Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Education Center

Specific Need

Every day, people walk into Sprout in search of freedom, empowerment, opportunity and community. Powered by selfless support from our donors, Sprout is able to provide life-changing and individualized programming on an unparalleled level. Your contribution is a lifeline, from helping a child learn to walk, run or talk, to giving a teen the confidence to finish school, to providing an adult a vibrant community outside the silent walls of their home. We are the guardians of hope and possibility because of the generous support of our donors. Your gift matters immensely.

Caring for 23 horses on a 27-acre facility, with a professional staff who are leaders in the field of equine-assisted services is costly. Sprout relies heavily on volunteer manpower and in-kind donations to keep operating costs low. Sprout subsidizes 50-70% of the cost of every rider’s participation and provides scholarship funds, ensuring that those in need of our services have access, regardless of their ability to pay.

Mission

Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Education Center is dedicated to changing lives through equine assisted activities and therapies. Sprout provides hope, healing, empowerment and community through partnerships with horses.

Profile

Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Education Center is a Loudoun County non-profit that is dedicated to changing lives through partnerships with horses.

Sprout exists to serve individuals with physical, cognitive, social, and emotional needs. We work for people who need support to walk, talk, learn, and connect with others. We believe that all people should have access to a robust life filled with love, opportunities, and dignity. We choose to use our energy and our talents to better the lives of others. In a world where limitations and restrictions abound, we are the POSSABILITARIANS!

Sprout is dedicated to serving individuals with special needs. Since our start in 2011, we have served individuals ranging from 18 months to 81 years old, and 97 different disabilities. Our students come to us with a wide variety of diagnoses; some of the most common diagnoses we serve are: ADHD/ADD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Palsy, Developmental Delays, Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Emotional Disabilities, Sensory Processing Disorders, and Traumatic Brain Injuries. We work to ensure that riding is accessible for people of all abilities, accommodating tack, instruction, volunteer support and approach to meet the varied needs of our equestrians. We currently serve over 150 weekly students with close to 100 volunteers, 20 horses and 5 full-time and 10 part-time staff members. Each year, nearly 500 individuals are served by Sprout.

At Sprout, we have an equal passion for our horses and our people. Our horses are the embodiment of hope, the fulfillment of dreams, and the opportunity for freedom in an otherwise confined world of disability. Our horses are the greatest mediators between where people are and where they want to go. They have a unique gift to transform despair into joy, confinement into ability, and isolation into community. Our horses bond with people in ways that change their lives forever.

Since 2011, Sprout has provided transformative programs and therapies that have changed the lives of thousands through partnerships with horses. Our dedication to building WEand bridging relationships in our community and beyond has sparked the creation of programs beyond our mainstay of riding lessons, driving lessons and therapy sessions. This has included the Junior Horsemanship Program show team, a pilot inclusive 4-H Club, the Little Sprouts preschool program, the CARROTS student volunteerism program, a Young Veterinarians program, and a partnership program with DC-based nonprofit Serve Your City to serve at-risk youth. Our services reached a historic peak this spring, with over 150 equestrians participating in Sprout weekly lessons and programs.

These achievements happened because of people like you. People who believe in the power of positivity. Who have the heart to help. Who step up and never give up. Thank you for supporting us and for walking on with Sprout – YOU make it all possible!