Saddles of Joy, Inc. is a therapeutic riding program dedicated to introduce Children, or any person with the desire to the joy and value of one of God's most beautiful creations, "The Horse".

Description:
It is our desire to educate the community and/or any interested party to the therapeutic value of horse and rider. Be it child or adult, we continue on with education in horsemanship and care of the horse at the level of understanding and physical ability of our riders. We here at Saddles of Joy, Inc. acknowledge the level of success is simply putting the two together, horse and rider, with a positive result. We allow the gentle nature of our four legged therapists to produce any or all healing, be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. That is what therapeutic riding at this level is all about. It is our hope and desire here at Saddles of Joy, Inc. that as we provide this service, we are improving the quality of life for both horse and rider, as well as producing a bond of healing.

History:
Saddles of Joy started in 1985 as an idea between a mother and a special education teacher and two horses. In the beginning, the horses were trailered to Wellton, Arizona where the horses and special needs children were brought together with wonderous results. As the program grew, more horses as well as volunteers were added to assist with the daily and weekly sessions. Saddles of Joy incorperated at the beginning of 2000 as a non-profit organization due to the cost of operation and manpower needed to keep the program going. For 15 years the founders had been supporting the program with out of pocket expenses. To date, more than 1800 special needs children have had the experience of horseback riding, either as part of a classroom experience through their school or individually through personal appointments and sometimes both. The children have participated in public events to enclude the Silver Spur Rodeo and associated Parade, annual open houses, and other demonstrations and presentations throughout the local community.

Contact person: Barbara Tomlinson, President, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: 928-726-6104

Languages Spoken: English

Address:

2749 W. County 14th Street Yuma, AZ 85365 This location is handicap accessible (See a map)

Web Site: None specified

Directions:

In Yuma head South on Avenue B approximately 6 or 7 miles Turn left at County 14th signal Enterance is 1/4 mile down on righthand side