# Equine Therapy and Hippotherapy in Los Angeles > Therapeutic riding programs and hippotherapy clinics for kids in and around LA: what each does, who it’s for, what it costs and how to get a spot. Equine therapy in Los Angeles comes in two main kinds. Hippotherapy is physical, occupational or speech therapy in which a licensed therapist uses the horse’s movement to work on goals like balance and posture. Therapeutic, or adaptive, riding is riding lessons adapted for kids with disabilities, often taught by PATH Intl. certified instructors. Programs run from Chatsworth, Burbank and Shadow Hills to Santa Clarita, San Dimas and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Posted prices run $70 to $155 a riding session, and wait lists are common. By Summerground, updated October 12, 2026. ## At a glance - Hippotherapy is physical, occupational or speech therapy using the horse’s movement, led by a licensed therapist; adaptive riding is riding lessons for kids with disabilities. - 11 programs, from Chatsworth, Burbank and Shadow Hills to Santa Clarita, San Dimas and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. - Posted prices run from $70 for a half-hour lesson (Ride On) to $155 for a 45-minute private session (Star Horses); Ride to Fly charges $900 for 10 weeks. - Wait lists are common: Ride On’s adaptive riding lists are closed for now, and Carousel Ranch has paused applications. - Hippotherapy is billed as regular therapy, so check your plan. Regional centers can fund recreation and non-medical therapies, which may include riding. ## 11 equine therapy and hippotherapy programs in and around Los Angeles The first three offer hippotherapy with licensed therapists. The rest teach adaptive riding, vaulting or ground-based work, from Burbank and Shadow Hills to Santa Clarita, San Dimas and Rancho Palos Verdes. ### 1. Ride On Therapeutic Horsemanship Chatsworth · 10860 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Chatsworth, CA 91311 Founded in 1994, Ride On teaches adaptive riding with PATH Intl. certified instructors and runs an outpatient clinic where physical, occupational and speech therapists use the horse’s movement as one treatment tool. It says it’s the only Premier accredited program offering both in LA and Ventura counties. Besides the Chatsworth ranch, it has sites at Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena and in Newbury Park. Its adaptive riding wait lists are temporarily closed at all locations. - Children and adults - Riding: $70 per half-hour private lesson - PT, OT and speech therapy with horses - Partners with the regional center - Website: https://www.rideon.org/ - Phone: 818-700-2971 - On Summerground: https://summerground.com/chatsworth/ride-on-la.md ### 2. Manes for Movement Palos Verdes Estates A South Bay program offering physical therapy with hippotherapy, occupational therapy, feeding therapy, adaptive riding and ground-based horsemanship for kids and adults. It works with kids with developmental delay, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism and more. Its physical therapist, Dr. Erin O’Mahony, PT, DPT, recommends hippotherapy as a starting point for younger kids, about 2 to 6, with gross motor challenges. New clients start with an evaluation to find the right program. - Hippotherapy with a physical therapist - Also OT, feeding therapy and riding - Initial evaluation first - Website: https://www.manesformovement.com/hippotherapy/ - Phone: 310-737-2938 - On Summerground: https://summerground.com/rolling-hills-estates/manes-for-movement.md ### 3. Judith Daniels Pediatric Physical Therapy West LA A West LA pediatric physical therapy practice whose services include hippotherapy, which it describes as highly specialized PT sessions with therapeutic horses, along with in-home PT visits and yoga therapy. Dr. Judith Daniels is a Doctor of Physical Therapy trained in Level I and II hippotherapy treatment principles through the American Hippotherapy Association. The site gives only a Pacific Palisades mailing address, so ask where horse sessions take place. - Doctor of Physical Therapy - AHA Level I and II hippotherapy training - In-home PT visits - Website: https://www.drjudithdaniels.com/services - Phone: 310-305-4643 - On Summerground: https://summerground.com/pacific-palisades/judith-s-daniels-and-associates-inc-pediatric-physical-thera.md ### 4. Star Horses Burbank · 480 W Riverside Dr, Burbank, CA 91506 A PATH-certified therapeutic riding nonprofit at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, working to give more youth in the community access to riding. Its 45-minute private sessions, with a certified riding instructor and up to three assistants as needed, mix riding and ground work, and its 45-minute Brush and Breathe class stays on the ground, grooming the horses. New riders fill out intake forms before booking. - 45-minute private session: $155 - Brush and Breathe class: $49 - PATH-certified nonprofit - Website: https://www.starhorses.org/team-1 - On Summerground: https://summerground.com/burbank/star-horses.md ### 5. Let’s Ride Therapeutic Equestrian Program Sun Valley · 9311 Del Arroyo Dr, Sun Valley, CA 91352 A volunteer-run