MANSFIELD, Ohio — For the past 20 years, Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center has helped individuals with disabilities improve upon their gross and fine motor skills, articulation, posture and language abilities through equine assisted therapies and learning programs.
Founder Tammie Schluter said it was one of her dreams to spread the joy that she receives from horses to others who are less fortunate. Inspired by Danielle Steel’s novel “Palomino,” she decided to embark on a journey that led to the establishment of Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center.
The first class was held in the spring of 1995 with 35 students and four horses, she said.
Right from the get-go, she noticed the positive effects equine assisted therapy can have on individuals with disabilities. She said a boy with autism who attended her first class uttered his very first word while riding one of the horses. “His mom just sat there with tears rolling down her eyes,” she recalled.
Another individual, Maggie Smith, who participated in the first class, now serves as a volunteer at the facility. “I love horses and helping out,” Smith said.
Raemelton is located at 569 S. Trimble Road in Mansfield and consists of a large indoor riding arena complete with a heated viewing room, an outdoor riding arena, two large barns that can house up to 24 horses, pristine trails and several pastures.
The mission of Raemelton is to provide equine assisted activities and therapies to individuals with physical, mental, social, emotional and sensory disabilities. Services offered include therapeutic riding, therapeutic carriage driving, equine facilitated learning and equine assisted psychotherapy.
In 1999, Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center introduced the C.A.R.E. (Children At Risk Equestrian) program to help prevent behavioral problems in children by teaching them how to care for horses. In 2012, Raemelton launched the Hooves for Heroes Veteran’s Program. This program is offered to active, inactive and retired veterans and their families at no cost.
A wide range of age groups are served; Schluter said they’ve helped people as young as two and as old as 82.
More than 90 students are served per week. Schluter noted, “We have a lot of school groups that come…We have a waiting list right now and sometimes we have to rotate the school groups to make sure everybody gets a chance to come.”
Director of Operations Tara Corrigan joined the Raemelton staff in 2009, starting out as an instructor. Over the past six years, she’s witnessed numerous milestones reached by the clients.
“Some of our diagnoses are one in 500,000, and it’s amazing how from one session to the next, we see an improvement and their parents are just thrilled with that,” Corrigan said.
She added, “We also have students who are really intimidated and afraid, and by the end of the first session we can’t get them off the horse.”
Currently, the center has 16 horses, which have each been donated, Schluter said.
Raemelton is funded by private donations, class fees, and grants. “We receive no state or federal funding,” Schluter said.
Schluter described the staff as “skeletal,” noting, “It’s pretty much instructors and two barn staff, and the rest is all volunteers.”
She said of the volunteers, “They’re the backbone of the program.”
Volunteer opportunities, ranging from barn help, leaders for classes, side-walkers for classes, grounds-keeping and general maintenance are now available to those who are at least 14 years old.
Schluter said the center could operate year-round, “But with the winters being as bad as they are, we haven’t been. We do have a few that will come and ride in the winter, but we pretty much use that time to regroup and do things that we need to do to get ready for the coming year.”
Raemelton is currently gearing up for its biggest fundraiser–Oktoberfest–which will be held Saturday, Oct. 3 from noon to midnight at Snow Trails.
The event costs $5 to attend and features a German car show from 12-5 p.m., German beer and food, live music and more.
Proceeds benefit Raemelton as well as Little Buckeye Children’s Museum.
Sponsors include Mansfield Distributing, Mansfield Motor Group, MT Business Technologies, Richland Source and Snow Trails.
For more information about Raemelton and the upcoming fundraiser go to http://www.raemelton.org/.
“Some of our diagnoses are one in 500,000, and it’s amazing how from one session to the next, we see an improvement and their parents are just thrilled with that,” Tara Corrigan said.
