NDSU Adds Therapeutic Horsemanship Courses

North Dakota State University’s Equine Studies program has reached a two-year collaborative agreement with Riding on Angels’ Wings, a Minnesota-based therapeutic horseback riding program.

Riding on Angels’ Wings (ROAW) will partner with the Equine Studies program on three new therapeutic horsemanship courses offered through the NDSU Animal Sciences Department. The courses will be offered beginning this fall.

“This partnership is a tremendous opportunity for students to engage in a unique hands-on learning experience,” says Erika Berg, an assistant professor in the Equine Studies program who developed the courses.

Bette Shipley of Felton, Minn., founded ROAW in 2002 after seeing the physical benefits of horseback riding for her son, who has cerebral palsy and congenital heart defects.

ROAW has specially trained horses, qualified therapists, certified instructors and educated volunteers who provide equine-assisted therapies and activities to individuals from Fargo-Moorhead and surrounding rural communities with physical, cognitive, emotional and/or behavioral disabilities.

For more information about NDSU’s therapeutic horsemanship courses, contact Berg at (701) 231-9611 or erika.berg@ndsu.edu.

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