What Is Paint the Pony?
Paint the Pony is our annual campaign. As a FUNDRAISER and a FRIENDRAISER, Paint the Pony strives to raise much-needed funds, recruit new volunteers, and create a greater awareness about CTRC in our community. Each stripe we paint is a marker toward our $200,000 GOAL.
Why Support CTRC:
Individuals with disabilities experience many physical, emotional, and cognitive
hurdles, along with obstacles to inclusion and a sense of normalcy. Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center offers a secure and supportive space for individuals with disabilities to enhance their physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being, fostering a sense of belonging and equality. Your generous contribution will ensure CTRC’s ability to maintain a sanctuary where equine-assisted activities promote the physical, psychological, and social welfare of our participants.
Why We Fundraise:
We are acutely aware of the significant financial demands that the majority of our families face (individuals with disabilities typically incur substantially greater expenses related to medical care, education, transportation, recreation, and even daily living).
At CTRC, we work to eliminate financial barriers, covering two-thirds of our lesson costs through fundraising. Therefore, two-thirds of our operating budget depends on fundraising. Paint the Pony is our largest fundraiser of the year. The proceeds raised through the Paint the Pony campaign are vital to CTRC’s ability to continue offering life-changing equine-assisted services to individuals with disabilities, regardless of their financial situation.
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Learn About Some of our Riders
Abbott
Abbott, a lively five-year-old with Cerebral Palsy, Autism, and heightened energy levels and other therapeutic needs that require specialized attention, finds immense joy and benefit in therapeutic riding at CTRC. Riding not only helps him with the physical and emotional challenges he faces but also provides him with a unique opportunity to excel and feel accomplished and a part of a greater community that supports him in this.
While Abbott does many therapies and they can be difficult and painful, riding is a source of fun and peace for Abbott. Abbott’s mom notes that riding not only helps him maintain flexibility and core strength but also significantly aids in emotional regulation, with Abbott often feeling more balanced for hours after his sessions. She expresses deep gratitude for CTRC, emphasizing the positive impact of the center’s compassionate team and the therapeutic benefits that riding brings to Abbott’s life.
Te
Te finds joy at CTRC with his horse, Magic. Te, who is now sixteen years old, started riding at CTRC twelve years ago at the age of four. Due to being non-verbal, non-ambulatory, and immune-compromised, activities that allow Te to get out of his bed or chair are limited. Not only is riding an activity that Te can do and enjoy, but it also offers him therapeutic benefits. His mother emphasizes the importance of quality of life, noting that riding has significantly contributed to Te’s well-being. It has improved his flexibility and strength, surprising even his orthopedist, and has helped reduce recovery time from hip surgery.
Riding is particularly meaningful to Te because it’s something he can share with his sister, Cea, who is trained as a sidewalker. Their time together at CTRC creates a unique bond, allowing them to connect in ways that are difficult to achieve due to Te’s disabilities. CTRC has also become a crucial part of the family’s life, offering a supportive community where parents of disabled children connect and form friendships. Te’s involvement at CTRC even inspired his music therapist to compose “Te on the Wings of Magic,” a piece performed by his school band, celebrating his remarkable journey.
Alisun
Alisun was born with Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that has shaped her journey in unique ways. Behind her radiant smile is a story of courage and resilience. Williams syndrome affects her flexibility, and her physical therapist recommended therapeutic riding at the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center (CTRC) to help maintain it. Initially hesitant about being up so high and the rocking motion of riding, Alisun now sits tall in the saddle, her nerves replaced by assurance. Riding has not only helped her maintain flexibility but has also greatly increased her confidence.
CTRC offers Alisun more than just physical benefits and increased confidence. It also offers a sense of community and belonging and a way to spend time outdoors. Known for her loquaciousness and love of joking around, she has formed strong bonds within the CTRC community. She enjoys close relationships with the other riders in her class as well as staff and volunteers. Alisun shares a special connection with Mike, a long-time volunteer who leads her horse, and their regular banter highlights their close bond. Her vibrant personality and quick wit often entertain everyone around her.
Alisun often says, “I love the staff, volunteers, and horses at CTRC. There is such good energy here.”