All of our instructors are certified either through our national credentialing organization, Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH), or through our PA state credentialing organization, Council for Education and Certification in Therapeutic Horsemanship (CECTH). See the GMTRC Staff page on our website for photos and bios of our highly skilled instructors!

A certified instructor, horse leader, two side walkers and an equine are chosen for the student. If riding for the first time, a private lesson is provided to promote success. Once deemed appropriate based on age and ability level, riders may advance to a semi private lesson with one other rider and up to 3-4 total riders. Lessons are 45 minutes long and run for six weeks in a row.

We get our horses from a variety of places, primarily local horse owners and farms who know about our program and think they have a horse that would be suitable for therapeutic riding work. We maintain our horses through a weekly schooling riding program to keep them in shape physically and mentally. If needed, we utilize a variety of horse trainers in the area to help us keep our horses well trained.

• GMTRC currently offers therapeutic horseback riding, which PATH Int’l defines as, “an equine-assisted activity for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of individuals with special needs.”
• GMTRC does not currently offer hippotherapy services. The American Hippotherapy Association, Inc., defines hippotherapy as a physical, occupational or speech therapy treatment strategy that utilizes equine movement. This treatment strategy is used as part of an integrated treatment program to achieve functional goals.
• PATH Int’l defines Equine Assisted Learning as, “an experiential learning approach that promotes the development of life skills for educational, professional and personal goals through equine-assisted activities.”
  1. Our current GMTRC programs that involve an EAL approach include monthly adult horsemanship clinics, summer camp programming with Aaron’s Acres, school district adapted field trips, and visits from various other community organizations, such as the Girl Scouts. Please see the ‘Programs’ page on our website or contact the program phone at 717-615-9222 or email [email protected] for more information

Each student rides for 45 minutes one time per week for a six-week session.

Call the program phone at 717-615-9222 or email [email protected] for more information.

Email [email protected] for more information.

GMTRC does not currently participate in Medicare or insurance billing.

For confidentiality and efficiency of record keeping, we prefer to receive payments by check – mailed to our PO Box address.

Contact our bookkeeper at 717-844-1798 or [email protected] to learn about payment and scholarship options.

Many clubs or private organizations welcome requests for financial support for riders. Contact our bookkeeper at 717-844-1798 or [email protected] for more information.

Fees are listed per session and include six 45-minute lessons. Contact our bookkeeper at 717-844-1798 or [email protected] for more information on our current fees.

Yes – invoices can be sent in advance of the sessions you wish to ride. Please contact our bookkeeper at 717-844-1798 or [email protected] for more information.

We welcome gifts of sponsorship! Please be sure to indicate if you wish your sponsorship to be anonymous. Contact our bookkeeper at 717-844-1798 or [email protected]  for more information.

Yes! Please see the ‘Adopt-A-Horse’ page on our website or contact our bookkeeper at 717-844-1798 or [email protected].

No, you do not! Our team of staff and instructors is committed to helping train our volunteers to be safe and knowledgeable around our horses. Many of our seasoned volunteers who know our horses the best, started here with no horse experience at all!

No, you do not! Our team of skilled instructors provide one on one tips and suggestions to help our riders achieve their best while participating in a therapeutic riding lesson. As a volunteer, you will be supervised by a staff member at all times during lessons.

Volunteers must be 14 years of age to participate.

A lesson is 45 minutes long, but we ask volunteers to arrive 10 minutes early to their lesson, so expect to spend about one hour at the barn per lesson. Please see the ‘Calendar’ tab for dates and times of our current lesson schedule. A lesson volunteer is expected to receive individual instruction from the lesson instructor, then is paired one on one with a rider for the duration of the 45 minute lesson, to assist the rider either physically or verbally to complete their riding skills

GMTRC welcomes volunteers looking to achieve school or employment requirements for community service or volunteer experience! Yet, two conditions apply for volunteers seeking service hours due to the sensitive, relational nature of work with equines and people with special needs:

1. Continuity of volunteer teams create the best lesson environment. We ask volunteers fulfilling service hours to remain in their roles until the conclusion of their assigned six-week session.
2. All personnel and volunteers over the age of 17 at GMTRC must be able to provide recent, clean PA criminal and child abuse clearances. Therefore, court appointed service hours may not be fulfilled at GMTRC at this time, regardless of the age of the volunteer applicant.

Yes, for both your purposes and ours, we require GMTRC volunteers to track their volunteer hours in the barn volunteer room.

GMTRC welcomes help with a variety of tasks around the barn, such as cleaning, grooming, and feeding the horses, as well as a variety of clerical tasks outside of the barn. Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 717-203-7388 or [email protected] to find out how your skills can be utilized within GMTRC.

Contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 717-203-7388 or [email protected] for all scheduling and volunteering questions.

Please wear clothing which is comfortable and appropriate for the weather as volunteers may be working inside and/or outside the barn depending on their assignment. Generally, more conservative clothing (long pants and shirts that are not low-cut and do not show the midriff) is recommended for safety and comfort, however in particularly warm weather shorts can be worn, provided they are long enough to cover most of the thigh. Closed-toed shoes must be worn at all times. Please avoid clothing which is overly loose or flowy and do not wear any dangling earrings, necklaces, or other jewelry as these items can create a hazard if they become caught on tack or other items in the barn. If you are not sure if something is appropriate, please ask a staff member.

Absolutely! If you have an interest in assisting with fundraising, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 717-203-7388 or [email protected] for more information.

GMTRC is a 501c3 non-profit organization. We currently have an opening on our Board of Directors. Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 717-203-7388 or [email protected] if you have interest in joining our Board of Directors.