nonprofit riding program for children and adults with physical, emotional and developmental disabilities. Each new rider gets an individual assessment, and the program builds a plan around their needs and their doctor’s recommendations, then matches the horse, volunteers and staff. A licensed psychologist is on staff for riders who need closer oversight. Its founders, who have worked with people with developmental disabilities for 20 years or more, say they’re working toward PATH Intl. certification. - Children and adults - Therapy and traditional riding lessons - Running since 2010 - Website: https://www.letsridetherapyla.com/ - Phone: 818-917-7839 - On Summerground: https://summerground.com/sun-valley/lets-ride-therapeutic-equestrian-program.md ### 6. AHEAD With Horses Shadow Hills · 10157 Johanna Ave, Shadow Hills, CA 91040 AHEAD With Horses teaches therapeutic vaulting, or gymnastics on a horse, to hundreds of children with disabilities a year. Instructors take kids through a series of movements while the horse’s rhythmic, walking-like gait moves their body, which it says improves posture, balance and muscle control. It serves children with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, seizure disorders, vision or hearing loss and more. The schedule is full; families can join the wait list with an intake form. - For children - Therapeutic vaulting - Wait list (schedule is full) - Website: https://aheadwithhorsesla.org/ - Phone: 818-767-6373 - On Summerground: https://summerground.com/sun-valley/ahead-with-horses.md ### 7. Special Spirit Shadow Hills · 9889 Helen Ave, Sunland, CA 91040 A ranch offering adaptive riding lessons, ground-based horse activities and walk-and-talk trail rides for people with special needs, following PATH Intl. and EAGALA protocols. Riders learn grooming, tacking up and the basics of riding safely, with a plan set after a one-time evaluation. A doctor must sign a release, and riders with any disability are accepted unless PATH lists it as a reason not to ride. It works with regional centers and SDP, and has a waiting list. - Ages 3 and up - Evaluation: $75 - Weight limit: 185 lb - Regional center and SDP - Website: https://www.specialspirit.org/equine-assisted-services-riding-lessons - Phone: 323-661-3090 - On Summerground: https://summerground.com/sunland-tujunga/special-spirit.md ### 8. Shadow Hills Riding Club Shadow Hills · 10263 La Canada Way, Los Angeles, CA 91040 Therapeutic adaptive riding lessons, all led by a PATH International Certified Therapeutic Instructor. The club describes riders from a child with Down syndrome to a teenager with autism to an adult with a spinal cord injury. Every rider starts with an in-person assessment. Ongoing riders enroll month by month, which keeps scheduling, horse matching and staff consistent, and single sessions are available for occasional riders. Families are welcome to tour and watch a lesson first. - Assessment: $250, repeated yearly - Monthly enrollment preferred - Single sessions available - Website: https://www.shadowhillsridingclub.org/theraputic-adaptive-riding-lessons - Phone: 213-761-0549 - On Summerground: https://summerground.com/mar-vista/shadow-hills-riding-club.md ### 9. Carousel Ranch Santa Clarita (Agua Dulce) · 34289 Rocking Horse Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91390 A nonprofit ranch, started in 1997, offering equestrian therapy to children and young adults with special needs. Each child rides individually, with no group lessons and up to three people working alongside, using vaulting (gymnastics on a moving horse) and English and Western riding. Its Ready to Work! program prepares young adults for life after high school. New applications are paused while it serves its wait list; you can sign up to hear when they reopen. - Children and young adults - Individual lessons only - Applications paused for now - Website: https://www.carouselranch.org/equestrian-therapy - Phone: 661-268-8010 - On Summerground: https://summerground.com/santa-clarita/carousel-ranch.md ### 10. Rising Stars of Equestrian Therapy San Dimas Rising Stars offers equine-assisted therapy to children and adults with special needs, including autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome, on Saturday mornings from 9 to 10:30 at Sycamore Canyon Equestrian Center in San Dimas. Private lessons are available through its director. It says it aims to keep its programs open to families whatever their finances. - Ages 3 and up - Riders under 150 lb - Helmets provided - Website: https://risingstarsofequestriantherapy.org/ - Phone: 909-971-3070 - On Summerground: https://summerground.com/san-dimas/rising-stars-of-equestrian-therapy.md ### 11. Ride to Fly Rancho Palos Verdes · 50 Narcissa Dr, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 A nonprofit that has shared horsemanship with people with disabilities since 1994. It offers therapeutic (adaptive) riding, where the instructor sets a riding-skill goal with each student, and equine-assisted learning, a non-riding program for social-emotional, communication and coping skills. Lessons are 30 minutes, usually with two or more students, in 10-week sessions in