Location: Timmonsville, South Carolina, United States
Bethlehem Therapeutic Riding Stable is a faith-based nonprofit therapeutic riding program located at Tally Ho Equestrian Center in Timmonsville, South Carolina. Founded in 2008 by Gwendolyn Maddrix, the program holds PATH International Premier Accredited status and serves children and adults with special needs, individuals supported through South Carolina’s Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, and veterans and wounded warriors across the Pee Dee region of South Carolina.
About This Program
Bethlehem operates from an explicitly Christ-centered mission, framing its work as a ministry to people whose physical, mental, and emotional health can be improved through equine-assisted activities. The program serves a wide range of disabilities and works closely with several regional social service organizations to connect clients to therapeutic riding who may not otherwise find access to it.
Therapy lessons are held on Friday and Saturday mornings in small group settings, with instruction delivered by PATH-certified instructors. Each student’s program is shaped around their individual needs and goals, with the horse serving as the central therapeutic tool. Partner organizations including DDSN (Florence and Lake City), New Generations in Florence, and Durant House in Florence and Hartsville send clients to the stable on an ongoing basis.
The veterans program serves post-9/11 service members dealing with service-connected injuries, offering equestrian therapy as both a physical and psychological rehabilitation tool. Classes run on Monday mornings and are focused on the particular challenges veterans face in transitioning to civilian life and recovering from the effects of combat. The program also includes a housing and work initiative for struggling or homeless veterans, connecting them to an affiliated 12-acre goat farm called Airborne Farm, which is owned and operated by a combat airborne veteran. Veterans in the work program can be housed at the farm while participating in structured daily activity and equine programming.
Services Offered
- Therapeutic riding lessons
- Equine-assisted activities
- Veterans and Wounded Warriors program
- Veterans housing and work site program (Airborne Farm)
- DDSN partnership programming
- Community agency partnerships
Who They Serve
Bethlehem Therapeutic Riding Stable may be a good fit for:
- Children ages 3 and older with special needs
- Adults with disabilities
- Individuals with autism spectrum disorder
- Individuals with ADD or other hyperactivity disorders
- Individuals with Down syndrome
- Individuals with learning disabilities
- Individuals with speech impairment
- Individuals with head trauma or brain injury
- Individuals with spinal cord injury
- Stroke survivors
- Individuals with emotional challenges
- Post-9/11 veterans with service-connected injuries
- Wounded Warriors
- Clients referred through DDSN, New Generations, and Durant House
Facility and Setting
Bethlehem Therapeutic Riding Stable operates within Tally Ho Equestrian Center in Timmonsville, South Carolina, in the heart of the Pee Dee region. The program draws riders from Hartsville, Florence, Darlington, Lamar, and Timmonsville. The affiliated veterans work and housing program is located at a separate 12-acre farm in South Carolina.
- Timmonsville, South Carolina location (Florence County)
- 3962 Lawson Grove Road, Timmonsville, SC 29161
- Located within Tally Ho Equestrian Center
- PATH International Premier Accredited Center
- Therapy lessons: Friday and Saturday mornings
- Veterans program: Monday mornings
- Pee Dee region of South Carolina
What Makes Them Unique
Bethlehem stands out in part because of the depth of its commitment to veterans. Rather than offering riding sessions alone, the program has extended its support to include housing and meaningful work through its Airborne Farm partnership — a recognition that recovery from military trauma often requires more than a weekly therapy session. That integrated approach, combining equestrian therapy with structured daily purpose and stable living, is rare among therapeutic riding programs of any size.
The program’s deep ties to local disability service providers in Florence County also give it an established pipeline for clients who face financial or logistical barriers to accessing care independently. Operating from a faith-based framework, Bethlehem brings a community-ministry orientation to its work that shapes how it engages families, volunteers, and partner organizations throughout the Pee Dee region.