Ride-a-thon raises money for equestrian therapy

CRIDERSVILLE — The true cost of a therapeutic ride at the Equestrian Therapy Program is $90 per hour.

The nonprofit program, founded in Cridersville in 1982 as an alternative therapy for disabled children, relies on a team of licensed instructors, therapists, social workers and volunteers to provide educational and therapeutic rides at Fassett Farm.

The horses need their horseshoes trimmed every six to eight weeks. They need hay and grain, which Executive Director Michele Andrews-Sabol estimates is now 28% more expensive than this time last year.

And then there are the veterinary bills.

To keep fees low for the students who come to Fassett Farm for therapy or school, a group of riders visited the farm Saturday to ride and raise money for the program.

The Ride-a-thon fundraiser, now in its 31st year, is the Equestrian Therapy Program’s second-largest fundraiser each year.

Forty riders solicited pledges and competed in Saturday’s contest, with a goal of raising $50,000.

“We always need the money to defray the cost for our riders,” Andrews-Sabol said.

While the nonprofit originally focused on therapeutic rides, Andrews-Sabol said the Equestrian Therapy Program has since expanded its offerings to include equine-assisted psychotherapy, equine-assisted learning, school field trips and literacy rides, which reward students for reading.

The Equestrian Therapy Program intends to introduce leadership and team-building rides in the near future, she said.