Location: Eagle River, Alaska, United States
Birch Grove Therapeutic Riding Center (BGTRC) is a PATH International certified therapeutic riding program located in Eagle River, Alaska, just outside Anchorage. Founded and operated by Carrie Drury, a PATH-certified therapeutic riding instructor, the center was established in 2018 and serves participants with disabilities in the greater Anchorage area. Nestled in the Matanuska-Susitna valley against the backdrop of Alaska’s mountain ranges, BGTRC offers adaptive therapeutic riding, hippotherapy, and unmounted equine activities in one of the most geographically distinctive settings of any therapeutic riding program in the country.
About This Program
BGTRC operates from a clear and personal conviction that the relationship between a person and a horse is unlike any other therapeutic tool. The center’s approach treats the horse as a sentient partner rather than a passive apparatus, and every activity — whether grooming, leading, lunging, or riding — is framed as a collaboration between participant and animal.
Each rider undergoes an initial assessment to determine whether adaptive therapeutic riding or hippotherapy is the most appropriate path forward. Lesson plans are built around each participant’s individual needs and goals, with instructors using a variety of props including bean bags, hula hoops, cones, and ground poles to challenge riders in ways that build coordination, strength, range of motion, and the ability to follow multistep instructions.
Volunteers play an essential role in every session, serving as horse leaders and sidewalkers who provide varying levels of physical support while the instructor focuses on the therapeutic and educational goals of the lesson. The combination of instructor guidance and volunteer support allows riders at a wide range of ability levels to participate safely and meaningfully.
Beyond the physical gains — improved muscle tone, postural stability, balance, and gait — BGTRC places strong emphasis on what happens off the horse. The process of building trust with a large, sensitive animal carries over into how participants relate to others, how they manage emotions, and how they develop confidence in their own capabilities.
BGTRC has also invested in an Equicizer, a full-size mechanical horse modeled after a horse named Charlie, designed by award-winning jockey Frankie Lovato Jr. The Equicizer gives riders the opportunity to practice grooming, tacking, mounting, riding, and dismounting before working with a live horse, reducing anxiety and building the muscle memory and confidence that help participants get more out of their time in the saddle.
Services Offered
- Adaptive therapeutic riding
- Hippotherapy (in partnership with licensed therapists)
- Unmounted equine activities
- Grooming, leading, and lunging
- Equicizer sessions (mechanical horse for skill-building and confidence)
- Volunteer-supported riding sessions
Who They Serve
Birch Grove Therapeutic Riding Center may be a good fit for:
- Children and adults with disabilities
- Individuals with autism spectrum disorder
- Individuals with cerebral palsy
- Individuals with Down syndrome
- Individuals with ADD or other hyperactivity disorders
- Individuals with developmental delays or intellectual disabilities
- Individuals with physical disabilities affecting balance, strength, or coordination
- Individuals with emotional or behavioral challenges
- Individuals with learning disabilities
- Riders seeking a confidence-building introduction to horses before mounted work
Facility and Setting
Birch Grove Therapeutic Riding Center operates from a private barn in Eagle River, Alaska, located approximately 20 miles northeast of downtown Anchorage. The setting places the program amid birch forest and mountain scenery that is unique among therapeutic riding facilities in the United States. Eagle River’s climate means the program navigates Alaska’s distinct seasonal conditions, and the center’s small, personal scale allows for close attention to each participant’s needs.
- Eagle River, Alaska location (Matanuska-Susitna area near Anchorage)
- Mailing address: PO Box 771675, Eagle River, AK 99577
- PATH International certified therapeutic riding center
- Small, volunteer-supported program
- Equicizer available for pre-riding skill development
What Makes Them Unique
Birch Grove Therapeutic Riding Center is one of the very few therapeutic riding programs operating in Alaska, making it a critically important resource for families in the Anchorage region who would otherwise have limited access to equine-assisted services. The geographic isolation that characterizes much of Alaska life means that programs like BGTRC carry an outsized value for the communities they serve.
The center’s investment in an Equicizer — a full-size custom mechanical horse — reflects a thoughtful, participant-centered approach to readiness. Rather than moving every new rider directly onto a live animal, BGTRC offers a bridge tool that builds familiarity and physical preparedness, which can be particularly meaningful for participants who experience fear or sensory sensitivities around large animals.
Combined with the program’s emphasis on partnership over performance, and its mountain setting that lends sessions an atmosphere of genuine escape, Birch Grove offers a therapeutic riding experience that is as memorable as it is meaningful.