Location: Lexington, Kentucky, United States
Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (CKRH) is a nonprofit equine-assisted services organization founded in 1981 and located within the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. It is a PATH International Premier Accredited Center — holding that designation since 1998 — and serves more than 300 individuals per year with physical, cognitive, emotional, and social needs.
CKRH was founded through a collaboration between Dr. Peter Bosomworth, then Chancellor of the University of Kentucky Medical Center, and a group of local horse enthusiasts, and has grown from a seasonal program in a converted tobacco barn to a year-round operation in a state-of-the-art indoor facility that serves children and adults across a broad continuum of equine-assisted modalities.
About This Program
CKRH’s history reflects sustained, community-backed investment in equine therapy. After earning PATH accreditation in 1987 and Premier status in 1998, the board launched a $4 million capital campaign in 2005 to fund year-round operations.
By 2011 the John A. and Virginia Creech Therapeutic Riding Center — a purpose-built indoor arena — was complete, eliminating weather and daylight as barriers to consistent programming. That facility is now the operational heart of a program that runs every week of the year.
The Therapeutic Riding and Adaptive Horsemanship program is the cornerstone of CKRH’s services. PATH-certified instructors tailor mounted and non-mounted lessons to each participant’s abilities and goals, targeting balance, coordination, motor skills, flexibility, strength, confidence, and communication. Simple accomplishments in the arena — sitting upright, verbalizing commands, managing reins — translate into meaningful gains in daily life.
Hippotherapy at CKRH is provided in partnership with Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital, with licensed physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists using equine movement as a treatment strategy for specific clinical goals.
Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy is facilitated by a Clinical Counselor in Training and a Clinical Social Worker in Training, both supervised by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. The Minis & Me program offers non-mounted groundwork for participants with mental health and learning disabilities who are not yet ready or appropriate for riding.
CKRH’s military programming, developed in partnership with the Kentucky National Guard and Camp Brown Bear, includes the Adjust Fire program for National Guard members experiencing PTSD, substance abuse, or suicidal ideation, and transition support services for veterans, active-duty personnel, and their families.
Wounded Warriors registered through the Wounded Warrior Project are eligible for up to 10 mounted or non-mounted sessions at no cost. CKRH is a registered PATH International Equine Services for Heroes provider.
Institutional partnerships extend the program’s reach: CKRH works with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Easterseals Bluegrass, Fayette County Public Schools, and multiple Kentucky universities offering clinical internship placements. The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has also recognized CKRH for its work incorporating retired Thoroughbreds into therapeutic programming.
Services Offered
- Therapeutic riding and adaptive horsemanship (mounted and non-mounted)
- Therapeutic driving (alternative for those with riding contraindications)
- Hippotherapy (in partnership with Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital)
- Equine-assisted psychotherapy (supervised clinical program)
- Therapeutic horsemanship / Horse-Master lessons and Pony Club curriculum
- Minis & Me groundwork program (mental health and learning disabilities)
- Adjust Fire military program (Kentucky National Guard)
- Veteran transition support services
- Wounded Warrior Project sessions (up to 10, at no cost)
- Group therapeutic services (Federal Bureau of Prisons, Easterseals, Fayette County schools)
- PATH instructor training and certification program
- Clinical internship placements (UK, EKU, Asbury, Midway, Georgetown College)
- Horse show competitions
Who They Serve
Central Kentucky Riding for Hope may be a good fit for:
- Children and adults with physical, cognitive, emotional, or social disabilities, ages 4 and up
- Individuals with autism spectrum disorder
- Individuals with cerebral palsy
- Individuals with developmental delays or disabilities
- Individuals with intellectual disabilities
- Individuals with learning disabilities
- Individuals with mental health challenges
- Individuals with behavioral challenges
- Individuals with PTSD
- Veterans and active-duty service members
- Kentucky National Guard members
- Wounded Warriors (free sessions)
- Incarcerated individuals (Federal Bureau of Prisons groups)
- Students from Fayette County Public Schools
- Individuals connected to Easterseals Bluegrass
Facility and Setting
CKRH is located within the Kentucky Horse Park at 4089 Iron Works Parkway in Lexington, Kentucky. The John A. and Virginia Creech Therapeutic Riding Center provides a state-of-the-art indoor arena enabling year-round programming regardless of weather. The 40-acre facility at the Horse Park — one of the most celebrated equestrian venues in the world — provides an extraordinary setting for equine-assisted services, with professional horse management standards embedded in the park’s culture.
- Lexington, Kentucky location (Fayette County, central Kentucky)
- Kentucky Horse Park, 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY
- John A. and Virginia Creech Therapeutic Riding Center (indoor arena)
- 40-acre facility within the Kentucky Horse Park
- PATH International Premier Accredited Center since 1998
- Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance recognized
- EQUUS Foundation Guardian
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
What Makes Them Unique
The Kentucky Horse Park setting is singular. CKRH operates within one of the most storied equestrian facilities in the world — a venue that hosts the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, the World Equestrian Games, and the permanent home of the International Museum of the Horse. That context gives therapeutic riders access to professional horse management, an extraordinary equestrian culture, and facilities that few programs anywhere can match.
The clinical breadth of CKRH’s programming is also genuinely exceptional. Hippotherapy through Cardinal Hill, psychotherapy under licensed supervision, military programs co-developed with the Kentucky National Guard, Wounded Warrior Project registration, and partnerships with five universities for clinical fieldwork represent an integration of equine-assisted services with the broader healthcare and educational system that is rare even among the largest PATH Premier centers in the country.