Holly Reslink, DPT, Program Director at Centaur Stride, left, and Alison Mitchener, new instructor, are made possible by grants from both the Chautauqua Region and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundations, with our Equicizer, Strider.

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation focus on community impact. Through grants from both Foundations, we were able to hire and train Alison Mitchener as our new instructor. This will allow us to expand our outreach for more days open, and more services and programs. Our staff members are as indispensable as our horses and our volunteers.

There is so much potential for growth and outreach, but to do that, we need well-trained staff and leaders. It is not easy to find qualified instructors or people committed to a mission, with tenacity, integrity, and purpose with a greater motivation than money. We have been looking for over a year with no prospects. This grant helped us to hire locally and train for the role. The grant covered the Certified Horseman Association training and initial onboarding and training at our facility.

Mitchener has been a volunteer at Centaur Stride for over 6 years, including horse care, leading and side-walking, barn maintenance, constructing and painting a new sign for us, and rebuilt our website, www.centaurstride.org. She has years of horse experience and loves what we do.

Holly Reslink, Doctor of Physical Therapy, has filled the role of Program Director for the past year. She has also taken the lead on several of the administrative tasks, helping to build the infrastructure for strategic planning for long-term sustainability. We still have no paid administrative staff.

Our fees remain low so more people can afford our services. Thanks to the Community Foundations, we can have greater outreach and community impact.

Centaur Stride is a therapeutic and recreational facility that is inclusive, integrated for people with and without disabilities, and founded on the healing power of horses and nature to enhance overall well-being of mind and body.

Follow us on Facebook at Centaur Stride Therapeutic Riding Center to keep abreast of all news, programs, clinics and fundraisers or contact us at info@centaurstride.org .