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BOK Ranch Programs:
Adaptive Riding Lessons •
Volunteer Lesson Program
Working Student Program
• Trail Riding Group for
Parents
Equine Discovery Learning •
Social Skills
Class
Horses for Heroes Program •
Stable Life
Other programs for riders
with special needs
offered at the Horse Park
at Woodside:
Deb Alvarado, Physical Therapist
Horse
Sensing •
Inner Equine Concepts
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy & Equine
Assisted Learning
BOK Ranch Programs:
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Adaptive Riding Lessons
All of
B.O.K. Ranch’s Adaptive Riding Lessons are group
lessons. The maximum amount of riders in a class is
four. During each lesson, riders are taught how to work
together as a team with their horse and with their
classmates.
Maximum Support Lessons
A maximum
support rider is a rider who requires two side walkers
(a person on both the right and left side of the horse)
and a horse handler (a person walking at the head of the
horse). Riders may need additional help with balance,
fine motor skills (holding the reins), and following
directions.
Minimum Support Lessons
A minimum
support rider can control their horse independently
under “normal” circumstances. They are assisted in
lessons by a spotter or potentially a horse handler who
is in place in case of an emergency. Minimum support
riders are usually beginning to trot their horses with
assistance.
Transition Lessons
Transition
riders are able to groom, saddle, and ride their horses
independently. Some transition riders are beginning to
learn how to canter their horses. These riders could
potentially begin riding at a main stream riding center,
however, for the time being may need to take instruction
in a more structured and individualized environment.
Rider
Criteria
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All
B.O.K. Ranch riders must be able to sit up
independently on a horse without any type of head,
neck, or back support.
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Riders
can not exhibit any behaviors that would make riding
dangerous (i.e. hitting, kicking, biting,
screaming).
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All
riders must be able to wear an approved
riding helmet, during all lessons.
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Riders
must weigh under 180 lbs.
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An
intake packet including a physicians release form
must be completed before lessons can be scheduled.
Enrollment Process
First Step:
Fill out
the intake packet, including having the physicians form
filled out and send it all back to the B.O.K. Ranch main
office.
Second
Step:
A 30
minute intake assessment; consisting of a brief
evaluation to help determine the most appropriate riding
lesson group (Maximum Support, Minimum Support, or
Transition).
Third
Step:
Start
attending once a week, one hour riding lessons. The
B.O.K. Ranch is currently conducting 7 week sessions.
Riders attend once a week for one hour.
Enrollment process and associated costs are subject to
change.
Please call the office about current lesson rates.
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Volunteer Lesson Program
The B.O.K.
Ranch offers riding lessons to its
volunteers!
After a
lot of feedback from both past and present volunteers,
the B.O.K. Ranch began offering 1 hour group lessons at
a reduced rate as a THANK YOU to all qualifying
volunteers.
Riders are
grouped and taught at all riding levels’ novice through
advanced. The techniques taught can be
applied to any discipline of horsemanship from reining
to jumpers.
Volunteer
lessons are currently being offered weekday evenings,
scheduled immediately after the therapeutic riding program.
These
lessons are offered to volunteers who are actively
contributing a minimum of one full volunteer shift each
week.
Riders
must weigh less than 180 lbs.
Although
volunteer lessons are taught to a wide variety of
different skill sets, these lessons are not therapeutic
riding lessons.
Riders
must be able to follow and respond to multi-step
instructions, and be able to safely control their horse
in an enclosed arena with other riders. All volunteer
lesson participants must be able to ride completely
independently (horse handlers and/or side walkers are
not provided during these lessons).
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Working Student Program

The B.O.K.
Ranch offers work exchange programs for dedicated and
hard working equestrians. Working students must be at
minimum of 15 years old with a strong knowledge base in
general horse care, stable management, and equine first
aid.
Scheduling
is flexible; working students commit to helping the
equine director for a mutually decided upon number of
days per week in exchange for no cost riding lessons
with a B.O.K. instructor.
Job
responsibilities may include such tasks as: feeding,
grooming, applying standing wraps, bathing, clipping,
mucking, assist in running errands, and schooling
horses.
To become
a working student please contact Tish Dipman, Program
Director at
(650)
366-2265 or at
tishcallos@yahoo.com.
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Trail Riding Group for Parents
The
B.O.K. Ranch offers a fun and therapeutic activity for parents of children with
special needs.
Parents can finally take a
mental health day for themselves and spend time gaining knowledge and
participating in their child's favorite sport. |
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Equine Discovery Learning
Class
Field Trips & Extended Programming For Schools
Adult
Day Programs
Groups enjoy visiting the B.O.K.
Ranch for both one-time visits as well as on-going
weekly and monthly visits. Students learn about
grooming, tacking, riding, feeding, and horsemanship. |
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Social
Skills Class
Learning
appropriate socialization skills isn’t always black and white.
The B.O.K. Ranch is now offering
classes geared towards effective socializing for young equestrians.
Working in conjunction with
CONNECTIONS, Social Solutions for Kids; the
B.O.K. Ranch Social Skills Program works with the horses to focus on
socialization, communication, real life interactions, acceptance, self-esteem,
and building confidence. |
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Horses
for Heroes

