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Donna attended a riding class at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding Inc. in Old Lyme when she was in school but today, as an adult horse paddocks worker, she sits even higher in the saddle – enjoying her job in the pastoral setting of this unusual riding facility and farm.

High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc., started in 1974, is founded on the belief that “experiencing and riding horses in a secure, challenging and companionable environment can significantly improve the lives of individuals who are physically, emotionally, or developmentally challenged.”

“Something special” not only happens to the people who ride at High Hopes, but something special happens to the people who work there.

Three days a week, a SARAH crew with their job coach, and a volunteer or two, clean the paddocks – a type of corral and holding area where the horses are turned out to graze and move around freely. The SARAH crew brings the area up-to-snuff with their daily outside cleaning tasks.

Sean, who has worked at High Hopes for two years, recites the names of the horses behind him as he lifts his pitchfork. Dave, the longest employee on the crew, is content to carry heavy buckets to the tractor for emptying.

The fact that this facility has such a long history of working with and advocating for people with disabilities, makes the crew placement that much more special. High Hopes is one of the oldest and largest therapeutic riding centers in the United States, operating since 1974 and accredited by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) since 1979. Located on 120 pastoral acres in Old Lyme, High Hopes delivers over 7,300 horsemanship lessons per year to over 950 children and adults with disabilities, assisted by over 500 volunteers and a herd of 22 horses specifically trained for therapeutic riding.

High Hopes currently employs two different SARAH crews – one inside and one outside. A job coach picks up the crews for work each day in a SARAH-provided van.

Equine Operations Director Holly Sundmacker said she likes to dispel one myth. “I think the expectation is that somehow these SARAH workers require more help and supervision than they do. The job coaches are great about directing each worker into a routine and plan suitable for him or her.”

“We are proud to be associated with High Hopes. Our missions are the same - to enhance skills and enrich lives of people with disabilities in our communities. By hiring SARAH supported workers, we all benefit. It’s a win-win for everyone involved,” said SARAH Inc. Executive Director Patricia Bourne.

Sundmacker, said that the SARAH employees fall “right in line with our mission. We are completing a necessary job that is vitally important to the health and well-being of our horses, while providing SARAH people with meaningful employment.”