USU Equine Experience
Wellsville, Utah
USU Equine Experience is Utah State University's equine-assisted services program, run through USU Extension's Center for Equine-Assisted Services. Its home base is the Sam Skaggs Family Equine Education Center in Wellsville, where it offers adaptive riding for people with intellectual, physical or developmental disabilities, equine-assisted learning, and programs for veterans and military families.
- Adaptive riding lessons
- Hippotherapy with a physical therapist (youth)
- Equine-assisted learning sessions for groups
- Horse-Powered Reading
- Valor Detachment mounted drill team
- Ride Utah! trail rides
- Drive Utah! horse-drawn wagon outings
- Children over age 5 and adults with disabilities
- Riders of all skill levels
- Youth (hippotherapy)
- Veterans and active-duty military
- Military families
- People for whom riding is not an option
- Schools and community groups
More about this center
About the Program
The program has offered equine-assisted services since 2016. It leases its horses and equipment from USU's Department of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, whose support allows a discounted lesson rate.
Adaptive riding lessons are taught by PATH International-certified instructors and include arena riding, trail rides and group activities, with games and exercises planned around each rider's needs. The program notes that adaptive riding is recreational, not a clinical therapy. Hippotherapy (physical therapy on horseback) for youth is provided at the Sam Skaggs center by a physical therapist from USU's Sorenson Center clinic.
Veterans and Military Families
Valor Detachment is a mounted drill team for veterans and active-duty service members, started in 2025. It practices Wednesday evenings and does grand entries at rodeos, horse shows and parades in Northern Utah and Southern Idaho. Riders without a horse can lease one through the program. Ride Utah! offers trail rides for service members and a guest, and Drive Utah! offers horse-drawn wagon outings in Cache Valley. Read more about equine therapy for veterans.
Getting Started
To apply for adaptive riding, email equine.experience@usu.edu and the team will send the paperwork. An in-person intake at the arena follows before lessons are scheduled. Applicants age five and under are not eligible for adaptive riding. For hippotherapy, contact the Sorenson Center clinic at 435-797-1374 or sorensonPT@usu.edu.
Volunteering
Volunteers groom and tack horses, lead horses and support riders in lessons. Volunteers must be at least 12 to work with horses and 16 to work directly with participants. No horse experience is needed, and new volunteers start with a one-hour orientation.
Location
Programs are based at the Sam Skaggs Family Equine Education Center, 3580 South Hwy 89-91, Wellsville, Utah 84339, in Cache Valley. USU Extension also runs Wasatch Front programs, including Resiliency Wranglers and Horse-Powered Reading, at the Davis Agricultural Heritage Center in Kaysville (435-919-1340, wasatchequineexp@usu.edu).
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 much do adaptive riding lessons cost?
Adaptive riding is $25 per lesson, or $150 for a six-lesson session. Hippotherapy is $30 per session with qualifying insurance, in blocks of eight sessions ($240), and equine-assisted learning is $25 per horse per hour.
How do I sign up for adaptive riding?
Email equine.experience@usu.edu to request the application paperwork. After it is returned, the team holds an in-person intake at the arena before scheduling lessons.
Is there an age requirement?
Applicants age five and under are not eligible for adaptive riding. Hippotherapy through the Sorenson Center is offered to youth.
How much does Valor Detachment cost?
Each practice is $20. Riders who lease a program horse are invoiced monthly for the lease.
Location
Wellsville, Utah 84339
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.