winter, spring, summer and fall. - Ages 3 and up - $900 per 10-week session - Scholarship applications on request - Website: https://www.ridetofly.org/ - Phone: 310-541-4201 - On Summerground: https://summerground.com/rancho-palos-verdes/ride-to-fly-therapeutic-riding-program.md ## Therapeutic riding vs. hippotherapy “Equine therapy” gets used for several different things, so it helps to know which one you’re asking for. - **Hippotherapy** is physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy in which a licensed therapist uses the horse’s movement as a tool toward your child’s therapy goals. The [American Hippotherapy Association](https://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/what-is-hippotherapy) says it isn’t a separate service or program, and there are no licensed “hippotherapists”: the therapist is a PT, OT or speech-language pathologist. Ride On, Manes for Movement and Dr. Judith Daniels offer it. - **Therapeutic or adaptive riding** is riding lessons adapted for people with disabilities, taught by a riding instructor, at many programs here one certified by PATH Intl. Kids learn to groom, steer and ride with helpers alongside, and the goals are riding skills. Ride to Fly, for example, sets a riding-skill goal with each student. - **Ground-based work**, sometimes called equine-assisted learning, keeps kids off the horse: grooming, leading and getting to know the horse to practice communication, coping and confidence. Ride to Fly, Special Spirit and Star Horses offer it. - **Therapeutic vaulting** is gymnastics on a moving horse. It’s the method at AHEAD With Horses and part of Carousel Ranch’s program. Which fits? If your child already has goals with a [physical therapist](https://summerground.com/guides/pediatric-physical-therapy-los-angeles), [occupational therapist](https://summerground.com/guides/pediatric-occupational-therapy-los-angeles) or [speech therapist](https://summerground.com/guides/pediatric-speech-therapy-los-angeles), ask whether hippotherapy could help reach them. If your child loves animals and could use an activity that builds confidence, adaptive riding may suit, and there are more of those programs on this list. ## How to choose a program - **Credentials.** For hippotherapy, the therapist should be a licensed PT, OT or speech-language pathologist; ask what hippotherapy training they’ve had (Dr. Daniels lists AHA Level I and II courses). For riding, ask whether the instructor is PATH Intl. certified. Shadow Hills Riding Club says a certified therapeutic instructor leads every session, and Ride On says it’s a Premier accredited center. - **An assessment first.** Expect an evaluation before regular sessions: Special Spirit charges $75 and Shadow Hills Riding Club $250 a year. Manes for Movement and Let’s Ride also start with an evaluation or assessment. - **Safety rules.** Ask about helmets, weight limits and medical forms. Special Spirit provides ASTM-SEI approved helmets, requires a doctor’s release and has a 185-pound weight limit; Rising Stars’ limit is 150 pounds. - **Wait lists.** Many programs are full. Ride On has closed its adaptive riding wait lists for now, Carousel Ranch has paused applications, and AHEAD With Horses and Special Spirit keep wait lists, so apply to more than one. - **The team and the horse.** Ask how they match horse and rider and how many helpers will be beside your child. Carousel Ranch has up to three people with each child, and Star Horses’ private sessions include up to three assistants as needed. Searching for hippotherapy near you? The American Hippotherapy Association has a [therapist directory](https://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/find-a-therapist). > Ask to watch a lesson before you commit. Shadow Hills Riding Club invites families to tour the ranch, meet the team and the horses, and watch a lesson. ## What it costs and who pays Prices posted on the programs’ own sites: Ride On charges $70 for a half-hour private or hour-long group riding lesson; Star Horses $155 for a 45-minute private session and $49 for its ground-based Brush and Breathe class; Ride to Fly $900 for a 10-week session of 30-minute lessons. Add an evaluation fee where there is one. **Insurance.** Hippotherapy is billed as ordinary physical, occupational or speech therapy: the AHA’s [coding and billing position](https://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/s/AHA-Coding-and-billing-position-January-30-2020.pdf) says therapists use standard therapy codes and that there’s no billable service called hippotherapy. So whether your plan pays depends on its therapy benefits and the clinic’s network. Ask the clinic how it bills before the first visit. Adaptive riding is recreation, not medical therapy, so plan to pay for it another way. **Regional center and SDP.** California regional centers can fund social recreation and non-medical therapies (Welfare and Institutions Code 4688.22), and the [standard policy DDS sent them in March 2026](https://www.dds.