Stephanie Mitchell's Contact Details

Stephanie Mitchell's Company Details

Sunshine Ranch Therapeutic Riding

Lakeside, California, United States • 2 Employees
Individual & Family Services

Sunshine Ranch is a PATH Intl. Center Member, and our Founder, Stephanie Mitchell, is a PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor.Our ultimate goal and Mission Statement is this: TO PROVIDE ACCESSIBLE, HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTION IN THERAPEUTIC HORSEMANSHIP TO IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND SOCIAL ABILITIES OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.We provide equestrian services to children and adults with special needs. Our staff of professional instructors, cheerful volunteers, and well-trained horses delivers life-enriching instruction and experiences. Our programs and services help our students build confidence, trust, social skills, strength, balance, flexibility, self-control, and coordination. Equine therapy provides a unique combination of mental and physical stimulation for students with special needs. The movement a rider experiences when on a horse simulates the normal human gait; the rider's torso and lower body move as though the rider is walking on his or her own. This increases core muscle strength every time our students ride!Lessons in riding and horsemanship teach students the importance of respect and self-control, and emphasize the importance of planning ahead and multi-tasking. These skills and experiences improve sensory processing, awareness, concentration, muscle tone, and hand-eye coordination. Our riders have so much fun riding and playing that they don't even realize how hard they are working!Personal goals for each student, whether voiced by the student or their parents, are very important to us. Therapeutic horseback riding lessons provide an effective, fun way of working together toward these goals. The horses themselves have a calming effect on our students, and working with them develops respect, trust, and a wonderful bond with a 1,000 pound animal. This progress and relationship is further enhanced by the friendships that develop with instructors, volunteers, and fellow students.