It’s progress, says Sheryl Clossen, program coordinator at the Right Step Thearapeutic Riding Center in Denver, that keeps people coming back to her riding stable. Right Step, founded five years ago in Littleton, pairs special needs children with therapy horses. Together, the volunteers and clients work on a range of issues to achieve personal goals—like improving core strength, talking, staying balanced on the horse, and making personal decisions. But the clients aren’t the only ones that get benefits. “We never know who we’re going to help,” Clossen says. “It’s therapy for the volunteers too.”

Right Step holds 35 private and group lessons a week. The program has served clients from ages two to 92 with wide-ranging special needs such as traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, and more. It’s open Saturday through Thursday all year round thanks to two indoor arenas. “A lot of people, once they come out, they like to work more than one lesson,” Clossen says.

Get Involved: Register online to be a side walker or a horse leader for the Right Step at Littleton’s Coventry Farms. Volunteers choose which day and time, and no experience is needed. The program will take you through a training session before you begin. Can’t make it to the stables? Then call 303-904-7261 to learn about event volunteering and donations.

—Image courtesy of Right Step