If he could, Thompson Roth would spend every day with Handsome the horse at the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center.
Once a week, when the 19-year-old Broomfield resident gets to ride the animal who is “lightish brown” with a “white line down his face,” he gets a different perspective.
“Other than you feel taller, I would say some of (the best parts) are controlling the horse,” he said. “You get to go faster and have a connection with the horse.”
For roughly nine years, Roth has been visiting the Longmont riding center for lessons. He spends his time at the riding center brushing horses, tacking the horses’ equipment in preparation for riding and learning new commands to teach Handsome.
Roth, who has attention deficit disorder and Asperger’s, is among the students who benefit from the nonprofit group, which provides equine-assisted services to children and adults with disabilities. With the coronavirus pandemic taking a toll on the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center — leading to a temporary closure and decrease in ridership, volunteer aid and staff — the nonprofit has reached a critical need for financial support. The nonprofit launched its annual Paint the Pony campaign Thursday in an effort to raise funding so it can continue to provide programming and care for the 30 horses on the property.
The campaign will run through Dec. 31 and is seeking online donations instead of funds raised through on-site events. The fundraiser gets its name because progress is tracked by painting stripes on a horse statue located at the nonprofit at 11968 Mineral Road in Longmont. Each stripe represents $10,000 raised. The riding center hopes to bring in $125,000 through the campaign this year.
Angel Saunders, development assistant for the riding center, said community support for the campaign will be paramount.
“To be blunt,” Saunders said, “it’s how we’re going to survive. We are really crucially needing these funds to keep these animals healthy and working and set so that we can provide therapeutic services to our riders.”
The sentiment was echoed by Michele Bruhn, executive director of the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center.
“The support from the community is crucial to our survival,” she wrote in an email. “CTRC would not exist without the generosity and support from our community. With a 40-year history, the oldest therapeutic riding center in the state, serving people across nine counties on the Front Range, we are so grateful and humbled by the community. People understand the healing powers of the horse and can see the positive and often life-changing services that happen at CTRC.”
The nonprofit received a Paycheck Protection Program grant in April, which Saunders said has helped to provide some relief to the riding center.
The Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center obtains funding through several efforts, including individual donations, fees for service from its programming, fundraiser campaigns and events, foundation support and corporation partnerships. The Paint the Pony campaign raises approximately 30% of the nonprofit’s annual funding.
After closing in March due to the pandemic, the riding center began a phased reopening in July. Now the nonprofit is providing services to more-independent riders who don’t need close proximity volunteer assistance. Therefore, ridership has been down 75%, according to Bruhn. Before the pandemic, the riding center saw about 150 students a week for therapeutic riding and equine-assisted therapy programs — a number that has dropped to 40.
The nonprofit subsidizes about 70% of the cost of lessons, meaning riders pay about $252 for a six-week course. The true cost for the nonprofit is about $756. Donations and contributions provide about two-thirds of the cost for every lesson that the riding center provides. Money earned from the services helps to pay for certified Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International instructors, insurance and horse care. Last year, earned income made up about 28% of the nonprofit’s funding base, according to a Paint the Pony news release from the riding center.
While ridership is down, demand hasn’t slowed. Saunders said the decrease is due to class size limitations, with under 10 people allowed on the property at a time. That number is based on current advisory from Boulder County on gatherings, Bruhn said.
For Roth, the riding programs have made a difference in his life. Handsome has moments when he is stubborn, Roth said. But with some patience, Roth has been able to teach him commands.
“As soon as he’s on a horse, he’s a different person,” said Roth’s mom, Wendy Roth. “You can see the confidence in him. He has a good connection with the horses.”
Saunders said she hopes to see community support in the months ahead to help the nonprofit continue its mission to serve people with disabilities.
“There’s so much benefit to these services that it opens up peoples’ eyes,” Saunders said. “We see the magic of the change here. We see kiddos in 10 weeks develop skills, develop friends. There’s so much benefit to this program.”
Saunders advised people to follow progress on social media and check for virtual campaign events, including some door prize drawing opportunities. Those interested can contribute to the Paint the Pony campaign by donating online on the riding center’s website at ctrcinc.org.
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