Beyond the Saddle Unmounted Activities
Beyond the Saddle Unmounted Activities empowers participants through hands-on horsemanship, educational visits, and enriching equine interactions that inspire personal growth beyond riding. These experiences offer participants deeply fulfilling and rewarding connections with horses, nurturing a sense of trust and emotional well-being while fostering a profound bond with our horses. Beyond the Saddle Unmounted Activities are offered in three program formats.
Hands-On Horsemanship: Empowerment through Unmounted Activities
Hands-On Horsemanship is a recreational program where participants learn about working and being around horses, including grooming and practicing ground work to develop a human-horse bond. The program helps individuals learn about horse behavior, body language, and non-verbal communication, encouraging participants to be "in the moment" with their equine partner. The program is offered to nursing homes, day programs, group homes, support groups and residential treatment facilities. Visits are also offered as a community-based learning opportunity in partnership with schools and educational programs. Visits are supervised by a PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor. The program serves individuals 16 years of age or older. Closed-toe shoes are required to interact with any of our horses, but exceptions will be made for participants who use wheelchairs to interact with a horse under the direct supervision and guidance of Southern Reins' staff.
Hands-On Horsemanship visits are scheduled for 1 hour for groups of 3-8 participants. Groups may visit weekly, monthly, or quarterly. All participants are required to complete an Equine Interaction Participant Form prior to the visit. The fee is $25 per participant per visit.
Equine Engagement: Educational Visits and Experiences
Equine Engagement is a recreational program where participants visit the farm to meet our program horses, and learn about horses and horsemanship. Activities include a tour of our facility, meeting our therapy horses and learning about what they do, and individual interaction with our therapy horses. The program is offered to nursing homes, day programs, group homes, support groups and residential treatment facilities. Visits are also offered as a community-based learning opportunity in partnership with schools and educational programs. Visits are supervised by a PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor. Closed-toe shoes are required to interact with any of our horses, but exceptions will be made for participants who use wheelchairs to interact with a horse under the direct supervision and guidance of Southern Reins' staff.
Equine Engagement visits are scheduled for 1 hour for groups of 5-16 participants. All participants are required to complete an Equine Interaction Participant Form prior to the visit. The fee is $15 per participant per visit.
Learning and Growing with Horses: Equine Connections for Youth
Learning and Growing with Horses is a recreational program that incorporates horses for emotional growth and learning. Interacting with our horses gives participants an opportunity to expand their personal growth in communication, responsibility, respect and leadership. The program is designed to help participants improve employability and social skills, promote mindfulness, aid in the development of life skills necessary for functional independence, boost confidence and self-esteem, provide socialization and empowerment, reduce stress and anxiety, improve emotional awareness, and improve focus and attention to detail. Sessions are conducted by PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructors. The program serves individuals 11 -17 years of age. Closed-toe shoes are required to interact with any of our horses, but exceptions will be made for participants who use wheelchairs to interact with a horse under the direct supervision and guidance of Southern Reins' staff.
Learning and Growing with Horses sessions are scheduled for 1 hour and 30 minutes for groups of 3-8 participants. All participants are required to complete an Equine Interaction Participant Form prior to the visit. The fee is $160 per participant for a 4-week session.
Participant Registration Information
All Beyond the Saddle participants must complete and submit an Equine Interaction Participant Form that includes a participant profile, hold harmless agreement, and more. All paperwork must be signed and submitted prior to your visit.
For more information, contact Sara Zurenko, Program Director: Sara.Zurenko@southernreins.org.
Southern Reins Center for Equine Therapy is a Premier Accredited Center by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.). PATH Intl. premier accreditation assists the public in selecting quality centers that deliver safe equestrian services and certifies that a member organization has achieved industry standards for equine-assisted services for individuals with special needs. Southern Reins is the only Premier Accredited Center in the greater Memphis area and is one of only three in the state of Tennessee, joining the top tier of centers across the country who have received premier accredited status.
