Therapeutic/Adaptive Riding (TR/AR) is much more than a casual pony ride. Like other adaptive sports, this program focuses on building skills in a typical lesson environment that’s adapted to meet the needs of each participant.

Therapeutic horseback riding promotes numerous physical, cognitive, and social/emotional benefits, including stretching and strengthening underused or underdeveloped muscles, improving posture and coordination, gross and fine motor skills, and increased range of motion. We also incorporate short- and long-term life goals to build confidence, self-esteem, and social skills and meet educational and therapeutic objectives.

Our experienced team includes PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructors, instructors-in-training, and volunteer assistants. PATH Intl. (The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International) is the nation’s leading organization promoting safe and effective equine-assisted services. Haku Baldwin Center meets and exceeds industry standards for safety, ethics, and continuing education.

Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) offers a hands-on approach to personal growth and development, guided by our certified instructors and gentle, experienced equine partners. This unique curriculum blends social and emotional skills with life lessons that meet educational and therapeutic goals.

This ground-based program is designed to boost confidence, nurture self-esteem, improve focus, and reduce stress and anxiety. Through the special connection between humans and horses, we empower young individuals to become more self-aware, confident, and resilient.

Through EAL, we provide the tools for young people to confidently navigate their developmental years, emerging as leaders among their peers and valuable contributors to our community. We offer year-round opportunities, including school-year programs, to ensure continuous physical, mental, and emotional growth.

Participants in Therapeutic/Adaptive Riding can also benefit from EAL lessons, providing a more well-rounded equine experience.

The minimum age is four years old.

A formal diagnosis is required. Our instructors are trained to work with youth with a range of disabilities and diagnoses, including (but not limited to):

• ADD/ADHD

• Anxiety and Depression

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Behavioral Problems

• Cerebral Palsy

• Chromosomal Anomaly/Deletion

• Developmental Delays

• Down Syndrome

• Hearing, Speech & Vision Impairments

• Learning & Speech Disorders

• PTSD

• Stroke/TBI

Unmounted (non-riding) options are included in the regular lesson curriculum and available to those for whom riding may be inappropriate. See ‘Equine-Assisted Learning ‘above for more information.

A horse, being a dynamic living animal, lends itself perfectly to a multi-sensory approach. Grooming, riding, and horsemanship all contain therapeutic virtues. Touch, feel, smell, and movement are essential for learning and growing.

Our gentle program horses provide great motivation and an opportunity to develop the human-animal bond.

Most of all, riding and horsemanship are fun and engaging outdoor activities! We treat our facility like a growing, living outdoor classroom filled with opportunity.

Our horses are carefully chosen and must pass a series of tests before being accepted into the program.

We offer a standard mounting block with steps and a wheelchair ramp for riders using adaptive mobility equipment, and our horses are trained in multiple mount and dismount types.

Our program horses all live on our property, enjoying 33+ acres of pastureland right in beautiful Makawao. They live in herds and are allowed to ‘just be horses’.

MEET OUR HERD OF HORSES