COLUMBIA COUNTY, Pa. — EOS Therapeutic Riding Center, a nonprofit near Bloomsburg, provides therapeutic horseback riding to children and adults with special abilities, as well as veterans.
"It could be riders with cerebral palsy; it could be more involved riders with a head trauma. We have a lot of riders who are autistic, ADHD," Debbie Smith said.
Smith started EOS 30 years ago, and it has grown to nearly 100 riders, ages 2 to 97.
"They're doing exercises, and they're not looking like it as an actual therapy session. They're looking at it as fun," Smith said.
EOS has around 100 volunteers, including Lisa Rumberger.
"I get more joy and more laughter in an afternoon than sometimes I get in a week in my regular life," Rumberger said.
Riders come once a week for a 45-minute session.
Sessions are $40 on an ability-to-pay basis.
"It costs us $125 to provide that session, so we're fundraising to do the rest of the budget to be able to do this," Smith said.
To help offset costs and celebrate its 30th anniversary, EOS is holding an auction on November 12. Some items up for grabs are jewelry and paintings done by the horses themselves.
For more information on how you can support EOS, click here.
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