Forward Stride

FORWARD STRIDE IS DEDICATED TO IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH INDIVIDUALIZED PROGRAMS ROOTED IN EQUINE ASSISTED ACTIVITIES AND THERAPIES (EAAT).

INCLUSIVE EQUESTRIAN SPORTS (RIDING, VAULTING, DRIVING) IN OUR RIDING PROGRAM, CHILDREN AND ADULTS OF ALL ABILITIES HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP HORSEMANSHIP SKILLS, FITNESS, AND SELF-CONFIDENCE THROUGH HORSEBACK RIDING LESSONS. OUR MODEL CONNECTS HORSEMANSHIP WITH LIFE SKILLS IN A SAFETY-FIRST ENVIRONMENT. THIS ADAPTIVE PROGRAM INCLUDES LESSONS IN BASIC RIDING, DRESSAGE, WESTERN AND JUMPING. WE SERVED 75-100 CLIENTS PER WEEK, ABOUT 60 PERCENT OF WHOM WERE CHILDREN. APPROXIMATELY 70 PERCENT OF OUR CLIENTS SELF-IDENTIFY AS HAVING A PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE, OR EMOTIONAL DIAGNOSIS. IN OUR EQUESTRIAN VAULTING PROGRAM, CLIENTS OF ALL ABILITIES LEARN HOW TO COMBINE GYMNASTICS AND DANCE IN PARTNERSHIP WHILE ATOP A MOVING HORSE. WE ACCENTUATE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HORSE, TEAMMATES, LONGUEUR, AND COACH. WE SERVED 25 TO 40 CLIENTS A WEEK, 70% OF WHOM WERE CHILDREN. APPROXIMATELY, 70% PERCENT OF THESE CLIENTS SELF-IDENTIFY AS HAVING A DIAGNOSIS. WEEKLY SESSIONS ARE HELD YEAR ROUND, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 1 OR 2 WEEKS OF BREAK AT THE END OF EACH QUARTERLY SESSION.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (VOLUNTEER, VOCATIONAL, EQUINE FACILITATED LEARNING) OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERYONE OVER THE AGE OF 12 TO GIVE BACK TO OUR ORGANIZATION AND LEARN NEW SKILLS. WE HAD BETWEEN 35 AND 70 VOLUNTEERS PER WEEK AND ABOUT 170 TOTAL INDIVIDUALS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THESE VOLUNTEERS HELP WITH OUR CLINICAL SERVICES, INCLUSIVE EQUESTRIAN SPORTS AND ASSIST WITH CARING FOR OUR HERD OF THERAPY HORSES AND PONIES. AS COVID-19 PROTOCOLS CONTINUED TO DIMINISH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO GO BACK TO HAVING MORE VOLUNTEERS ONSITE AGAIN. OUR VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM PROVIDES A PLACEMENT SITE FOR THE LAKE OSWEGO SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSITION PROGRAM. WE SERVED ONE STUDENT IN THIS PROGRAM THROUGH JANUARY AND THIS STUDENT WAS ABLE TO COME TO FORWARD STRIDE MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK AND WORK DIRECTLY WITH A LAKE OSWEGO TEACHER, WHO IS ALSO A FORWARD STRIDE STAFF MEMBER, LEARNING SKILLS THAT CAN BENEFIT THE STUDENT IN LIFE AND JOB PLACEMENT. THIS PROGRAM ALSO PROVIDES MENTORSHIP TO INDIVIDUALS THAT WOULD LIKE TO BECOME PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THERAPEUTIC HORSEMANSHIP, INTERNATIONAL (PATH INTL.) CERTIFIED THERAPEUTIC RIDING INSTRUCTORS. WE DID NOT HAVE ANY INSTRUCTORS GO THROUGH THIS PROGRAM THIS YEAR. EQUINE FACILITATED LEARNING (EFL) IS AN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING APPROACH THAT PROMOTES THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIFE SKILLS FOR EDUCATIONAL, PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL GOALS THROUGH EQUINE-ASSISTED ACTIVITIES. WE PROVIDED ONE TIME EFL EXPERIENCES AND 4 TO 6 WEEKLY CURRICULUM BASED EFL SESSIONS TO CLIENTS. SOME OF THE LEARNING INCLUDED COMMUNICATION, BODY LANGUAGE, GROUP DYNAMICS AND PROBLEM SOLVING. WE SERVED 29 YOUTH TOTAL IN THE WEEKLY PROGRAM, PARTNERING WITH NARA (NATIVE AMERICAN REHABILITATION ASSOCIATION. WE ALSO HAD 4, 3 DAY CAMPS FOR NARA WHICH INCLUDED EFL CURRICULUM.

