Today our speaker was from HETRA, Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy.
Per their website, HETRA was started in 1989 by Steve and Janet Henthorn of Omaha, Nebraska. The program started with one participant, one horse, and three volunteers. HETRA now has 19 therapy horses, 21 PATH, Intl. certified instructors, and over 115 participants. They also offer services in Therapeutic Riding, Hippotherapy, Equine Services for Veterans, and Therapeutic Carriage Driving. HETRA is a non-profit 501c3 organization and is currently the only PATH Premier Accredited Therapeutic Riding Center in Nebraska!
HETRA serves a variety of participants including children and adults with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular distrophy, cystic fibrosis, brain tumors, head or spinal cord injuries, visual impairment, autism, development delays and strokes. In 2014, HETRA served 192 unique participants (both children and adults) per week and our goal is continue to expand the program this year.