Urban Stable provides experiential learning opportunities using horses, to youth facing social, emotional, neurological, and/or academic obstacles from grades 5-12, who are referred to us through our school and youth-focused community partners. Some of the unlimited reasons youth are referred to our program are anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, foster care
, newcomers, trauma, and family difficulties (e.g., loss, divorce), and come from all walks of life, backgrounds, and equity-deserving groups. Our programming promotes the well-being of our students and provides them with opportunities to succeed and unbridle their potential. Although horsemanship education, physical well-being, and improved mental health are gained and promoted in program, our focus is helping students develop essential life skills in areas where they have been struggling. In addition to creating deeper horse-human connections, and giving students time to create those bonds and learning. Our horses are the real teachers and offer a unique form of experiential learning, as they are inclusive, accepting animals who do not see age, background, culture, abilities, or limitations. Through the reciprocal relationship our students build with our horses, they learn effective communication, empathy, problem-solving skills, healthy boundaries, leadership, relationship building, trust, compromise, negotiation, confidence, and responsibility. Urban Stable provides a quiet, non-judgemental, supportive, stable, yet challenging environment at the barn where students feel safe to step outside their comfort zone to try new and difficult tasks. Our instructors are certified through the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association (CanTRA) and facilitate the experiential learning sessions, assisting our students to transfer the transformative life-lessons they learn, back to their classroom, home, and communities.
