Feature Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Education Center

Sprout Riding Instructor Nancy Davidson posing with students

Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Education Center

Nestled in the heart of Virginia horse country, Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Education Center in Aldie, Virginia is the “happy place” for hundreds of people in the Northern Virginia community with differing ABILITIES. It’s a place where all individuals are accepted for who they are and empowered to live without limitations… with the help of horses.

Sprout has served its community faithfully since 2011 – using hands, hearts, and horses to meet the needs of individuals with physical, cognitive, social, and emotional needs. The center has 15 staff (7 instructors), 18 horses, 135 weekly students, and hundreds of big-hearted volunteers who make up a community of POSS-ABILITARIANS (people who see others for their abilities and focus on the positive). The organization resides on the first ADA-accessible barn built for clients with disABILITIES in Northern Virginia and all staff are certified to teach adaptive riding and/or driving through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH International).

When COVID-19 hit – causing Sprout to close to students for the spring, the instructors decided to see the opportunity amidst the challenge - an opportunity for growth! Through the spring and summer, Sprout’s instructors worked as a collaborative team to earn teaching certifications through ARIA in hunt seat, fox hunting, dressage, carriage driving and recreational riding.

Sprout’s Founder and Executive Director, Brooke Waldron, is proud of her team’s commitment to continual growth and learning. “As an organization, we choose to focus on embracing growth, challenging ourselves to continually refine and improve our knowledge, horsemanship, riding and teaching - because our students are worth it”, she says. “Pursuing ARIA certifications gave us a wonderful opportunity to hone our skills and find ways to embrace the equestrian disciplines we love while keeping an eye on the bigger picture - creating a broad and diverse barn that has the ability to meet the needs of a spectrum of equestrians.”

The newly-certified instructors at Sprout Center are: Brooke Waldron who earned Level 2 Dressage and Stable Management, Anna Koopman who earned Level 2 Driving and Stable Management and Level 1 Recreational Riding, Kayla Elias who earned Level 2 Dressage and Recreational Riding, Heather Henken who earned Level 2 Dressage and Hunt Seat on the Flat, Pam McAfee who earned Level 2 Dressage, and Lacy Warner who earned Level 2 Hunt Seat

Sprout students and horses at an annual horse show (at Sprout Center).

Sprout Driving Instructor Anna Koopman instructs student Caroline during a driving lesson.

Newly certified ARIA instructors (pictured left to right) Heather Henken, Anna Koopman, Brooke Waldron, Pam McAfee, Lacy Warner, Kayla Elias

Sprout Riding Instructor Heather Henken, teaching a group of students about horse senses and behavior (with the help of Jack the pony).

and Riding to Hounds. These instructors join Nancy Davidson, a Sprout instructor who is already ARIA certified, making Sprout the first barn in Virginia to have instructors hold dual certifications to teach traditional and adaptive riding.

This fall, the Sprout staff have been busy, serving over 125 students weekly through riding, driving and ground work lessons (both adaptive and traditional). Sprout has also expanded its program offerings to offer more opportunities for those looking for activities outside of the home -- including “Little Sprouts” -- an equine education program for young equine enthusiasts, an inclusive 4H Club, and an enhanced equine-employment program for young adults.

Sprout’s instructing team is proud to be part of the ARIA community, and to promote the key values of Safety, Knowledge, and Integrity that are at the heart of the ARIA philosophy!

Sprout student Kate mounting her horse using the wheelchair lift, supported by Founder and Executive Director Brooke Waldron.