Prancing Horse Inc.
Hoffman, North Carolina
Prancing Horse Inc., also known as Prancing Horse Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship, is a nonprofit in Hoffman, North Carolina, in the Sandhills. It offers therapeutic riding for children and adults with special needs and Freedom Reins, a horsemanship program for veterans and active-duty military members.
- Therapeutic horsemanship lessons
- Group and private riding lessons
- Non-riding activities: grooming, leading and tacking
- Freedom Reins program for veterans and military
- Group sessions for veteran organizations
- Volunteer program
- Children and adults with special needs
- People with physical, cognitive and emotional challenges
- Riders age 4 and older, with no upper age limit
- Veterans
- Active-duty military members
More about this center
About the Program
The therapeutic horsemanship program is open to people with a special needs diagnosis who are at least 4 years old, with no upper age limit. The center says some diagnoses may prevent riding, and those participants can take part in grooming, leading, tacking and other educational activities instead.
Lessons are led by Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructors, who set goals with parents, guardians or caregivers and match each rider with a suitable horse. Fall sessions run 10 weeks from September to December, spring sessions run 10 weeks from February to May, and a 6-week summer session runs on dates that vary between July and August. Fall and spring lessons are weekly, 30 or 45 minutes long, and usually in groups of two or three. Private lessons depend on availability.
Prancing Horse says it is a premier accredited PATH Intl. center and that its instructors are PATH Intl. certified.
Freedom Reins for Veterans
Freedom Reins is based on natural horsemanship. Participants learn to read a horse's behavior and body language through grooming, groundwork in the round pen, and leading and long-line work in the arena. Individual sessions are weekly, one hour long, with a certified instructor, and are offered through a partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project and PATH Intl. Organizations can also bring a group for a two-hour session. See equine therapy for veterans.
History and Volunteering
Ronnie Meltzer founded Prancing Horse in 1984, and it received IRS tax-exempt status in 1986. The program began in Cameron and moved to its farm in Hoffman in 2014. The herd includes Quarter Horses, a Thoroughbred, a Dutch Warmblood, a Hanoverian, a Welsh/Arabian and a Draft/Morgan.
Volunteers serve as sidewalkers and horse leaders in lessons, and also help in the center's A Bit Used Tack Shop, with fundraising events and with farm work. Contact volunteer@prancing-horse.org to get involved.
Location
The farm is at 6100 Hoffman Rd, Hoffman, NC 28347. The mailing address is PO Box 327, Southern Pines, NC 28388. The center lists its service area as Cumberland, Hoke, Moore and Richmond counties.
From public records, not yet reviewed by the center · Last updated Oct 2026 Suggest an edit
Common Questions
Answered from the center’s own website and public records.
How do I enroll a rider?
Email the program director at programs@prancing-horse.org or call (910) 281-3223 to ask about openings in the next session.
What ages does Prancing Horse serve?
Riders must be at least 4 years old, and there is no upper age limit.
How much do lessons cost?
Call (910) 281-3223 or email ed@prancing-horse.org to ask about current rates. The center says it doesn't turn anyone away because of cost.
How can veterans join Freedom Reins?
Email veterans@prancing-horse.org to learn more and sign up.
Location
Hoffman, North Carolina 28347
Questions to Ask When You Call
The center is the best source for these answers.
- Are you running now, and taking new riders?Start here. We couldn’t confirm a current schedule.
- Which ages and needs do you work with?Ask about experience with your rider’s specific condition.
- Is a licensed PT, OT or speech therapist involved?Therapist-led hippotherapy is usually the only kind insurance may cover.
- What does a session cost, and are there scholarships?Many nonprofit programs offer sliding scales or sponsored spots.
- Do you have a mounting ramp or lift?Important for riders who use a wheelchair or need help mounting.