Published: 09/21/2022
Photo courtesy of Hope on Horseback on Facebook.
In the Gannon School of Education, Dr. Merritt’s SPED 245 special education course took classes outside to Hope on Horseback Therapeutic Riding Center for an in-the-field experience enhancing the classroom experience.
Hope on Horseback, formerly known as TREC, began in 1981 as an equine-assisted therapeutic program for children and adults with physical or cognitive challenges.
Reaching out to additional populations in recent years, Hope on Horseback now offers horseback riding classes and Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL) programs for those who not only have physical or developmental issues but those who are dealing with challenges in many areas of daily life.
In addition, fourth-year Erie Master's of Science Occupational Therapy student board members of The Little Knights Clinic (LKC) are completing research at Hope on Horseback with Barber National Institute (BNI) students under the supervision of Dr. Julia Hawkins-Pokabla and Gannon Education students weekly this fall semester. They are collaborating with equine-assisted therapists and students from the BNI to see the impact of interacting with horses on the children's sensory and attention skills.
About Gannon’s School of Education:
Gannon’s undergraduate education programs are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and they have also received special designation as a promising model/innovative practice in five areas: candidate competencies, key academic standards and assessment anchors, faculty activities and collaboration, field experiences and student teaching and new teacher support.
We help students build their resumes starting with freshman year. The success of our efforts is verified by our high job placement rate in today's competitive market and top scores on professional exams. Of our graduating seniors in the 2016-2017 academic year, 88% overall were immediately employed in their major field of study with 100% employment in Early Childhood and Secondary Education.
About Occupational Therapy at Gannon University:
Occupational Therapy is a profession that works with a variety of individuals with disabilities in all stages of the human life cycle. Occupational therapists develop, teach and evaluate specific rehabilitation programs for each individual in an effort to help clients achieve health, well-being, and participation in meaningful activities. Occupational therapists work in all areas of health care, including hospitals, private practice, schools, long-term care, mental health and community programs, home health care, business and industry, and consulting.