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 25-80 CLIENTS PER WEEK, ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF WHOM WERE CHILDREN, AND 3 PERCENT OF WHOM WERE VETERANS. 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 10-30 CLIENTS A WEEK, 95% OF WHOM WERE CHILDREN. APPROXIMATELY, 50 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. IN 20-21, WE ALSO HAD TO TAKE A COUPLE OF ADDITIONAL WEEKS OFF OR HAVE MODIFIED LESSONS AND SESSIONS DUE TO THE WILDFIRES AND SMOKE IN OUR AREA IN SEPTEMBER. PANDEMIC RESPONSE ALL PROGRAMS WERE SHUT DOWN FROM 3/13/2020 THROUGH 5/31/2020 DUE TO CONCERNS OF SPREADING THE SARS-2/COVID-19 PANDEMIC. WE WERE ABLE TO OPEN TO LIMITED CLIENTS BEGINNING ON 6/1/2020, BUT IT WAS A VERY SLOW, CAREFUL RAMP UP AND WE NEVER RETURNED TO FULL CAPACITY IN 2020. IN THE SPRING OF 2021 WE HAD RETURNED TO APPROXIMATELY 80% OF FULL CAPACITY.

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 10-20 CLIENTS EACH WEEK, 90 PERCENT OF WHOM WERE CHILDREN. WE ALSO PARTNERED WITH PROVIDENCE TO PROVIDE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY TO 6 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. WE SERVED 9-23 CLIENTS PER WEEK, ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF WHOM WERE CHILDREN. WE SERVED 1 VETERAN 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. WE WERE UNABLE TO HOLD THIS PROGRAM IN THE 20-21 FISCAL YEAR DUE TO COVID. WE ALSO PROVIDE A SERVICE CALLED SKILLS TRAINING, WHICH UTILIZES A TRAINED QUALIFIED MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATE (QMHA) TO WORK ON CURRICULA THAT WILL IMPROVE LIFE SKILLS. SKILLS TRAINER IS SUPPORTED BY THE THERAPY STAFF, AS WELL. WE SERVED 6 INDIVIDUALS IN THIS PROGRAM, ALL OF WHICH WERE YOUTH. WEEKLY SESSIONS ARE HELD YEAR ROUND, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 1 OR 2 WEEKS OF BREAK AT THE END OF EACH QUARTERLY SESSION. IN 20-21, WE ALSO HAD TO TAKE A COUPLE OF ADDITIONAL WEEKS OFF OR HAVE MODIFIED LESSONS AND SESSIONS DUE TO THE WILDFIRES AND SMOKE IN OUR AREA IN SEPTEMBER. PANDEMIC RESPONSE ALL PROGRAMS WERE SHUT DOWN FROM 3/13/2020 THROUGH 5/31/2020 DUE TO CONCERNS OF SPREADING THE SARS-2/COVID-19 PANDEMIC. WE WERE ABLE TO OPEN TO LIMITED CLIENTS BEGINNING ON 6/1/2020, BUT IT WAS A VERY SLOW, CAREFUL RAMP UP AND WE NEVER RETURNED TO FULL CAPACITY IN 2020. IN THE SPRING OF 2021 WE HAD RETURNED TO APPROXIMATELY 80% OF FULL CAPACITY.

NEW BUILD/FACILITY WE STARTED AND COMPLETED OUR HAY STORAGE BUILDING THAT IS A MULTI-USE BUILDING FOR TACK DONATIONS, HAY AND EQUIPMENT STORAGE, AND A SMALL ARENA AREA FOR EQUINE FACILITATED PSYCHOTHERAPY. WE BEGAN CONSTRUCTION ON A SMALLER, 80X92 WECOVER ARENA THAT HOUSES OUR VAULTING AND EQUINE FACILITATED PSYCHOTHERAPY PROGRAMS, PRIMARILY, BUT IT IS ALSO USEFUL FOR RIDING, EQUINE FACILITATED LEARNING, AND OTHER PROGRAMMING. PANDEMIC RESPONSE ALL PROGRAMS WERE SHUT DOWN FROM 3/13/2020 THROUGH 5/31/2020 DUE TO CONCERNS OF SPREADING THE SARS-2/COVID-19 PANDEMIC. WE WERE ABLE TO OPEN TO LIMITED CLIENTS BEGINNING ON 6/1/2020, BUT IT WAS A VERY SLOW, CAREFUL RAMP UP AND WE NEVER RETURNED TO FULL CAPACITY IN 2020. IN THE SPRING OF 2021 WE HAD RETURNED TO APPROXIMATELY 80% OF FULL CAPACITY.

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 10 AND 70 VOLUNTEERS PER WEEK AND ABOUT 70 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. THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS WE HAD ONSITE WAS SEVERELY CURTAILED DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. WE RELIED HEAVILY ON STAFF WHILE SLOWLY BRINGING VOLUNTEERS BACK THROUGH THE YEAR AS WE LEARNED MORE ABOUT THE DISEASE AND HOW TO REDUCE RISK OF TRANSMISSION. OUR VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM PROVIDES A PLACEMENT SITE FOR THE LAKE OSWEGO SCHOOL DISTRICT TRANSITION PROGRAM. WE SERVED ONE STUDENT IN THIS PROGRAM 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 WERE UNABLE TO HAVE THIS PROGRAM DUE TO COVID-19. 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 4-15 PER WEEKLY CURRICULUM BASED EFL SESSIONS TO CLIENTS. SOME OF THE LEARNING INCLUDED COMMUNICATION, BODY LANGUAGE, GROUP DYNAMICS AND PROBLEM SOLVING. WE SERVED 4-6 INDIVIDUALS IN THE WEEKLY PROGRAM, PARTNERING WITH NARA (NATIVE AMERICAN REHABILITATION ASSOCIATION) AND 1 INDIVIDUAL THAT WAS FUNDED BY DHS (DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES). WE ALSO PROVIDED ALMOST 200 CLIENT HOURS OF EFL IN ONE TIME FAMILY CAMPS AND FARM TOURS. PANDEMIC RESPONSE ALL PROGRAMS WERE SHUT DOWN FROM 3/13/2020 THROUGH 5/31/2020 DUE TO CONCERNS OF SPREADING THE SARS-2/COVID-19 PANDEMIC. WE WERE ABLE TO OPEN TO LIMITED CLIENTS BEGINNING ON 6/1/2020, BUT IT WAS A VERY SLOW, CAREFUL RAMP UP AND WE NEVER RETURNED TO FULL CAPACITY IN 2020. IN THE SPRING OF 2021 WE HAD RETURNED TO APPROXIMATELY 80% OF FULL CAPACITY.