CLINICAL SERVICES (REHABILITATIVE SERVICES AND EQUINE FACILITATED PSYCHOTHERAPY) OUR REHABILITATIVE SERVICES (HIPPOTHERAPY) PROGRAM IS THERAPY FOR PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL CHALLENGES. OUR LICENSED AND HIGHLY TRAINED THERAPISTS PROVIDE PHYSICAL THERAPY, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, AND SPEECH AND LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY. EACH CLINICIAN USES THE UNIQUELY THERAPEUTIC AND CHALLENGING MOVEMENT OF THE HORSE TO ADD TO THE OTHER BENEFITS AND MODALITIES OF THEIR FIELD OF EXPERTISE. WE SERVED 20-25 CLIENTS EACH WEEK, FOR A TOTAL OF 41 LIVES TOUCHED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WE ALSO PARTNERED WITH PROVIDENCE TO PROVIDE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY TO 12 INDIVIDUALS. OUR EQUINE FACILITATED PSYCHOTHERAPY (EFP) IS THERAPY FOR PERSONAL GROWTH AND TREATMENT FOR THOSE WITH MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSES. SESSIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR ADULTS, ADOLESCENTS, AND CHILDREN, WHICH CAN TAKE PLACE IN AN INDIVIDUAL, FAMILY, OR GROUP THERAPY SETTING. BETWEEN JULY 21, 2021 AND JUNE 30, 2022 WE SERVED 304 CLIENTS. WE ALSO SERVED 2 VETERANS IN THIS PROGRAM. A SUB PROGRAM OF OUR EFP PROGRAM IS OUR MENTORING PROGRAM. YOUTH BETWEEN THE AGES OF 6 AND 18 WHO ARE IN THE FOSTER SYSTEM ARE PAIRED WITH TRAINED MENTORS AND HORSES THAT THEY MEET WITH WEEKLY. STARTING IN THE 2021 SCHOOL YEAR, WE ARE PROVIDING SERVICES TO 5 MENTEES PER WEEK. PRIOR TO NOVEMBER OF 2021, WE PROVIDED A SERVICE CALLED SKILLS TRAINING, WHICH UTILIZED A TRAINED QUALIFIED MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATE (QMHA) TO WORK ON CURRICULA THAT WILL IMPROVE LIFE SKILLS. THE ROLE OF SKILLS TRAINER IS SUPPORTED BY THE THERAPY STAFF, AS WELL. WEEKLY SESSIONS ARE HELD YEAR ROUND, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 1 OR 2 WEEKS OF BREAK AT THE END OF EACH QUARTERLY SESSION.

NEW BUILD/FACILITY WE COMPLETED THE MAJORITY OF THE WORK ON OUR 80'X92' COVERED ARENA. IT NOW HOUSES OUR VAULTING PROGRAM, MANY OF OUR EQUINE FACILITY LEARNING CLASSES, MANY OF OUR EQUINE FACILITY PSYCHOTHERAPY SESSIONS, AND SOME OF OUR RIDING LESSONS. HAVING THIS SPACE HAS ALLOWED US TO DEVELOP NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TO BRING IN CLIENTS WHO WOULD NOT OTHERWISE BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR SERVICES.