COASTAL THERAPEUTIC RIDING PROGRAM
8120 Sidbury Rd. Wilmington, NC 28411
Special Needs Services
Special Needs Services
Who We Are
Who We Are
We believe that horses provide recreational and therapeutic benefits to individuals with special needs. We believe that what happens between a horse and its rider is often a magical, and sometimes, unexplainable experience. We believe that our training, knowledge, and experience with horses and individuals with special needs provide a unique opportunity to enhance the quality of life for our clients. We believe that the world looks different from the back of a trusted horse. Our hope is to increase the quality of life for people with special needs through the use of horses.
Our Standards
Our Standards
Our instructors are P.A.T.H. certified to offer our clients a safe enviornment to increase bodily mobility, congitive reflexes, self esteem, and develop lasting friendships with both two legged and four legged friends alike.
Why Choose Us
Why Choose Us
We believe that every person should be given the opportunity to experience life from the back of a horse. We believe that horses can aid in the physical, spiritual, and mental development of all humans. We created this program to give our special needs community members a place to develop their self-esteem as well as their muscles. Our doors are open and inclusive to all people wishing to heal through horsemanship.
Experience joy, friendship, and confidence
Join our riding team
Join our riding team
The C.T.R.P. Experience
The C.T.R.P. Experience
2024
We are busy with our weekly programs, spring school groups, Veterans programming as well as Special Olympics!
New this year!
Occupational Therapy with Jennifer
https://aaotnc.com/
Speech therapy with Lucia
https://www.holistickidspeech.com/
See what our program can inspire.
See what our program can inspire.
Our lessons meet our riders at their ability. We use a variety of games, activities, and attainable obstacles to stretch our riders physcially and mentally. We foster friendshsips, self-confidence, and joy. Our horses are P.A.T.H. certified and extremely capable of handling all types of abilities. We feel strongly that atop a horse, our riders experience a level of freedom and confidence bar none. Audit one of our lessons and you will see joy in the purest form, and even a little magic.
Current Programs
Current Programs
Therapeutic Riding
CTRP is a non-profit program, teaching therapeutic and recreational horseback riding to children and adults with special needs. Ages 4 and up. Equine assisted activities and therapies improve the participants quality of life. The improvement of physical skills includes greater strength, coordination, balance, joint mobility, flexibility, gross and fine motor skills. We see increases in the clients’ cognitive function through improved memory, natural examples of cause and effect as well as work on sensory issues. Emotional well-being is improved through increased confidence and self-esteem. The social skills impacted include sharing, following directions, recognizing social cues, increased patience, and practicing communication skills. Educational knowledge is increased through exercises in vocabulary, sequencing, colors, shapes and numbers.
The enrollment packet includes a medical form for physician approval, rider registration form and liability release. All participants must have appropriate behavior to maintain safety. Therapeutic riding is not covered by insurance and is an out-of-pocket expense. Scholarships are sometimes available for those who cannot afford the fee. A deposit is required to secure your spot and payment plans are available.
We offer therapeutic riding sessions weekday mornings, afternoons and Saturday mornings. The lessons are an hour long. During the therapeutic riding lesson, the students may help get their horse ready to ride and put on their equipment. They are generally in the saddle about 45 min after preparation and getting all the students mounted. We have a covered arena so that our sessions are never affected by the weather. During the typical session there will be skill tasks to complete in the arena. If the weather cooperates the students often go to our sensory grove for games and complete their session with a trail ride.
Consistent attendance is very important to the student’s progress. We encounter individuals with many medical issues that make them more fragile and prone to absence. We understand these situations, but require notification 24 hours in advance to better plan for the horses and staff.
We may not be able to accommodate your rider at a day or time you request. There are many factors that go into providing a safe and effective therapeutic riding session, rider horse partnerships, rider age and ability, staff availability as well as volunteer availability. We are currently managing a very full schedule and you may be put on a waiting list for popular ride times.
