Ride Above Disability Therapeutic Riding Center

Ride Above Disability Therapeutic Riding Center is a PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) member center that teaches recreational riding to children and adults of all ages with special needs. The goal behind Ride Above was to create a place where the entire family unit could come and feel welcome, relax and enjoy their time at the ranch. And it still remains to this day! While special needs riders are our focus, we also teach siblings and parents who are interested, which gives our families an activity they can share together.  Ride Above is a place for family and community, not just for our students but our volunteers and instructors as well. Everyone at Ride Above is committed to changing lives for the better, no matter who you are. We look at every person that is involved and see ability. With a dedicated staff, Ride Above Disability strives to make a difference in the lives of our riders as well as the community of San Diego.

Who is Ride Above Disability? RAD is a local 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides therapeutic horseback riding to children and adults with disabilities. We have been in the Poway community since 2014, serve over 70 students weekly, have over 200 dedicated volunteers and 10 instructors! All of our fundraisers, events, grants, private donations go directly into the program to care for the horses and help keep riding fees low for our students. Therapeutic programs are not covered by medical insurance so it is important to keep our lessons affordable. 

What is therapeutic riding? Therapeutic/adaptive horsemanship contributes to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of individuals with disabilities. Additional benefits include improved Self-esteem and confidence, improved coordination, improves concentration and attention span, works on fine and gross motor skills, improves motivation, effect of human-animal bonding, FUN and more! Because horseback riding rhythmically moves the rider’s body in a manner similar to a human gait, riders with physical disabilities often show improvement in flexibility, balance and muscle strength. In addition to the therapeutic benefits, horseback riding also provides recreational opportunities for individuals to enjoy the outdoors.

Our goal as therapeutic riding instructors is to teach horseback riding lessons, where participants learn horsemanship and riding skills in a way that suits their individual needs. Almost anyone can ride with a doctors release as long as we can facilitate the ride safely. Students range from age 4 to 65. We serve students with anxiety, autism, epilepsy, stress, ADHD, cerebral palsy, stroke, spinal cord injury and many others.