Programs & Services
Therapeutic Riding and driving classes are offered at our facility at 5121 Staley Road in Fort Myers, Florida. Therapeutic riding classes are offered four days a week. The class days are Tuesday and Thursday afternoon and Wednesday and Saturday morning. These classes are offered year-round, except for the month of August. Therapeutic driving classes are taught from late fall to spring on Tuesday afternoons. Both riding and driving classes have sessions which last for 6 weeks, with the participants coming once a week.
Anyone interested in the therapeutic riding or driving classes must complete our participant packet. The packet includes information and release forms, emergency medical treatment forms, and medical evaluation forms. All participants must have an initial evaluation by an instructor, before they can begin their weekly lessons.
The service fee for a 6-week session therapeutic riding or driving is $120. Full and partial scholarship applications are available for our participants. Anyone interested in participating in our programs and services should call the office at 239-226-1221, contact us by email at spequestrians@gmail.com, or come by the facility to visit and observe. Please call ahead to schedule an appointment, before coming to our location on Staley Road.
Drill Team classes are part of the therapeutic riding class schedule. Drill team members are recommended by our PATH Intl. Certified instructors. This group of riders and horses learns to perform precise maneuvers which are set to music. Teamwork and dedication are required for students in our drill team classes. The cost for Drill Team is the same as therapeutic riding classes. For more information on Drill Team, you can go to our Drill Team page.
Special Partners is one of Special Equestrians’ outreach programs in which our therapy horses and outreach team make visits to local agencies, schools and community groups. During these visits, Special Partners facilitates the well-being of children and adults with special needs who can benefit from the human-animal bond. There is no charge for a Special Partners visit although donations are accepted. For more information, go to the Special Partners page.
Horses and Humans in Harmony is the unmounted Veterans program offered at Special Equestrians. Veterans are taught basic guidelines on how to safely and effectively work around horses in various situations which will lead to developing safe and respectful relationships between human veterans and their equine partners. This program is offered at no charge to veterans. For more information, go to the Veterans Program page.
Strides Occupational Therapy Services has partnered with Special Equestrians to provide occupational therapy services using hippotherapy as a treatment strategy. Using our valuable equines, children and adults can receive therapy services using purposeful manipulation of equine movement as a therapy tool. This treatment strategy is offered by our therapist, Sarah Poindexter, MS, OTR/L. The minimum age to receive these services is 2 years old. This therapy service has a different price schedule. For more information, check out our Therapy Services page.
