Charleston Area Therapeutic Riding, Inc.

About the Program

CATR says it has been a PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Center since 1992. Therapeutic riding lessons are taught by a PATH certified instructor with help from volunteers, and riders take part in horse care before and after riding when possible. The unmounted horsemanship program teaches horse care, grooming, leading, lunging and long-lining without riding. Lessons run 45 minutes to an hour in group, semi-private or private formats.

Connecting With Horses focuses on communication, stress reduction, problem solving and relationship building, based on PATH Intl.'s Equine Assisted Learning model. Since 2009 the veterans program has offered riding, grooming, leading and tacking for wounded veterans, including those living with traumatic brain injury, amputations, post-traumatic stress and neuro-degenerative diseases. CATR also runs a therapeutic riding program for self-contained special education classrooms in Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties, group barn visits with grooming, barn games and bird watching by the pond, and a five- to six-week inclusive summer camp with riding, vaulting, trail rides and horse care.

Getting Started

CATR keeps a waitlist and encourages families to join it early. New students complete the Youth (under 18) or Adult Student Registration Packet, including a medical history form signed by their primary care physician, and return it by email or mail. Staff then schedule an evaluation at the farm. Returning students are scheduled first, and new students are added as space allows.

Lessons run Monday through Saturday in a 12-week fall session (September to December) and a 12-week spring session (February to May). Scholarships are available, and families who need help with the cost can ask the program office about them along with current tuition.

The Horses and Staff

Colleen Trepen is the executive director. Anja Cain is the program director and an Advanced PATH Instructor and Interactive Vaulting Instructor. The staff also includes six other PATH certified instructors, a barn manager, a volunteer coordinator and a philanthropy director. CATR lists 13 horses, and it says about 150 volunteers support the program.

Location

CATR is on a 43-acre farm at 2669 Hamilton Road, Johns Island, SC 29455. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 146, Johns Island, SC 29457. The farm began on 12 acres purchased in 2004 (the former Brickhouse Equestrian Center), and CATR added 31 neighboring acres in 2009 through the Charleston County Greenbelt program.