About NMCTR
We have moved! Learn more.
The MISSION of the New Mexico Center for Therapeutic Riding (NMCTR) is to enrich and expand the lives of children, youth, and adults with special needs through equine-assisted activities and therapies.
Watch NMCTR’s Video and Learn More!
NMCTR is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization sustained by grants, donations, fundraising events, and, in a small part, income from lessons.
NMCTR is member of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.). PATH Intl. is the governing body that oversees member therapeutic riding programs and certifies instructors and facilities. PATH Intl. strives to “provide a culture of safety, understanding and ethical treatment of humans and horses engaged in equine-assisted activities and therapies” (from PATH Intl. Core Values). All of NMCTR’s instructors are PATH Intl. Certified Instructors, and adhere to PATH Intl. guidelines and standards for therapeutic riding programs.
NMCTR offers riding and horsemanship programs and equine-assisted mental health programs.
NMCTR holds several eight-week sessions yearly, as well as a week-long summer camp, with individual and group lessons. Each participant is encouraged to participate fully in these activities to the best of their ability. NMCTR’s instructors develop individualized plans for each participant, with regular progress assessments.
Therapeutic riding has been proven to contribute positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well being of individuals with special needs. Just experiencing the rhythmic movement of the horse can be therapeutic; riders with physical disabilities often show improvement in flexibility, balance, and muscle strength.
The fact that an individual is living with a disability does not preclude him/her from enjoying all that riding and a relationship with a horse has to offer. “The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and freedom” (Sharon Ralls Lemon).
The Board, Staff, and Volunteers at NMCTR are all dedicated to our program motto, “Changing Lives, One Stride at a Time”.
HISTORY
The New Mexico Center for Therapeutic Riding was founded in 2010 by Don Miller, Michael Rawn, and Jeannie Creed. Don and Michael saw the need for a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH. Intl.)- affiliated therapeutic riding center to provide equine-assisted activities and therapies for individuals in our community living with special needs. Looking for an existing center to partner with, they discovered Jeannie Creed’s Rancho Corazon Riders. Together, Don, Michael, and Jeannie founded New Mexico Center for Therapeutic Riding. In those early years, Michael and Don handled the fundraising, grants, community partnerships, volunteer and client recruitment, and administrative tasks, while Jeannie created and instructed the riding programs, and acquired and managed the herd.
By 2013 NMCTR was a PATH Int’l member center and an IRS-designated 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and had a growing roster of clients, volunteers, and community partnerships. That year, with Jeannie leaving to pursue other interests and Michael returning to his professorship at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, Ashley Fischer came on board as Executive Director and took over program and instructional duties as well. In 2022 Ashley stepped back for a year to only the Program Director and instructor roles, resuming the Executive Director role in early 2023. Don continued his active support and involvement until his death in 2020. Michael remains a committed and active supporter and recently rejoined the Board.
