Program Activities at STAR Riders
A STAR Riders session is much more than sitting on a horse. Each visit mixes riding skills, arena games, learning, and friendship — carefully supervised by instructors and side-walkers, and always at each rider's own pace.
A Typical Riding Session
Meet & Greet
Riders greet their horse, help with grooming, and get to know their instructor team. Bonds with horses like Dolly, Star, and Gunner start here.
Mount Up & Warm Up
With side-walkers and a horse handler in place, riders mount (with as much help as needed) and begin slow warm-up laps around the arena.
Skills & Games
Steering practice, stretches, and mounted games build skills without feeling like therapy. Riders ask to go “a little longer” — every single week.
Cool Down & Celebrate
The session ends with thanks — a pat for the horse, stickers and praise for the rider, and progress notes for the family.
Arena Games Riders Love
The same games children play in gyms and scout meetings become powerful therapeutic tools on horseback:
- Red Light, Green Light — Faith's favorite: starts, stops, and impulse control, played on horseback
- Equestrian gymnastics — stretches and balancing poses that quietly build trunk control
- Steering courses — weaving cones and halting at “mailboxes” builds coordination and focus
- Mounted team activities — taking turns, cheering for friends, and social growth
As one teacher observed, these games translate into real developmental gains — speech, gross motor skills, and self-confidence.
Class Visits & Group Activities
STAR Riders hosts school groups with students who have special needs — like the Salinas Spanish class that visited in May 2003 and the special day class from Gladys Stone School that has ridden with us for years. Teachers: contact us to arrange a visit that fits your classroom schedule.
The program also gathers the community for summer open houses at the Marina Equestrian Center — demonstrations, horse meet-and-greets, and the chance to watch riders show what they've learned.
A little history. The original “Online Activities” page offered a program video and a browser game, in the Flash format of the day. Flash is no longer supported by modern browsers, so those items can't run today — but the real activities at the arena haven't changed. Browse the photo album to see them in action.
Next steps: understand the benefits · download consent forms · see the season schedule.