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Therapeutic riding students to be featured at River Downs

The River Downs jockey colony supports the students of the Cincinnati Therapeutic Riding and Horsemanship program (River Downs Photo)
Twenty-five new riders will take to the track at River Downs on Saturday. All of them are winners, but none of them jockeys. They are the students of Cincinnati Therapeutic Riding and Horsemanship and they will be performing for the 20th consecutive year prior to live racing at the track.

"River Downs was the first track in the country to host such an event," said John Engelhardt, director of public relations. "Several tracks across the country now provide a similar venue, but we've been here for 19 years now and it is the highlight of our student's year. To be able to perform in the paddock, with the jockeys in front of their families and the public -- it's a win-win for everyone involved."

The students don jockey silks and goggles and go through their routines in the paddock. The River Downs jockeys serve as volunteers assisting the students. The Gregory family of the Montgomery Inn sponsors the event. Each year the Montgomery Inn provides a luncheon for the riders, volunteers and family members at the track after the performance. Admission is free as well as general parking.

Cincinnati Therapeutic Riding and Horsemanship (formerly Cincinnati Riding for the Handicapped) is a non-profit organization serving children and adults with disabilities from the Greater Cincinnati area, in a comprehensive recreational and therapeutic horseback riding program. Founded in 1985, Cincinnati Riding for the Handicapped is the first program in southwest Ohio to be accredited by North American Riding for the Handicapped.

Classes are an hour in length. In that time period, the rider participates in grooming the horse, tacking the horse, mounting, exercises on horseback, dismounting, untacking, cleaning and putting saddle and bridle away. They take full advantage of the work around the horse as a multisensory experience. CTRH is located at 1342 State Rt. 50, Milford, OH 45150.  For more information about the program, contact Kellie Bowers at (513) 967-1826.


 


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