPMENT AFTER EACH CLASS, DAILY CHECK-IN VOLUNTEERS USING THERMOMETERS, COVID SCREENING AND EVEN CLEANING PENS USED. VOLUNTEERS ARE ASSIGNED TO CLEAN GATE HANDLES, HORSE GROOMING TOOLS, AND ARENA TOYS. NUMBERS OF PERSONS ON OUR PROPERTY AT ONE TIME HAVE BEEN LIMITED. EACH PARTICIPANT MAY ONLY BRING ONE PERSON WITH THEM TO THEIR CLASS AND THEY MUST LEAVE WHEN THEIR CLASS HAS FINISHED. KEEPING OUR NUMBERS DOWN AND HAVING ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS IN THE FRESH AIR HAS CONTRIBUTED TO OUR SUCCESS IN KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE. SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS THERAPEUTIC CARRIAGE DRIVING PROGRAM IS BEGINNING ITS FOURTH SEASON AFTER THREE SUCCESSFUL YEARS. THIS NEW PROGRAM HAS ALLOWED US TO SERVE SOME PARTICIPANTS WHO DID NOT QUALIFY FOR THERAPEUTIC HORSEBACK RIDING. THERAPEUTIC DRIVING IS ALSO AN ALTERNATIVE EQUESTRIAN SKILL TO OFFER THE PEOPLE ON OUR WAITING LIST. IF THEY WISH, WE KEEP A PARTICIPANT ON THE WAITING LIST WHILE THEY PARTICIPATE IN THE CARRIAGE DRIVING PROGRAM, GIVING THEM THE OPTION FOR FUTURE MOUNTED ACTIVITIES. OUR ACTIVITY SPECIFICALLY FOR VETERANS BEGAN IN THE FALL OF 2019 AND CONTINUED INTO EARLY 2020. IT IS AN EQUINE ASSISTED LEARNING PROGRAM WHICH IS FACILITATED BY TWO OF OUR PATH CERTIFIED PROFESSIONALS. WE ARE STILL WORKING TOWARDS STARTING THIS PROGRAM BACK UP AGAIN. OUR PATH REGISTERED THERAPIST, WHO IS AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, CONTINUED TO OFFER HER SERVICES AT SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS USING HIPPOTHERAPY AS A TREATMENT MODALITY. THE TERM HIPPOTHERAPY REFERS TO HOW OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, PHYSICAL THERAPY, AND SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY PROFESSIONALS USE EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE AND CLINICAL REASONING IN THE PURPOSEFUL MANIPULATION OF EQUINE MOVEMENT TO ENGAGE SENSORY, NEUROMOTOR, AND COGNITIVE SYSTEMS TO ACHIEVE FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES IN A CLIENT. WE ARE NOW PARTNERING WITH OUR THERAPIST TO OFFER THESE SERVICES, WHICH BEGAN WITH THE FIRST CLIENTS IN 2018. THE NAME OF OUR THERAPISTS SERVICE IS STRIDES OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY SERVICES. IN EARLY 2020, OUR THERAPIST WAS OUT ON MATERNITY LEAVE. SHE HAS BEGUN HER SERVICES AGAIN AND HER CLIENT LOAD IS INCREASING. SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS CONTINUED WORKING WITH CHRIS COOK OF WILD HORSEMANSHIP CENTER IN REDDICK, FLORIDA IN 2019. CHRIS IS A HORSE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST WHOSE MISSION IS TO HELP THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTERS USE EFFECTIVE TRAINING METHODS FOR THEIR THERAPEUTIC RIDING HORSES. THESE WORKSHOPS HAVE HELPED OUR HORSES TO BECOME HAPPIER IN THEIR JOBS AND OUR HORSE LEADER VOLUNTEERS HAVE BECOME MORE SKILLED. THIS TRAINING ULTIMATELY HELPS THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE CLASSES. IN EARLY 2020, USING A GRANT FROM THE AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION, WE WERE ABLE TO EDUCATE 32 OF OUR VOLUNTEERS WITH WORKSHOPS PRESENTED BY CHRIS COOK. IN 2020, ONE NEW HORSE WAS ADDED TO OUR HERD. THIS HORSE WAS PURCHASED BY SPECIAL EQUESTRIANS. IN FEBRUARY OF 2020, OUR 8 PET PARTNER HORSE/HANDLER TEAMS WENT THROUGH THEIR RECERTIFICATION WITH PET PARTNERS THERAPY ANIMAL ORGANIZATION. WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN AN ADDITIONAL YEAR OF CERTIFICATION BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WE CAN MAKE OUR VISITS TO SCHOOLS AND AGENCIES ONCE AGAIN.

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