Hippotherapy
Hippotherapy is Occupational, Physical or Speech Therapy utilizing the horse as a part of the team. Many therapeutic goals that might otherwise be unreachable in the clinic setting can be accomplished on a horse. The uniqueness of the environment and the use of a living animal helps kids stay motivated. The motion of the horse provides a rhythmical and predictable motion that helps children with all special needs, but particularly sensory motor disabilities.
The At Risk Youth Program
The At Risk Youth Program involves collaboration with two community organizations working with at risk youth. The Sheriff’s department has funded the Gang Task Force “Elements” Program to work with us. The Gang Task Force Program has received funding for this program through the Governor’s Crime Commission and now funds it directly out of their yearly budget. We have been working with this partnership for 7 years and have seen tremendous progress from these troubled youth. They assist with lessons, complete projects around the barn and learn to ride. Many of the results indicate an increase in confidence and self-worth from just one exposure to our program. We are also partners with New Hanover County Youth Empowerment Services Community Service and Restitution. These teens also work at the barn, assist with lessons and learn to help individuals with special needs. Typically, these children come to the barn on Saturdays and work toward completing their court ordered community service.
Student Mentor Program
The Student Mentor Program provides internships for local high school and college students, accommodating UNCW students for internships from Psychology, Recreation Therapy, Special Education, Nursing, and Social Work and undergraduates from Cape Fear Community College for their Service Learning component. Every year we mentor students from the local high schools completing their senior projects and every spring we host children from Cape Fear Academy for their 8th grade service project. These mentoring programs give valuable work experience to the students and teach them about the value of giving back.
The At Risk Youth Program involves collaboration with two community organizations working with at risk youth. The Sheriff’s department has funded the Gang Task Force “Elements” Program to work with us. The Gang Task Force Program has received funding for this program through the Governor’s Crime Commission and now funds it directly out of their yearly budget. We have been working with this partnership for 7 years and have seen tremendous progress from these troubled youth. They assist with lessons, complete projects around the barn and learn to ride. Many of the results indicate an increase in confidence and self-worth from just one exposure to our program. We are also partners with New Hanover County Youth Empowerment Services Community Service and Restitution. These teens also work at the barn, assist with lessons and learn to help individuals with special needs. Typically, these children come to the barn on Saturdays and work toward completing their court ordered community service.
Student Mentor Program
The Student Mentor Program provides internships for local high school and college students, accommodating UNCW students for internships from Psychology, Recreation Therapy, Special Education, Nursing, and Social Work and undergraduates from Cape Fear Community College for their Service Learning component. Every year we mentor students from the local high schools completing their senior projects and every spring we host children from Cape Fear Academy for their 8th grade service project. These mentoring programs give valuable work experience to the students and teach them about the value of giving back.
Recreational Riding
We offer recreational riding for any individual interested in learning to ride and care for horses. Often these are family members of our therapy riders or volunteers who want to learn more. Please contact Sarah Quinlan at 910-264-1492 to schedule your riding!
Interested in joining our program?
Please send our executive director
Kim Niggel an email at
ctrpwilmington@gmail.com
to get more information.
Program Inquiry
Next Phase
Next Phase
Therapeutic Driving provides carriage driving for individuals who may not be able to sit astride a horse. Here they can learn the skills to properly hitch and drive a carriage. We will be adding this component when we can secure funding for the extra training for our staff.
Horses for Heroes would provide Equine Assisted Therapies for returning service personnel. This would include Therapeutic Riding as well as Equine Assisted Mental Health models. Many of our veterans are experiencing psychological conditions as well as physical recovery issues that can be remedied by these therapies.
Interactive Vaulting provides a great group activity revolving around vaulting on horseback. This is a combination of simple gymnastics moves in tandem with the movement of the horse.
Coastal Therapeutic Riding Program is in need of financial support to continue offering rider scholarships. Every donation that goes into our organization is utilized to better serve our riders and our horses. With your help, we can continue to help the special needs community of Wilmington dream, succeed, and thrive through equine assisted therapies. We are a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax-deductible.
Please consider donating to C.T.R.P.