Independence Farms is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation.  We became incorporated in July of 2001. We have gone from a four-member board to an eight-member board, with one ex-officio member, our lead instructor.

Independence Farms is dedicated to improving the life of children and adults with disabilities through instruction and guidance in the field of therapeutic horseback riding.

We are members in good standing with NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association) and have been for four consecutive years.   NARHA is a membership organization, which fosters safe, professional, ethical and therapeutic equine activities through education, communication, standards and research for people with and without disabilities. Independence Farms follows the standards and ethics set forth by NARHA for therapeutic riding organizations throughout the United States.

Why are we so proud to be NARHA members?  NARHA has been around for 35 years.  Since its inception in 1969, it has been promoting and supporting equine assisted activities throughout the world. 

Every year, over 36,000 people participate in equine activities at NARHA member centers, we’re part of that 36,000 serving about 30 riders per year.  NARHA is comprised of more than 650 centers and over 6,000 individual members.  There are more than 30,000 volunteers, 2,000 instructors, 5,700 horses and thousands of contributors all over the world helping people at NARHA centers.  Our center is 1 of those 650 centers.  We have 4 of those 6,000 individual members from our center.    Out of those 2,000 instructors, our center has 2.  Of the 30,000 volunteers, our center has 20.  Out of the 5,700 horses, our center has 6.  Numbers to be proud of for a small-populated rural area.

Why is it important to belong to NARHA?  NARHA provides the services and tools necessary to ensure a safe, meaningful and quality environment for all staff and participants.  Through volunteer committees, NARHA certifies instructors, accredits centers, distributes educational materials and hosts workshops and conferences on both the regional and national level.  NARHA is our organization. It exists to provide us with value and benefits for our membership.  That helps us serve our clients.  Benefits include: Education, Networking and Access, Buying Power, Representation and Advocacy, National Visibility, and Standards.

Independence Farms utilizes the knowledge of NARHA and community Physical and Occupational Therapist and Special Education Teachers for training and therapeutic sessions.  Independence Farms provides continuing education and training to its staff and volunteers throughout the year.  We also encourage and support our staff to seek out additional training and education.  Gaining knowledge and ideas from outside sources allows us to better serve our riders and it brings back additional information to be shared with our organization and volunteers.

When you attend Independence Farms, a consultation is done prior to the first riding sessions. If you are interested in being a rider, you need to have made contact with us at least two weeks prior to the consultation date to prepare the necessary paper work.  Present at the consultation will be the parent or guardian, the rider, our lead Certified NARHA instructor, and our volunteer therapist or special education teacher, who will assist us in structuring lesson plans. We take pride in preparing for our riders.

We offer two different types of classes, a one-hour group session with two or more riders in it or a one-half hour individual session.  Our classes normally run for six weeks and are currently held on Sundays. Please check out our News, Events, Etc. page for dates and times.  Please call to confirm. Dates and times are subject to change. 

Our riding sessions are held at the Washington County Fairgrounds in the Gold Beef Barn and the outdoor arena.  Follow the signs to the fairgrounds, just off of highway 36.  Look for the horse trailers.  If you can’t find us in the Gold Barn, check out the arena.  Last minute changes are possible due to changing weather conditions.  Please check the Newsletter, Etc. section for times.  Subject to change due to weather.  Please call to confirm.

Volunteers – that really is who Independence Farms is “volunteers”.  They are “people who care about people”, who may or may not have an interest in horses.  They give of their time, knowledge, skills and themselves, without asking for anything in return, well maybe nothing but a smile or to see an activity accomplished by one of our riders.  Some of our volunteers are professionals, some are not, some are horse people, some are not, but all are “PEOPLE” people.  Many help during our sessions, many help behind the scenes on other projects. Being a volunteer requires no real talents or skills, just a genuine attitude towards helping others.  Volunteers are one of the most important components in a successful riding program. There are many areas in which one can help. We train our volunteers who work with our horses and riders so that our riders are kept safe and that they get the best possible help while they are in a session.   If you would like to become more involved or are interested in volunteering, our sessions are open to visitors.  Check out the session dates and times and come down and watch, look and listen.