Expansion is envisioned for therapeutic horse farm

By: Jessica Loughery
   ALLENTOWN — Executive Director Dennis Kahn knows that the service provided by Riding High Farm simply would not be possible without the assistance and support of the people in the surrounding communities. The farm currently provides horse riding lessons for special needs children and adults.
   Mr. Kahn and the members of the farm’s operating organization, the Handicapped High Riders Club, have a new vision for the future of the facility, though, which will likely start with the farm’s major yearly fund-raiser, Friends and Family Day, to be held Saturday. Attendees will enjoy a country barbecue, pony rides, face painting and a moon bounce, as well as games, music and raffles.
   "We’re hoping to use more of the facility for other kinds of services for special needs (individuals)," Mr. Kahn said. "We’re looking at vocational training for the equine and animal care industry. We’re considering a training center for therapeutic riding and a group home. These are some future plans."
   Mr. Kahn hopes that with interest from the community continually growing, Riding High will grow as such services are added. "We couldn’t function without the financial and volunteer support of the community," he said.
   Rider tuition, which runs at $120 a month for four lessons, covers only about half of the cost of maintaining the specially trained horses, paying trained walkers and spotters and operating the farm itself, which was first incorporated in 1979. The remainder of the $180,000 to $190,000 it costs to run the farm is covered by fund-raising and donations.
   The idea behind the lessons is that learning to ride a horse will serve not only as recreation for special needs individuals, but also as a form of therapy.
   "People who have psychical and cognitive special needs are given riding lessons with special therapeutic instructors," Mr. Kahn explained. "The lessons enable them to participate in a mainstream recreational and athletic activity and to improve physically and cognitively. We give riding lessons starting at age 6 and sometimes even younger, and they run right through adulthood. It becomes part of their lifestyle."
   Mr. Kahn pointed out that the relationship that develops between the rider and horse helps participants in a cognitive and social way, which has an impact on how they relate to the friends and family members in their lives.
   In addition to providing an opportunity for the families of riders to network and communicate with one another, Friends and Family Day serves as way to show community members what goes on at Riding High.
   "(The day) is a springboard to introduce people to the facility," said Mr. Kahn.
   Informational brochures will be available and instructors and directors will be on site to speak with people about the farm’s services. Mr. Kahn hopes that interested individuals will come back to watch a riding lesson, then either bring a friend or family member in to ride or join the farm’s group of 23 volunteers.
   Riding High Farm’s 20th Annual Friends and Family Day will be held, rain or shine, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Riding High Farm, 145 Route 526, Allentown. For more information, call (609) 259-3884 or visit www.ridinghighfarm.org.