The B.O.K. Ranch has teamed up with the Poly Trauma
Unit of the Palo Alto VA Hospital to bring a one of a kind program to our United
States Veterans and their families.
This program is very unique and
the first of its kind in the country to be providing such a wide array of
services.
For more information please
contact the B.O.K. Ranch office at (650) 366-2265. |
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Stable
Life
Mission
Statement: To provide horseback riding lessons and healing arts to individuals
at a turning point in their lives.
Stable Life at BOK Ranch - a
wellness program that uses horses to live well!
For more information, please
contact Joanna Shell directly at
JoannaShell@sbcglobal.net or (415) 722-4778. |
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Other programs for riders
with special needs
offered at the Horse Park
at Woodside:
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Debra
Alvarado, PT
Physical therapist Deb Alvarado is conducting
therapeutic horseback riding lessons and hippotherapy
sessions to provide a very
unique and highly individualized program.
Contact:
Debra Alvarado (808) 294-3067
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Horse
Sensing
Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy
Horse
Sensing is experiential work with horses in the moment.
Horse Sensing allows one to get in touch with otherwise
inaccessible parts of themselves utilizing the highly
intuitive help of horses.
Participants will work with a licensed clinical
psychologist and horsewoman,
Dr. Sally Broder, Psy.D. She treats individuals with a
range of mental health and life issues including
depression, anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
and other trauma related effects, substance abuse
disorders and eating disorders.
Also addressed are life transitions such as grieving the
loss of a loved one, moving out of a long-term
relationship and changing careers or life paths.
Dr. Broder specializes
in helping individuals get in touch with what is making
them feel stuck in life, sapping them of precious
energy.
Dr. Broder integrates the equine theoretical principles
and style of Chris Irwin with her own background in
Jungian Depth Psychology.
Sessions are for individuals, groups, and staff teams. Ages begin at 12 with
the permission of parents.
www.HorseSensing.com
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Inner
Equine Concepts
Jennifer Arends, R.V.T.

Inner
Equine Concepts
uses Chris Irwin's method of personal development
utilizing horses as our teachers. By addressing our
predator-based and the equine prey-based behaviors we
can learn about balance, boundaries, trust, awareness,
consistency, fear and much more. Learning to be a
"better horse" translates directly to being a
better person, parent, team mate, teacher and/or
student. Horses aren't magic they just don't have the
ability to lie. When we see the truth in ourselves
we become happier, healthier human beings.
Inner
Equine Concepts
offers individual and/or group sessions. We also offer
corporate management training. We promise no dark rooms
with projected presentations. Come join us for the most
insightful and least boring leadership training you will
ever attend.
www.InnerEquineConcepts.com
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Equine Assisted Psychotherapy & Equine
Assisted Learning
Angela
Sherman, Ph.D.
Equine
Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is “hands on” in nature and
involves clients interacting with horses and completing
activities that are aimed at treatment goals. EAP
involves a team consisting of a licensed psychologist,
an equine specialist, and equine staff. Staff are
certified for this work through the Equine Growth and
Leaning Association (EAGALA, www.eagala.org).
Clients
are encouraged to find solutions to their current
difficulties through exercises aimed at helping them
understand how they interact with others and the world
around them. Horses are an integral part of this process
as they provide neutral, immediate, and nonverbal
feedback, enhancing the learning experience. However,
horse experience is not necessary! EAP can be used on
its own or as an adjunct to traditional office therapy.
Equine
Assisted Learning (EAL) involves equine based activities
that are not therapy, per se, but are certainly
therapeutic in nature. An example of this is skill
building through a social skills learning group. Please
contact Dr. Sherman for a free initial phone
consultation at (650) 248-4072 to see if EAP or EAL
activities are right for you. We’ll see you outside!
www.changeyourlead.com
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