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Attachment.pdf) allows one-on-one services such as private lessons. Ask your service coordinator about adaptive riding at your child’s next IPP meeting. Special Spirit works with regional centers and the [Self-Determination Program](https://www.dds.ca.gov/initiatives/sdp/), and Ride On credits a regional center partnership for wider access. More in our [regional centers guide](https://summerground.com/guides/regional-centers-los-angeles). **Scholarships.** Ride to Fly has scholarship applications on request, and Rising Stars says it aims to keep its programs open to families whatever their finances. ## Questions parents ask ### What’s the difference between equine therapy and hippotherapy? “Equine therapy” is a catch-all. Hippotherapy is physical, occupational or speech therapy in which a licensed therapist uses the horse’s movement as a tool toward therapy goals; the American Hippotherapy Association says it isn’t a separate service and that there’s no such service as “equine therapy.” Therapeutic or adaptive riding is riding lessons adapted for people with disabilities, taught by a riding instructor. Ground-based programs, sometimes called equine-assisted learning, work with horses without riding. ### Is there equine therapy near Sherman Oaks? Not in Sherman Oaks itself, but several programs are a short drive away. Star Horses is at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, Let’s Ride is in Sun Valley, and AHEAD With Horses, Special Spirit and Shadow Hills Riding Club are in Shadow Hills. For hippotherapy, Ride On’s clinic is in Chatsworth, and Dr. Judith Daniels’ physical therapy practice is in West LA. Expect wait lists, and ask each program how soon your child could start. ### Does insurance cover hippotherapy? It can, because hippotherapy isn’t billed on its own. The American Hippotherapy Association says therapists bill it as physical, occupational or speech therapy, using the standard codes for those services. Whether your plan pays depends on its therapy benefits and whether the clinic is in network, so ask the clinic how it bills and what you’d owe before you start. Adaptive riding lessons are recreation, so ask about scholarships, your regional center or the Self-Determination Program instead. ### Can a regional center pay for therapeutic riding? It may. California regional centers can fund social recreation and non-medical therapies (Welfare and Institutions Code 4688.22), and the standard policy the Department of Developmental Services sent them in March 2026 allows one-on-one services such as private lessons. Ask your service coordinator about adding riding to your child’s IPP. Special Spirit says it works with regional centers and the Self-Determination Program, and Ride On credits its regional center partnership for wider access. ### How young can kids start therapeutic riding? Ride to Fly, Special Spirit and Rising Stars take riders from age 3. For hippotherapy, Manes for Movement’s physical therapist, Dr. Erin O’Mahony, recommends it as a starting point for kids about 2 to 6 with gross motor challenges. Expect an evaluation first, a doctor’s release at some programs and weight limits at others: 185 pounds at Special Spirit, 150 at Rising Stars. ### What should my child wear to a riding lesson? Long pants and closed-toe shoes or boots. Ride On and Special Spirit ask riders to wear an ASTM-SEI approved helmet, and Special Spirit provides one; Rising Stars also has helmets to lend. Dress your child for the weather in clothes that can get dusty, and ask the program what else to bring to the first lesson. ## How we made this list We ran seven web searches for therapeutic riding, hippotherapy and equine-assisted therapy across LA, from Agua Dulce and the Valley to the Palos Verdes Peninsula, read each program’s own site, and kept those that serve children in LA County or close by. We left out directories, a Simi Valley co-op that has closed, programs we couldn’t place or confirm serve kids on their own sites, and programs farther out, in Norco, Oxnard and San Diego County. - [American Hippotherapy Association: what is hippotherapy](https://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/what-is-hippotherapy) - [American Hippotherapy Association: position on coding and billing when hippotherapy is part of a plan of care (2020)](https://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/s/AHA-Coding-and-billing-position-January-30-2020.pdf) - [DDS: standard purchase of service policy for social recreation, camping and non-medical therapies (March 2026)](https://www.dds.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Attachment.pdf) - [DDS: reimbursement and participant-directed services for social recreation and non-medical therapy (September 2024)](https://www.dds.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SocialRecreation_ReibmursementClarification_20240910.pdf) - [DDS: Self-Determination Program](https://www.dds.ca.gov/initiatives/sdp/) More guides: https://summerground.com/guides/pediatric-physical-therapy-los-angeles.md, https://summerground.com/guides/pediatric-occupational-therapy-los-angeles.md, https://summerground.com/guides/regional-centers-los-angeles.md, https://summerground.com/guides/special-needs-summer-camps-los-angeles.md. All of them: https://summerground.com/guides.md.