Reins of Life was founded in 1978, inspired by Valery St. Clair, a young woman with a vision of the possibilities of therapeutic horseback riding and guided by a founding board of people willing to give it a try. That year a nonprofit corporation was formed and certification was received from the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.

The story of Reins of Life over the next eleven years is one of heartwarming persistence and dedication. By the fall of 1989 when I called Susan Mueller, volunteer chairman, to offer my services, the program had grown to serve 20 to 25 riders each week. The benefits of this therapy had been well demonstrated and was valued by the riders and their families. But, and this was critical, the program was operating two nights a week in a borrowed riding arena with the horses boarded at another farm miles away. There was no room for growth; the situation was hard on horses and people. The program needed a home to call its own.

The donation of 20 acres of land in 1991 provided momentum to the hopes for a Reins of Life Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center. Individuals,
businesses, service clubs, and trade organizations came together with in kind donations, volunteer labor, and cash donations. In the spring of 1992 the eight horses were moved to their new home and an outdoor program was offered. In 1993 the indoor arena was built, followed by the hay building in 1994, and the office/activity room addition in 1997. Now the facility includes a heated indoor arena, 13 stalls, tack room, activity room, office, four pastures with seven horse sheds, outdoor arena, sprinkler systems in both arenas, an average of 18 horses and ponies with tack to meet the needs of therapeutic riding, a hand icapped accessible horse cart for a driving program, and an accessible playground.

All are facilities and tools for a premier therapeutic riding center, but the most important component is our staff. We have come from one part time instructor (sometimes paid, sometimes not), a volunteer executive director/program director, a volunteer director of volunteers, and all facilities maintenance and horse care done by volunteers. As the program grew it became necessary to have a staff who would be responsible to maintain the highest standard of service and safety. We have that staff. And we still have many, many volunteers helping with classes, horse care, and facility maintenance. Reins of Life has come a long way. We are a team and a family. The clinical and professional level of the therapeutic service we provide to close to 100 riders a week is what, I think, those founders envisioned 28 years ago.

Note: The 20 acres of land on which Reins is built was one-half of the Taylor farm which Lloyd and Nancy donated to establish the facility. Nancy is the past president of the board of directors.

Our Mission

by Mary Cory

To expand and improve our programs, we must get our message out into the community. As people hear about us and begin to understand the profoundly positive impact we have on the lives of our riders and their families, their support and involvement will follow. In the future, we will make ourselves more visible, insuring that Reins of Life is instantly recognized as an integral part of our community.

We will continue to focus on our riders, helping them in every way possible to achieve to the best of their abilities, and not limited by disabilities. Our primary goal is to maintain the close relationships and one-on-one attention that our riders have enjoyed in the past.

As president of the board of ROL, I invite everyone reading this newsletter to consider how you can contribute to the success of this wonderful organization.