Saddle Up for Autism Spring Clinic

On Friday May 13th, the American Autism Association partnered up with El Paso Ranch to host Saddle Up for Autism.

Saddle Up for Autism is our therapeutic recreational program where participants are given the chance to ride horses as a recreational activity. They also did fun arts and crafts, like food coloring and making slime, while socializing with each other. Due to COVID-19, this was our first time back at El Paso Ranch since the Fall of 2019.

Located in Miami, FL, El Paso Ranch is home to multiple horses, goats, chickens, and even a llama. They offer multiple services, but perhaps the most important one they offer is their horse-riding school, which often works with special needs children. The ranch is a family business that has been operating since 1992 and is managed by Carlos Fernandez. He had this message for parents, “I encourage parents not to give up. After countless therapies you never know when you’re gonna have a breakthrough, and sometimes we don’t realize just how far we’ve truly come.”

Horse therapy, also known as equine therapy, has been shown to improve areas such as self-regulation, emotional skills, and social communication. During equine therapy, a trained professional will not only teach about how to ride horses, but also about how to care and bond with them. By learning how to treat an animal, they can also apply some of these skills to people. Most importantly, horseback riding increases the children’s confidence in themselves and allows them to enjoy themselves in a pressure-free environment. The children at the event were a testament to this. 

Parents also had positive reviews of the event. Lauren, a Miami local and parent, shared that it was “a great opportunity that helped my son get out of his comfort zone like never before. He was more verbal than usual, and it was great to hear his little voice and see his excitement with the horse.”

Another parent, Joanna, returning with her child after the program’s two-year pause, shared that “I think the program is phenomenal! [My daughter] had such a fantastic and calming time on the horse. Hanging out with the other kids and making arts and crafts really made her day. I wish we could do it weekly”

We would like to give a special thanks to Carlos and his team at El Paso Ranch for hosting clinic, our volunteers, and all the parents and children who participated. The American Autism Association plans to host Saddle Up for Autism along with other therapeutic recreational therapy programs in the future. Be on the lookout for updates to our calendar.