Freedom Hills Therapeutic Riding Program

Freedom Hills Therapeutic Riding Program offers Equine Facilitated Therapy to people who happen to have mental, physical and or emotional challenges.

Our youngest student was 18 months old when he started with us.  Our oldest student was 99 years old when he graduated on up.

We have teamed up with local mental health facilities to offer equine facilitated learning to "Kids at Risk", Military Veterans as well as people with addictions.

Our Mission is to help people in spirit, soul and body who happen to have disabilities.

Mentally and emotionally people enjoy being at the farm.  They can leave the cares of the world behind them as they groom and communicate with their horse.  Horses and ponies have no agenda.  They just want love.  They do not judge.  It is a relief for our students to spend time in an non judgmental atmosphere.

Physically, the movement of the horse mimics walking.  When someone sits on a horse and the horse walks, the person's body moves as if he or she is walking.  This is excellent for all six systems of the person's body.  The muscles start to work again;  very often with someone who is stiff, their muscles start to relax.  The movement also gets both sides of the rider's brain to communicate with each other.  This is very helpful for victims of strokes or head trauma.

The farm atmosphere gives children a new perspective.  Those who have become disengaged learners in the school system suddenly want to learn more about the horses, which translates into learning more academically.

Equine Facilitated Learning encompasses many areas such as, but not limited to: Therapeutic Riding, Equine Learning, Horsemanship, Stable Management, Recreational Riding, Sports Riding, Trail Riding, Horse Shows and Special Olympics, all of which Freedom Hills TRP offers to their students.

Volunteer Opportunities but not limited to:

Grooming the Horses and Ponies,

Side Walking

Head Walking

Daily Horse Care

Farm Maintenance

Landscaping

Gardening

Public Relations

Office Duties

Board Members

Fundraising

Freedom Hills Therapeutic Program is a Premier Center with Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) as well as a Maryland Horse Discovery Center and a Certified Maryland Farm Based Education Program.  Renee S. Dixon, our Executive Director, helped write the curriculum for the Maryland Farm Based Education.

Since 1982 we have offered Equine Facilitated Learning to people who happen to have disabilities.

We are located on Rolling Hills Ranch, a beautiful 60 acre horse farm which is surrounded by at least 300 acres of farm land.

Rolling Hills Ranch also offers Riding Lessons for "Everyone" and Bed and Breakfast at Rolling Hills Ranch.

We are open year round.

We were the second program in the United States to offer Therapeutic Riding to Military Veterans.

Our Lead Instructor has her Advanced Instructor's Certification with Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship, BS in Equine Studies, Level 3 in Centered Riding and Level 2 in Parelli Natural Horsemanship.

Our other instructors have their Registered Instructor's Certification with Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship.

We have Physical Therapists who volunteer their time to work with our students who happen to have physical disabilities.

We also have Mental Health Professionals available to work with a person who happens to have a mental disability and needs extra support.

Cooperate training is available through Freedom Hills TRP.  Horses can teach you a great deal about yourself and therefore how your perform and work with others in your business.  This will enhance your communication skills both with yourself and others. 

We Love Volunteers!  We look forward to you joining the Freedom Hills TRP family.