How To Improve Your Life: Upsides To Volunteering

A recent study* confirmed what many already know - Volunteering is good for you!

helps you make new friends and connections
a great activity to do with a friend or with your family (or even your friend's family!)
increases self-confidence
combats depression
helps you stay physically healthy
makes you a more interesting person and fills in the awkward "what do you do in your spare time" question!

To find out more about volunteering click here, register on our platform, or email us today!

Our current volunteers will tell you they get just as much from being around our students as the students get from them. Having a front-row seat to the healing journey of our participants is a gift that cannot be overstated!

*When researchers at the London School of Economics examined the relationship between volunteering and measures of happiness in a large group of American adults, they found that the more people volunteered, the happier they were, according to a study in Social Science and Medicine. Compared with people who never volunteered, the odds of being “very happy” rose 7% among those who volunteer monthly and 12% for people who volunteer every two to four weeks. Among weekly volunteers, 16% felt very happy—a hike in happiness comparable to having an income of $75,000–$100,000 versus $20,000, say the researchers.

How Horses Help Us

Through the eyes of a horse, we are not judged by our different abilities - we are able to be who we are and achieve what we set our minds to. We see firsthand the incredible changes in participants' abilities through our programs, including:

self-esteem
communication skills
self-regulation
trust
body balance & coordination
riding skills

focus
social skills
sensory processing
mobility
mental health
emotional well-being

Our Story

Since 2008, Tri-State Therapeutic Riding Center has been focused on providing opportunities for safe and effective equine-assisted activities to enhance the quality of life for those with developmental, physical, cognitive, or emotional challenges.

We serve over 800 individuals annually and hope to reach even more community members. Our dream is to give our community a safe, fun, family-oriented place where participants can achieve their goals on and off the horse.

Bert + Frosty Take The Show On The Road

Submitted by Janice, mother-in-law of a resident

What a blessing it was for the mini horses to come to the Courtyard Assisted Living! The staff and residents were thrilled to see them. The sight, touch, and sounds all went together to help bring back memories. I also saw wonder and so many smiles on their faces.

Often elderly residents don't have many visitors or interactions. These mini horses had everyone interacting and moving. One of the ladies who was napping at the beginning, woke to see a horse by her. I hadn't seen such a big smile from her before.

It was hard to know what one of the ladies with advanced dementia was thinking, but she was animated and I believe she was remembering the workhorse from her farm growing up.

I can't stress enough how amazing this experience was for all involved. Olivia and Claire were very professional and knew what the horses needed as well as being so kind and understanding with the residents.

Frosty and Bert were handsome in their hats and very patient with all the love they were getting. The staff also enjoyed the mini horses and seeing the residents interact with them. One of them said it was better than Christmas!

I hope to see Bert and Frosty come back again!

It may seem to some just a little thing for them to stop by for an hour, but this was a huge blessing mentally and physically for the residents and so much fun.

We're feeling the (local) love after receiving a grant from the George R Johnson Foundation located in Cleveland TN! Their funding support will allow us to have additional instructors certified by PATH International this year. Why is certification so important? PATH (Professional Assoc of Therapeutic Horsemanship) is the global gold standard when it comes to training and development of instructors who provide equine-assisted therapies as we do. It means our participants are getting the best instruction possible, using the high standards taught by PATH. If you want to know more about PATH, check them out here: PATH International

Our inaugural annual fundraiser event, Boots in the Barn, was a great success! Over 120 generous supporters, staff and volunteers contributed to help grow our programs by providing funding for horse and participant sponsorships, instructor certification for PATH International, and funding to help purchase future herd members! It was a night to showcase our barn, highlight a few stories from our participant families, and spread the word about the Tri-State Therapeutic Riding Center. We'll share more in our upcoming newsletter, so subscribe here if you haven't already!

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We've got AMAZING FRIENDS! A big thank you to Sherry Brown for her generosity and support of Tri-State! She has not only sponsored several of our horses but saw the need for our sweet mini's to have their own shelter in their little pasture. Stop by to see these two cuties in their new shelter! Thanks to Sherry, Bert & Frosty will enjoy getting out of the elements just like the big boys in the gelding's pasture, just in "miniaturized form".

Speaking of friends, meet our newest herd pals, Buckshot and Rizzo! These two geldings are tried and true, and we are very excited to add them to our program. Learn more about them on our Equine Team page!