"For those of you who are not familiar with Maury Magic Riders, let me tell you about our organization.  We are an Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy riding program.  This includes several components, including therapy, education, and recreation.  Our program relies on the partnership between our volunteers, our horses and our riders. 

In the area of Therapy, we have a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant on duty who uses the horse to effect change in a rider’s body.  Basically, the horse, toys, and games take the place of exercises, stretches, and machines that you would find in a traditional therapy session.  Most of the time the rider is unaware that “Therapy” is occurring.  All they know is that they are getting to play with a horse.  Many riders show more and faster improvement, when Hippotherapy is combined with traditional therapy. 

 In the area of Education, our North American Riding for the Handicapped certified riding instructors can use the horse and lesson to teach the riders things that they need to know in life.  They can use the parts of the horse to relate to the rider’s body.  They can learn their right from their left, colors, numbers, spelling, and of course the skills needed to ride a horse.  They can also learn social skills, such as patience, responsibility, appropriate voice and language skills, and many other skills needed to help them with their future.   

In the area of recreation, our riders are able to experience something that many people take for granted.  Several riders have limited mobility or coordination.  They can’t ride a bike, run, or jump rope, but when they are on a horse they are taller, faster, and more mobile than any other time in their lives.  There is nothing else as moving to me as seeing the expression on a rider’s face the first time they trot a horse.  You will first see fear and anxiety, which quickly fades to the biggest smile and laughter. "  

Stephanie Geddie NARHA Certified instructor

OUR MISSION: Maury Magic Rider, Inc. is a nonprofit organization comprised of volunteers who have an interest in providing a horseback riding program for children and young adults with physical, emotional, and/or mental disabilities.

 

OUR HISTORY: Maury Magic Riders, Inc. was organized in February of 1998 and incorporated in June of 2000. We have been holding sessions since 1999. The program was housed at a private residence until it was moved to its current loaction in April of 2003. It is on Lofton Road, on a beautiful 26 acre tract of land that is remote, scenic, and quiet, yet centrally located in Maury County. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to lease this land which was previously TVA land returned to the county in 2002. Since then we have improved the property to include, a trailer for a care taker, three open pastures, three dry-lots, a three sided barn for the horses and hay storage, a tack room, an arena, and a shed for the tractor and other equipment. Presently, the organization owns 4 horses, and we are currently looking to add a pony to use for the "hippotherapy" program.