Equine-Assisted Services

We are excited to share with you all our plan to resume serving our community. Although things are going to look different, we are committed to continuing to provide high-quality equine-assisted lessons.

Agape’s Phases of Safely Resuming Programming

• All dates are subject to change as Agape follows CDC, state, and county guidelines for the safety of our participants, volunteers, and staff.
• All volunteers and riders wishing to resume sometime in 2020 must complete Returning Participant Assessment or the Returning Volunteer Assessment.
• Classes will be first come first serve. There will be limited class availability due to smaller class sizes and spacing of available class times to allow for social distancing and time to sanitize between participants. Priority will be given to those who complete their assessment by Tuesday, May 19th.
• All volunteers and riders must complete the NEW Liability Release form that includes risks of COVID-19. Other paperwork will need to be updated as well, if over a year old, prior to resuming.
• Sanitizing and social distancing procedures will be implemented for your safety including, but not limited to, sanitizing equipment between each use, handwashing stations, no waiting in Observation Room, utilizing outdoor arena space, and smaller class sizes.

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Phase 1: May 4 – 31

Sites Open	North
Volunteers	Limited volunteers assisting staff with facility needs & horse care
Programming	None

 

Phase 2: June 1 – 13

Sites Open	North
Volunteers	Limited volunteers assisting staff with facility needs and horse care No contact with participants
Programming	Equine Assisted Learning Sessions w/ Community Partners Groundwork and Grooming Lessons will be available for those who are interested, more details to come for those who are interested. *Participation in Groundwork and Grooming sessions depends upon risk factors noted on assessment. Masks will be worn by everyone.

 

Phase 3: June 14 – July 3

Sites Open	North East TBD – pending number of participants able to return
Volunteers	Volunteers assisting staff with facility needs and horse care Horse Handlers assisting in therapeutic riding classes
Programming	Equine Assisted Learning Sessions w/ Community Partners Grooming Sessions and limited Therapeutic Riding classes will be available. More details to come. *Participation in Riding and Grooming sessions depends upon risk factors noted on assessment. Masks will be worn by everyone.

 

Phase 4: July 6 – 31

Sites Open	North East TBD – pending number of participants able to return
Volunteers	Volunteers assisting staff with facility needs and horse care Horse Handlers assisting in therapeutic riding classes Sidewalkers floating (no physical support at walk being provided)
Programming	Equine Assisted Learning Sessions w/ Community Partners Grooming Sessions and limited Therapeutic Riding classes will be available. More details to come. *Participation in Riding and Grooming sessions depends upon risk factors noted on assessment. Masks not required.

 

Phase 5: August 1 – December 12 

Sites Open	North East TBD – pending number of participants able to return South TBD – pending BW/IU property restrictions
Volunteers	Volunteers assisting staff with facility needs and horse care Horse Handlers assisting in therapeutic riding classes Sidewalkers available to float and provide physical support to riders at the walk
Programming	Equine Assisted Learning Sessions w/ Community Partners Weekly Therapeutic Riding Lessons with no restrictions. Classes can resume as they were prior to COVID-19 with regular sanitizing measures being taken.

 

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It is VERY IMPORTANT for ALL RIDERS & VOLUNTEERS to complete the Returning Participant Assessment or the Returning Volunteer Assessment by Tuesday, May 19th. These assessments will provide us with data to make informed decisions on scheduling. Scheduling priority will be given to those who complete their forms by May 19th, as we will have limitations on class availability due to smaller class size and spacing of classes. Upon review of assessments, we will provide information as to what you can expect the lessons (Groundwork, Grooming, and Riding) to look like in each phase, as well as, at which site(s) we will be offering programming. We will reach out to each individual who completes their Re-Entry Assessment form to confirm which phase will be best for them to return and determine an appropriate class time.

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Thank you for your patience as we navigate a slow start to resuming classes. We know everyone is looking forward to coming back. We are doing our best to serve those we can during each phase. We appreciate your flexibility and understanding. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have via email or phone.

What a great day it will be to see everyone’s smiling faces back at the barn and back in the saddle!