A New Home
In November of 2007 we signed a long term lease for 2.85 acres which are part of Riverside Equestrian Center of Petaluma. Riverside is the second largest equestrian facility in California and, in addition to affording an excellent location with easy access from the East Bay, San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma Counties, offers an ideal environment for our program.
Our new facility will incorporate components that will give us tremendous flexibility, not only to increase the number of clients we will be able to serve, but also how we serve them.
Our Master Plan includes:
Printable Master Plan in full color
The G.K. Hardt Equestrian Arena
Named after a prominent Sonoma County philanthropist, the trust that bears his name has pledged $400,000 for the construction of a 100' x 200' all-weather arena which, after nine years of canceling classes due to inclement weather, will give us the ability to increase our capacity and ensure that our riders will maintain continuity with their therapy.
Dressage Arena
A 60' x 125' outdoor dressage arena will enable us to hold classes simultaneously with those in the larger all-weather arena, providing maximum flexibility for lessons.
50' Round Pen
The round pen will be used for lunging and training horses, and for conducting one-on-one "hippotherapy" classes with our occupational therapist.
20-Stall Barn
The barn will provide stalls and paddocks for our program horses, wash racks, grain storage, veterinarian area and tack rooms, as well as a covered area for students to groom and tack their horses under the supervision of our instructors. Additionally, there will be a 9,000 square-foot turnout area for the horses.
Sensory Trail Course
A state-of-the-art "Sensory Trail Course" will stretch around the entire perimeter of the site and through a unique form of environmental education, is designed to put riders in touch with their own senses of touch, smell, taste and hearing by navigating a series of obstacles over different footings, riding past aromatic plants, tasting fruit from our trees and other small crops, and listening for different sounds. These experiences will give the riders an increased awareness of their environment and allow them to make cognitive deductions based on that increased awareness.
Other Buildings
Our Master Plan also includes two office trailers which will be used for administrative offices, classroom space and meeting rooms in which we can hold parent conferences, volunteer trainings, instructor certification and continuing education.
Restrictions on our use permit at our previous location limited us to serving 50 riders per week, a number that we reached after just a few short months of operation. Consequently, we have always had a significant waiting list (which we cut off at 50) requiring several of our riders to wait for as long as two to three years for service. Our new facility, with no such restrictions, will allow us to serve significantly more families. Our objective for the first year is to eliminate our waiting list by doubling our client base to 100 regular riders with a longer- term goal of 250 riders per week. Named after a prominent Sonoma County philanthropist, the trust that bears his name has pledged $400,000 for the construction of a 100' x 200' all-weather arena which, after nine years of canceling classes due to inclement weather, will give us the ability to increase our capacity and ensure that our riders will maintain continuity with their therapy.
Dressage Arena
A 60' x 125' outdoor dressage arena will enable us to hold classes simultaneously with those in the larger all-weather arena, providing maximum flexibility for lessons.
50' Round Pen
The round pen will be used for lunging and training horses, and for conducting one-on-one "hippotherapy" classes with our occupational therapist.
20-Stall Barn
The barn will provide stalls and paddocks for our program horses, wash racks, grain storage, veterinarian area and tack rooms, as well as a covered area for students to groom and tack their horses under the supervision of our instructors. Additionally, there will be a 9,000 square-foot turnout area for the horses.
Sensory Trail Course
A state-of-the-art "Sensory Trail Course" will stretch around the entire perimeter of the site and through a unique form of environmental education, is designed to put riders in touch with their own senses of touch, smell, taste and hearing by navigating a series of obstacles over different footings, riding past aromatic plants, tasting fruit from our trees and other small crops, and listening for different sounds. These experiences will give the riders an increased awareness of their environment and allow them to make cognitive deductions based on that increased awareness.
Other Buildings
Our Master Plan also includes two office trailers which will be used for administrative offices, classroom space and meeting rooms in which we can hold parent conferences, volunteer trainings, instructor certification and continuing education.
We also plan to add additional programs, such as summer camps, where Giant Steps would become an equestrian component of a larger camp for specific disabilities such as Sickle Cell Anemia, Cerebral Palsy and others. Other possibilities under discussion include riding programs for siblings and volunteers.
As a regional center it is our objective to generate new revenue by becoming a "Teaching Center" - one of only a few such centers in the country. We will conduct periodic workshops and instructor certifications and continuing education, bringing in instructor candidates from the U.S. and abroad.
We have now applied for all necessary governmental approvals and permits, and, due to the generosity of our Board of Directors and the above-mentioned G.K. Hardt Trust, have raised more than 60 percent of the funds required to complete our project. Construction is expected to begin in late spring and weather permitting we intend to complete all service-related construction by the fall of this year. Our lessons are currently being offered in a new outdoor arena at Riverside which has allowed us to offer our winter session of therapy to our existing clients.
This new facility, and all that it offers, is a dream come true for Giant Steps in that it will enable us to continue to fulfill our mission of offering affordable, effective therapy to as many very special children as possible.
Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center
Administrative Office
775 Baywood Drive, Suite 305, Petaluma, CA 94954
Program Located at:
Riverside Equestrian Center
7600 Lakeville Highway, Petaluma, CA 94954
Administrative Office
775 Baywood Drive, Suite 305, Petaluma, CA 94954
Program Located at:
Riverside Equestrian Center
7600 Lakeville Highway, Petaluma, CA 94954