of the horses who graze contentedly in the pasture . . .Accredited by North American Riding for the Handicapped Association,
Inc.
Prancing Horse is proud to be a Moore County United Way Agency
Nestled comfortably within the gentle rolling
Sandhills, there sits a farm where one can drink the wine of peace and
solitude. The welcome silence is broken only by the flutter of the wings
of a Great Blue Heron, the whisper of the wind in the trees or the
occasional nicker
of the horses who graze contentedly in the pasture . . .
One is quickly jolted back to reality with shouts of "I CAN DO IT!" Turning quickly, one sees the wondrous smile and sparkling eyes of a child sitting solidly atop the broad back of a gentle quarter horse for the very first time.
WELCOME
TO PRANCING
HORSE!
Prancing Horse Center for Therapeutic Horseback Riding is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing horseback riding, training and horse-related activities to individuals with disabilities in a safe and controlled environment. Prancing Horse is the home base for the Sandhills Special Olympics Equestrian Team and is an accredited member of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA).
Founded by Ronni Meltzer in 1984, Prancing Horse serves individuals in Moore and surrounding counties. The Center is in operation 30 weeks annually. It currently serves approximately 70 riders. The goal is to provide year-round riding and to increase the program capacity to 125 riders.
The benefits of therapeutic riding are available to most individuals with disabilities. Disability areas served at Prancing Horse include, but are not limited to mental retardation, autism, spina bifida, mental illness, traumatic brain injury, hearing/visual impairments, cerebral palsy, attention deficit disorder and post stroke patients. Riders range in age from four to seventy-eight.
The program serves special needs classrooms in public and private
schools, a private preschool for developmentally disabled children,
numerous group homes for children and adults, a 
limited
number of private clients, and, in the past, two preschool satellite
classes of the Eastern and Central North Carolina School for the Deaf.
The ultimate goal of therapeutic riding is to increase self-esteem, confidence and motivation, to encourage learning and to further the physical and psychological development of the individual. Each rider is given an opportunity to experience success and pride in his/her accomplishments as well as unconditional acceptance by staff, volunteers and equines.
Prancing Horse, a United Way Agency, depends on the generous support of friends of the program, businesses and grants. The program operates with one paid riding instructor, a part-time administrative assistant, a part-time barn manager and Mrs. Meltzer, the volunteer Executive Director. A contingent of over 100 volunteers is often seen side-walking, mucking out at the farm, manning the FeedBag at horse shows or cheering the riders to victory.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Become involved! Prancing Horse welcomes volunteers, rider referrals,
instructors, therapists and horses. And finally, you can help us expand
our program through your financial support of Prancing Horse. We invite
you to visit Prancing Horse to experience the excitement!
For more information on North American Riding for the Handicapped,
you can access their web site at: http://www.narha.org.
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