Welcome to the Southern Vermont Therapeutic Riding Center at Winchester Stables. The mission of the Southern Vermont Therapeutic Riding Center is to enrich, educate and expand the lives of individuals with special needs through
equine assisted activities. Click here to watch a brief video on our program.

• Therapeutic Riding: Developing riding skills and provides exercise to individuals with physical, cognitive and emotional needs.
• Horsemanship: The focus is on learning basic horse care, safety and behavior.
• Vocational Ed: Developing career skills in horsemanship, horse care and behavior

While the benefits of Therapeutic Riding have been medically documented, statistics alone cannot fully describe the true value of this service. The look of confidence, pride and achievement on a rider's face when he or she has successfully completed a task is the most profound measure of its value. To put it simply, Therapeutic Riding works and the benefits are ongoing.

Lorna obtained her PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International) Advanced Therapeutic Riding Instructor Certification in 1995 and accepted a Therapeutic Instructor position at Horse Power Therapeutic Horsemanship in Temple, New Hampshire.

After a number of years as a Principal Instructor at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding in Old Lyme, Connecticut, Lorna returned to New Hampshire to take her current position of Program Director at the Southern Vermont Therapeutic Riding Center. As such, She is responsible for all aspects of the therapeutic program at Winchester Stables including teaching, volunteer training, clinics, workshops and events.

Beyond her responsibilities at SVTRC and Horse Power, Lorna serves as an evaluator for and is a member of the PATH Certification Committee.

An alum of Boston University and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Bevin has been with Winchester Stables in one capacity or another - excepting a brief yet many-hatted stint with the Equine Journal - since her first teaching position in the summer of 1999. She's been in her current post since 2007.

2007 was also the year that Bevin trained Little Red Khorvette, the horse that was crowned Arabian Sport Horse Under Saddle Champion at the Arabian Sport Horse Nationals in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Bevin is also an active and successful "dressage" and "eventing" competitor (dressage is competitive horse training while eventing can be thought of as an equestrian triathlon, consisting of dressage, cross-country endurance and show jumping) who competes at the Preliminary Level and coaches students at events throughout the northeast (she has been a United States Eventing Association Level 2 Certified Instructor since 2004).

Bevin lives in Brattleboro, Vermont, with her husband, Chris.

Session Rates:
$40 for 1 hour Group Lesson
$40 for 1/2 hour Private Lesson

Session Dates:

• Fall session begins September 6, 2011

All sessions are eight weeks long. If a student wishes to sign up after the start date of a session, they will be accepted on a space available basis and the rate will be prorated.

Applicant Packet:
Download the Applicant Packet here.

Call for Volunteers:
Horse experience not necessary but horse sense is! Training is mandatory, volunteer requirements based upon availability. Open to people ages 14 and up. For details and to apply, click to download the Volunteer Packet.

SVTRC in the News!
Download Therapy by Horseback by Jaime Cone and visit the Brattleboro Reformer online for the latest news.

Download our latest newsletter here.