meet Elizabeth!
Elizabeth Toews has a passion for both horses and people. She started riding horses at a very young age and was gifted her first horse for her twelfth birthday from her parents. Over the years, she has grown her little herd of horses and now she is training an Arab filly, who you'll be able to meet at the farm! Wanting to bring hope and joy to her small town of Armstrong, she was told about therapeutic riding and the benefits it could bring to many people. After completing her high school, she worked under Karen Tanchak to get the hours she needed to take achieve the certification. ​
​
Elizabeth is the founder of Shunammite Therapeutic Riding and holds certification from the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH).
Our Process
After filling out the online intake form, we will get in touch with you for an in- person assessment. We will do a thorough evaluation with each client, gathering as much information as possible, such as age, weight, height, familiarity with horses, and any specific issues or behavior patterns they may have. Next, we will assess both the horse and the client, checking balance and performing a physical evaluation, as well as their reactions and engagement with the horses.
Sometimes we are not able to accommodate each client due to not having the right horse suitable for the rider. If that is the case, we will explore every avenue possible before giving our final answer.
What does a class look like?
Each class starts with the client grooming the horse. This allows us to gauge how the child/adult is coping with his/her surroundings and how he/she is interacting with the horse.
Once the horse is brushed and the feet cleaned, we then go on to tacking the horse and walking around the arena to warm up the horse and rider. This helps with muscle stiffness & relaxation and allows us to see how the client and horse are performing with each other.
Once warmed up and everyone is comfortable, we head over to our mounting block to get onto the horse. There will be a fun and interactive obstacle course that has been set up for the day that the rider will guide his/her horse through with the aid of the volunteers if needed. During each class we try to learn a new riding skill and do a new game to promote physical and physiological benefit for both the rider and the horse.
We like to finish the ride off with a fun game such as tic tac toe or darts on horseback.
DISCLAIMER- horses, weather, & attitudes are not predictable. We reserve the right to not do a riding lesson if deemed dangerous to volunteers, horses, or/and clients.
PRICING lIST
Private lesson- $100 + gst
​
\Group lesson - $90 + gst
​
We are now taking Autism Funding!
​