Coffee Creek Riding Center is the realization of a dream of Mrs. Lucille Fancey, founder and president. She has taught English riding and jumping for the past 37 years and served as Master of the Lost Hound Fox Hunt. In 1977, the center was started as the joint effort of Mrs. Fancey and her daughter, Joy Milligan who has a medical background. Now in its 29th year, Coffee Creek Riding Center continues to provide free therapeutic horseback riding to 155 students a year. April 2006 will be the beginning of the 30th year of operation of Coffee Creek Riding Center providing "Free" therapy to children, and some teens and adults. The program serves clients with a wide variety of disabilities. Our services are rendered to all races,
nationality, creed and financial status. Our ability to serve is only limited by the severity of a disability or fragile state of health that would make participating unsafe for either students or volunteers. The center serves students from the greater Metro
Oklahoma City area including some students from as far away as Choctaw, Yukon, El Reno, Norman and Kingfisher. Students are bussed from public school special education classes around the metro area or are brought individually by family members. Our primary focus age group is 2 1/2 to 12 years with some teens and some adults. Initial contact and assessments are done to determine our ability to serve each student and the class they will best work with and our availability of volunteers to assist in the class.
When we are unable to fulfill a request for placement, students are on an "alternate" list riding when other students are unable to come to their class. When possible they are assigned to a regular class time. Class schedules are reassigned each semester to allow
for changes in volunteer availability, staff horses, instructor teaching schedules as well as consideration to students who have not yet had the opportunity to participate.
Our program covers three semesters a year. Fall, Spring and Summer sessions follow the same schedule as the school term . We have both teen and adult volunteers helping with classes in each semester. During the summer classes are all held in the morning hours due to the heat,
however during the school term classes begin at ll:30 and are held throughout the day. Volunteers are what makes it possible for us to serve all the students that participate. The minimum age for a volunteer assistant is 13 years through all ages of adults. Young teen
volunteers will start in a volunteer development program where they are assisted by experienced volunteers. Volunteer training sessions are held before semesters begin. Volunteers beginning during a semester, observe a class than work with a team of experienced volunteers. Coffee Creek is located just North of Edmond at the intersection of Coffee Creek and Boulevard/Broadway, our entrance comes in off Broadway. Please call for specific directions to our facility and class schedules. We look forward to having you visit our facility.
Coffee Creek is a member of the North American Riding for the Handicapped (NARHA), which consists of over 700 centers in the United States. NARHA provides education, safety standards and instructor certification. The center is funded by unsolicited gifts and donations from various interested organizations, businesses and individuals in the community and by equipment grants. Coffee Creek is also a United Way Partner Agency which receives designated contributions from individuals.
History
Student Benefits
Volunteer Opportunities
Location
Phone: (405) 340-8377
Affiliations
Funding
*If you would like to partner with Coffee Creek to help us continue to provide free therapeutic riding, click below.*