When Cathy Schmidt founded Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding in 2003, her goal was to connect horses with people who may never get to be around horses. It’s that basic. But it’s definitely not that simple.
The logistics of creating a new nonprofit organization from scratch was no small undertaking. So it was not until in September of 2005 that CTR’s first therapeutic riding client held the reins.
Over the course of the next three years, the therapeutic riding program grew, and CTR’s herd of specially-trained healing horses increased as well.
Beginning in 2008, CTR saw needs in the community that went beyond therapeutic riding. As a result, the organization expanded to include new initiatives. Today, in addition to therapeutic riding, this list of programs and services includes hippotherapy (physical therapy on horseback), Equine Experiences, the Pony Express, Corporate Teambuilding, Leadership Workshops, Hoofprints bereavement programming, and Horse Powered Learning.
