Therapy and Adaptive Riding at Camp Courage is one of six programs offered by True Friends. More than an opportunity to ride a horse and play games, it creates experiences that support both physical and emotional well-being. The program welcomes people with a wide range of abilities, giving them the chance to sit in the saddle, connect with a horse, and experience the feeling of riding with the wind flowing through their hair.
Therapy and Adaptive Riding is designed to meet each rider where they are. Every ride is tailored to an individual’s goals, strengths, and abilities, with support provided where it’s needed so riders can build skills, confidence, and independence.
For long-time rider Christy Kierstead, riding once a week at Therapy and Adaptive Riding is about much more than spending time on horseback. It’s about freedom.
Christy has been riding horses since she was three years old. After her family moved to Minnesota, she began riding at True Friends’ Therapy and Adaptive Riding while attending True Friends programs. Today, riding remains an important part of her life, and she looks forward to every chance she gets to spend in the saddle.
Christy shares: “I feel stronger when I’m riding horses. The horses can go much faster than my wheelchair. The view is better from up high on a horse.”
The joy and freedom Christy experiences while riding is something she says she can’t find anywhere else.
The impact of riding extends beyond the time Christy spends with the horses. According to her mother, Deb Kierstead, the benefits are noticeable long after each ride ends.
“Christy has much less spasticity after riding, and the effects last for a few days,” Deb shared. “Riding eases the tightness in her adductor muscles.”
While the physical benefits are significant, one of the most important outcomes that riding gives Christy is something empowering: a new sense of identity.
“Therapy and Adaptive Riding gives Christy the identity she is most proud of: ‘I am a horse rider,’” Deb said.
That identity travels with her wherever she goes. Christy once had the opportunity to ride while visiting Arizona. Still, she missed the connections with the horses back home at True Friends.
“Riding in Arizona was fun, but at the same time I missed the horses at Therapy and Adaptive Riding.”
The bond Christy has built with the horses, and staff is filled with laughter and connection. Riding is serious work at times, but it is also a lot of fun.
“I enjoy going fast, so I love it when I get to trot,” Christy shares. “But I feel sorry for my side walkers who have to run to keep up.”
The feeling is mutual. The bond between Christy and the staff is visible to Deb.
“I am so grateful for the dedicated team who makes it possible for Christy to ride,” Deb said.
When asked about Christy, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, Bri Meyer, immediately smiled.
“She’s funny, she’s always happy, and we love spending time with her.”
Christy’s commitment to riding comes from the freedom she feels when she’s on a horse. She loves being in the saddle, experiencing independence, and doing something she genuinely enjoys.
Her enthusiasm is matched by a team that is committed to making those moments possible. “It’s so important to her, so it’s important to us.” Bri said.
Christy isn’t the only one committed to riding. Week after week, a dedicated community of staff, volunteers, and supporters work together to care for horses, keep the facilities clean, plan sessions, and run sessions. Because of the team’s dedication to the program, Therapy and Adaptive Riding makes it possible for riders like Christy to experience the freedom, confidence, and joy they find every time in the saddle.
When you support True Friends, you help create lasting experiences through Therapy and Adaptive Riding that allows riders like Christy to grow in confidence, build connections, and pursue the passions that matter most to them. When you give, you provide experiences for riders that help them discover independence, friendship, and joy.
