Location: Paducah, Kentucky, United States
Cassidy’s Cause Therapeutic Riding Academy (CCTRA) is a nonprofit equine-assisted activities organization in Paducah, Kentucky, founded in 2013 by Mike Falconite, Angie Jackson, and Dara Triplett.
The academy was named in memory of Cassidy Triplett, daughter of co-founder Dara Triplett, who passed away in 2004 at the age of nine from Tuberous Sclerosis. Her love for horses and the spirit behind her life became the cause that gave the program its name and its heart.
CCTRA is a PATH International member center operating on 22 acres in western Kentucky, serving individuals with disabilities through therapeutic, educational, and recreational activities with horses.
About This Program
Cassidy’s Cause grew from a recognition among three people already involved in therapeutic riding that the western Kentucky community needed more than what was available — a program with a wider scope, a deeper commitment to more significantly challenged riders, and a facility built from the ground up to support that mission. A major contribution from the Falconite family made the initial barn and facility construction possible, and the first class was held in April 2014.
The program is built around the belief that people and horses share a special connection, and that for individuals with disabilities, that connection can change lives. The 22-acre property in the rolling countryside outside Paducah creates a calming, pastoral environment that the organization describes as therapeutic in itself — before a rider even gets on a horse.
CCTRA serves riders across a broad range of physical and cognitive disabilities. Lessons and activities are led by PATH-certified instructors, supported by trained volunteers who serve as horse leaders and sidewalkers. The center has grown from its founding herd of seven horses and three miniature horses to a larger program that has become, in the words of those who participate, a home away from home for students, parents, and volunteers alike.
The program offers horse and participant sponsorship opportunities, allowing community members to contribute directly to the care of specific horses or the participation costs of specific riders — a personal and tangible form of support that builds deep community investment.
Services Offered
- Therapeutic horseback riding
- Educational and recreational equine activities
- PATH International-guided programming
- Horse sponsorship program
- Participant sponsorship program
- Annual Barn Bash fundraiser
- Volunteer program
Who They Serve
Cassidy’s Cause Therapeutic Riding Academy may be a good fit for:
- Children and adults with disabilities
- Individuals with autism spectrum disorder
- Individuals with ADD or other hyperactivity disorders
- Individuals with cerebral palsy
- Individuals with developmental delays or disabilities
- Individuals with Down syndrome
- Individuals with head trauma or brain injury
- Individuals with learning disabilities
- Individuals with multiple sclerosis
- Individuals with muscular dystrophy
- Individuals with spina bifida
- Families in the Paducah area and the broader western Kentucky region
Facility and Setting
Cassidy’s Cause is located at 6075 Clinton Road in Paducah, Kentucky, in McCracken County. The 22-acre facility was purpose-built starting in 2013, with a barn completed in March 2014.
The rolling countryside setting provides a peaceful, rural environment for riders and families, and has developed into a genuine community gathering place over the organization’s first decade of operation.
- Paducah, Kentucky location (McCracken County, western Kentucky)
- 6075 Clinton Road, Paducah, KY 42001
- 22-acre property with custom-built barn and riding facility
- PATH International member center
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
What Makes Them Unique
Cassidy’s Cause carries a founding story rooted in personal loss and a father’s love for his daughter. The decision to name the program after Cassidy Triplett was not a marketing choice — it was a commitment to carry her memory forward by doing something real and lasting for children and adults with disabilities in her community. That personal foundation gives the organization a quality of purpose that families notice.
The founders also built CCTRA specifically to serve more significantly challenged riders than existing local programs could accommodate — reflecting a deliberate ambition to fill a gap rather than simply duplicate what was already there.
For families in Paducah and western Kentucky whose children have complex needs and have found other programs limiting, Cassidy’s Cause was built with exactly that population in mind.