STAR: Where Horses Change Lives

Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding, known to locals as STAR, works with at-risk children and adults and those with physical, mental, and neurological disabilities. The goal is to foster both physical independence and emotional growth through a variety of programs.

Lynn Petr launched STAR in 1987 with one horse and three volunteers as part of her Therapeutic Recreation Master’s thesis project at the University of Tennessee. Today it serves people in a dozen counties. In 2022 alone, STAR served 1,298 people through Equine Assisted Services.

“I have never seen another nonprofit that helps so many different types of people,” Chase says, “kids with disabilities, adults with dementia, at-risk youth, vets with PTSD.

THERAPEUTIC PROGRAMS

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1. Therapeutic Riding may include grooming, saddling and riding skills or may be passive in nature. For some riders, exercises and the movement of the horse can relax muscles, increase range of motion and improve balance. Psychological and developmental benefits can include increased independence, motivation, self-control, self-control, vocabulary and sequential learning. 
2. Developmental Riders are unable to do ground work due to physical limitations, but ride for 20-30 minutes as they are able. Activities are geared towards stretching, reaching and positive engagement.
3. Heroes and Horses is designed for veterans with disabilities such as PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, amputation, sensory loss and other conditions. ​Partnering with horses can Improve balance and coordination, strengthen muscle tone, provide stress relief and increase confidence. It also offers the opportunity for networking and relationship-building.
4. Minis in Motion includes activities where miniature horses help promote personal development and emotional well-being for residents of memory care units and assisted living facilities. They are great for school groups, camps and parades. 
5. Reflections, a supplemental program to Minis in Motion, includes early- and middle-stage Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers in bi-monthly interactions at STAR.
6. Strides includes several programs teaching life and relationship skills for at-risk youth, women in crisis, and adults in recovery.

STAR also offers field trips for schools, home school and youth groups, and provides contracted services with occupational therapists and social workers for family or individual therapy.

WHAT ABOUT THE HORSES?

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STAR includes horses of various breeds, sizes, gaits, and abilities for its therapeutic experiences. The horses, who are leased or donated, have varied backgrounds, such as hunter/jumper, dressage, pleasure riding, trail riding, Western and English. An $1,800 donation for a horse sponsorship is an excellent way to contribute to STAR and help cover costs for grain, farrier and veterinary expenses, supplements, and other necessary items.

For more information, visit www.rideatstar.org/.

STAR SPOTLIGHT: CPTSD AND A HORSE CALLED SMARTIE

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“Like many veterans, I suffer from PTSD among other issues. I’ve done a lot of cognitive behavioral work but felt like I kept hitting a wall. Even as a practitioner of mindfulness meditation, I just couldn’t break through.

“Then I met the people from STAR riding program in East Tennessee. I grew up on a horse farm and thought I knew a thing or two. But I had to relearn everything, because this program was focused on the pure, clear, almost touchless communication a human can have with a horse.

“Communication in almost a solely intuitive manner. The best way I can describe it is that I’m learning to commune with this horse. To “hear” it.

“All my focus gets drawn to connecting with the horse, and before you know it, things that once would have set me into full hyper vigilance, are calmly noticed and assessed as no threat.

“In taking care of my horse, from grooming to riding, I’m focused on his wellbeing, which allows me to get out of a PTSD mindset.

“If it weren’t for STAR and its Heroes and Horses veterans’ program, I don’t think I’d have the confidence it takes to handle life with my PTSD. I touch my horse and it all melts away.”

—Veteran and STAR participant