Equine therapy group is taking steps to grow
Magnolia’s Inspiration Ranch hopes to begin certification training for new instructors and to add more horses to meet demand
MAGNOLIA — Inspiration Ranch, an equine therapy nonprofit, is on a mission to expand its industry and programs this year. The organization is growing into its new home, adding a new instructor and soon hosting formal certification training for incoming instructors in hopes of reducing its 46-client waitlist.
The nonprofit offers equineassisted therapies and activities for trauma victims and clients with physical and developmental disabilities. It moved from its original 15-acre location in The Woodlands to its new 40-acre location in Magnolia about a year and a half ago.
The organization offers two programs — mental health services and therapeutic riding services — with the help of one staff psychologist and four therapeutic riding instructors.
Certified instructors are hard to come by, so Inspiration Ranch has also decided to begin offering certification classes for Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship. In May, the ranch plans to host a workshop and certification weekend. A number of the organization’s current volunteers are interested in attending to earn their certification.
“We want every rider who comes for this service to be served well, with the highest quality possible,” said Joelle Devlin, instructor at Inspiration Ranch and a PATH-certified master instructor and equine specialist. “So, if we can become a resource for the riders, the community in general, as well as the industry, that would be so cool.”
Therapeutic riding has been shown to have a number of physical and psychological benefits, including improving strength, building coordination and improving social skills. Researchers have shown that it has benefits for patients with autism, cerebral palsy and other disabilities.
Along with adding at least two more staff, the ranch would like to add three more horses to help keep up with the demand. Horses and riders are carefully paired to be sure they meet the needs of the client. Each client builds a training plan that includes setting goals they want to meet.
While riders typically pay around $50 for each ride, the organization offers scholarships, and some clients ride for free. MG Tindall, president and CEO of Inspiration Ranch, said the organization has been receiving more scholarship applications than ever.
Ashley Perales, the organization’s grant and development coordinator, said that “we need to grow, and our industry needs to grow, because it’s making a difference.”
With its current staff and horses, the ranch can serve about 70 clients. Because of COVID-19, grants that the organization used to receive were redirected to more urgent needs. Now the ranch is holding a capital campaign to raise the funds necessary to maintain the program.
“Our board and leadership made a policy years ago, as long as I’ve been here, that we would never let finances be a reason for a child not to get help,” Tindall said. “We’ve so far never had to turn anyone away.”