Pony Power Therapies Partners With Valley Hospital’s Butterflies Program

Through a generous grant from The Valley Hospital Foundation in Ridgewood, Pony Power Therapies is now able to offer therapeutic horseback riding sessions to children from The Butterflies Program at Valley Home Care. The Butterflies Program is a specialized program for children who have been diagnosed with life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses. The program offers comprehensive home care services that focus on the comfort and relief of suffering for the child along with support for their parents, siblings and extended family members.

During the six-week spring session, Pony Power provided therapeutic riding
opportunities to pediatric hospice children along with their siblings. The children start out in the barn, grooming their horses and preparing them for their ride. They spend half the time in the barn and half the time on their horses.

“I am amazed by the sheer joy of the children that occurs each and every time they come to the farm,” exclaims Dana Spett, Executive Director. “We are so privileged to be able to work with these phenomenal children.”

Pony Power is looking forward to continuing the work with this extraordinary group of children during their one week extended day program during the summer. The children will get a chance to ride for a longer period of time and experience all aspects of a horse farm. Throughout the session each child has his or her own team comprised of an instructor and two trained volunteers, maintaining a 3:1 (staff to student) ratio.

Pony Power was founded in 2000 to offer a safe, nurturing environment, for riders with special needs. Pony Power offers recreational activities that help riders gain greater flexibility, balance and muscle strength as well as explore and develop unique relationships with the horse which can lead to increased confidence, patience and selfesteem and foster feelings of independence and pride.

Pony Power instructors are either certified or in training to be certified by Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International. Pony Power Therapies has recently been approved as a Premier Accredited Center (PAC) through PATH International.

Pony Power is held at Three Sisters Farm, 1170 Ramapo Valley Road in Mahwah. Get more information at the Pony Power website.

The above is a release from Pony Power Therapies.

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