Spot O' Heaven, Inc.

Begun in 1995, Spot O' Heaven has shown remarkable growth.  Located in a small rural community near the Lake Michigan shoreline in beautiful northeastern Wisconsin, Spot O' Heaven has attracted riders from several surrounding counties as well as its home county.  Volunteers also drive many miles to donate their time to the program.  The Spot O' Heaven program is a non-profit, tax exempt corporation, funded through donations, memberships and fundraisers.  The riders are not charged for their lessons in horseback riding.

Safety is a major concern during our lessons.  Volunteers must have participated in a training session.  Those volunteers with horse experience may be used as leaders or instructors.  Volunteers with little or no experience around horses participate as sidewalkers for the riders.  A leader guides the mounted horse with a lead-rope, while two sidewalkers stay on either side of the horse as the lesson progresses.  If a rider needs more help, then a volunteer will ride double in back of the rider to steady them in the saddle.  The riders must wear an approved helmet and a strong gate belt.  Some of our riders are not able to mount the horse from a step-up block, and will mount from a wheelchair ramp and platform.

Spot O' Heaven has been unusually fortunate with the quality of horses that it uses in the program.  All the Spot O' Heaven horses were donated to the program from caring individuals who felt a good home for their equine friends was a better solution than selling.  A horse used for therapeutic riding must be gentle and patient.  Loud, unexpected noises cannot frighten the horse.  It should never be distracted from the job at hand.  Being boxed in with people on all sides and a ramp and wheelchair above its back should never create stress for the horse.  A rider may behave in an unconventional manner while mounted, and the horse should always remain calm.  Reliability and trust are the keys to a good facility horse.  The Spot O' Heaven horses exhibit these and more.