We want to thank everyone who participated in the success of our Spring Classic Bike Ride on April 13. Over 250 riders and volunteers braved the early morning rain to support our biggest fundraiser of the year.

The event required extensive planning and preparation led by Tara Felts, Martha Russell, Jean Schneebeli and Meg Stein. Members of the Positive Strides’ board of directors and a group of dedicated volunteers were critical to the success of the event. We had volunteer cookie bakers, goodie bag stuffers, sign pounders, sponsor finders, equipment and supply checkers, shoppers, list makers, registration takers, food servers, SAG drivers, set up and clean up people, and all purpose helpers.
 
Thanks to the wonderful riders; those who were new this year and those who return year after year to support us. We received lots of positive feedback. A couple of favorites:

• "Awesome rest stops, great cookies and great conversation with very friendly volunteers.”
  
• “Even when it rains, I’ll always come for the crab soup!"

We couldn't have a bike ride without you! Thank you so very much!!

Due to the generosity of our sponsors, we offset many of our expenses and raised much-needed funds to provide life-changing therapy to residents of the Eastern Shore with physical, cognitive and emotional challenges. All of the proceeds of the Spring Classic go directly to supporting Positive Strides programs. Our equine-assisted activities and therapies help young children, teens, adults, veterans and seniors build their confidence, self-esteem, feelings of competency and independence.

We've seen the positive results of using therapeutic riding to improve the lives of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A recent study by a research team at Slipper Rock University is helping assign empirical evidence to the value of therapeutic riding and equine-assisted activities in reducing stress levels of adolescents with ASD. The following is an excerpt from an article on their findings. 

"We are thrilled with the results of this study," said Pam Cusick, board president of Horses and Humans Research Foundation, a nonprofit, non-endowed foundation that awarded the SRU research team $88,000 to conduct the study. "Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder report high stress and anxiety levels that impact functioning in the community. We are pleased to see confirmation that therapeutic riding has a positive impact on stress levels and hope that this research will encourage more adolescents with autism to consider therapeutic riding as an option."

Also making the study possible were contributions from the research team that included three coinvestigators, Deborah Hutchins, associate professor of parks, conservation and recreational therapy; Courtney Gramlich, manager of the Storm Harbor Equestrian Center; and Steffanie Burk, an equine scientist at Otterbein University. In addition to collecting saliva and heart rate results from humans in the study, samples and data from horses were also collected to detect correlations.
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"The research is important to see the true effects that therapeutic riding can have," Gramlich said. "This could help programs like ours across the country. We've been getting phone calls from people reading about the benefits that we saw from the research and they are asking questions and wanting to do similar things. We say riding gives you so many great benefits but until we have measurable results that we can document, (people) won't 100-percent believe it."

To learn how Positive Strides helps people with ASD and other specific diagnoses, see our Hippotherapy brochure or visit our Services page.

Pictured:  April is National Autism Awareness Month. The Puzzle Ribbon is the most recognized symbol of the autism community in the world. 

We are thrilled to announce that Choptank Electric Cooperative is a Silver Sponsor of our therapy horse, Reds. Through their Operation Round Up grant, they are helping to offset the cost of his daily care.

Reds loves to be groomed and will stand very still while being brushed and loved on. He's a chestnut Quarter Horse gelding who is in his mid-twenties. Before coming to us, he was a ranch horse and gave riding lessons. Reds is very gentle and loves people.
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Thank you to Choptank Electric Cooperative for your sponsorship! To learn more about our herd and how to sponsor a horse, go to About Us.