History

Our program got its start in 1999 when Boise resident Tom Boyd started giving rides on his horse “No Name” to a friend’s young child who was born with cerebral palsy. Amazed to see that the child experienced more relaxed muscle tone and improved speech - and fun, too! - Tom quickly realized he was on the path to creating a therapeutic riding program

In 2000 Tom located two NARHA certified instructors, recruited volunteers and searched for an arena space to offer services. He also established an affiliate relationship with the Sagebrush Equine Training Center for the Handicapped (SETCH) in Hailey, Idaho. This affiliate relationship with SETCH was critical in those early years, as it allowed the program to establish a foundation in the Treasure Valley while keeping expenses at a minimum.

In 2007, Jan Hermann organized a small group of volunteers to help raise funds and formalize the organization now known as Ride for Joy. The goal of this monumental effort was to develop the program into a thriving, locally-based therapeutic riding program that could serve more children, as the SETCH-Boise program had consistently maintained a lengthy waiting list for services.

Since the inception of the program, we have operated only seasonally in leased arenas in various locations throughout the Treasure Valley. Sometimes the program would settle in for a couple of summers here or there, but often moved to a new location each year.

In 2009 we moved to Pierce Park Stables, nestled in the beautiful foothills of northwest Boise, where we board our horses and lease an indoor arena for lessons. Although our long-term goal is to one day have a permanent, dedicated facility, having access to the indoor arena at Pierce Park Stables has allowed us to greatly improve services and extend our season, thus taking one step closer to becoming the thriving, year-round program we envision.