Miracles Therapeutic Riding Center

Miracles Therapeutic Riding Center serves the special needs population of the Denver/Boulder area. We work with people who have physical, mental, emotional and developmental needs. 

Testimonials

A year and a half ago, when Ella first started with Miracles, we had no idea the impact it would have.  As an animal lover, it was a way to make therapy more enjoyable for her.  Ella has hemiplegic cerebral palsy, a result of a peri-natal stroke, which causes weakness on the right side of her body.  She experienced significant motor and speech delays.  We have seen the physical improvements we expected, such as better balance, coordination, and strength, and we are thrilled with there results.  She is becoming really good at using the reins with her right hand!  What we did not anticipate were the gains in her verbal skills and confidence.  Riding her favorite horse, Mariah, makes her feel like she can do anything.  She sits up tall, speaks loudly and clearly and even has some laughs.  she has formed special connection with the instructors and volunteers.  Ella time at Miracles is the highlight of every week.  We are so grateful for Miracles and the people there!  We can't wait to see where Ella goes from here!

Ella's Mom

Life as a neurodivergent kiddo has its challenges. Many days are filled with high anxiety, irritability, and feeling depressed that it’s hard to fit into this world. JT started at MTRC this fall, right as school was starting – no doubt a stressful time. JT quickly felt the patience, love and support provided by the amazing staff and volunteers and of course the horse, Sammy. When he’s at MTRC, he forgets all his struggles and the teasing he faces at school. One rough day, JT was extremely unregulated after school. I thought for sure he wouldn’t be able to go to MTRC, but instead he was worried about being late. He came out of the lesson an entirely different kid. He was smiling, laughing about Miss Sammy's stubbornness, about how they might try some new things next session, etc. We were able to have a nice conversation on the way home about how he could talk to his learning specialist at school and advocate for his needs and maybe some new accommodations to help him (kind of relating to how the instructor tries different ways of working with Sammy). Needless to say the next day, he came out of school very proud that he had talked to his learning specialist and added some accommodations for him during tests.  We often have great discussions on the way home from his lessons and relate a lot of what JT does with Sammy with what is going on in his life. We see an  increase in confidence, improvement in posture and his emotional regulation. MTRC has been such a blessing in our lives.

JT's Mom

My daughter has been riding at MTRC since before it came into being. Chris and her staff believe in the student's abilities. In my opinion, that makes all the difference to the riders and their families. I cannot praise this program enough!!!! My daughter has a chromosomal abnormality and spinal bifida occulta. Both have caused very low muscle tone throughout her body and very poor balance. The horses are magical for her. When she's walking with one, you could never tell she can't even walk across a street without assistance. She leads the horses independently!

When on horseback, she sits up straight. Her attention span has improved and she has gained problem-solving skills. The rapport that Chris and her staff have with the students is fantastic. You can tell they know how important the horses are to their student's lives. Anyone who is even remotely considering riding for their child (with special needs or not) should take a look at MTRC. I will never take my child anywhere else.

Kim

My previous experience as a side walker was at a riding facility where the classes were quite large and because of that, there was always a swirl of activity involving people and horses. The classes were large enough that it often felt like we were all participating in a parade and given the time constraints and the number of students, the instructor had only limited time to pay individual attention to each student.  I was VERY happy to find that Miracles is a very different place. I just thought, "Wow. This is amazing." In no particular order, here are some of the things that make Miracles special:

1. If a barn can be called "warm and fuzzy," then the barn where Miracles holds its classes is warm and fuzzy. but what that really means is that it's the people at Miracles and the horses themselves that make the barn feel that way.
2. It is absolutely a family-oriented place where staff and volunteers are greeted with hugs by students and readily return those hugs because it's impossible not to become attached to these wonderful kids and their parents.
3. The horses are as gentle and patient as the staff members are kind and warm.
4. The classes are very small, allowing for plenty of one-on- one time between student and instructor and student and volunteers...