Halleck Creek Ranch

Through equine activities and therapeutic riding we will help participants end their isolation, improve cognitive, physical and developmental domains and quiet anxious minds. Through our programs, participants will be able to access wild natural landscapes ordinarily not accessible to them, and face adventurous, physical and emotional challenges while learning horsemanship skills in the context of a warm supportive community that will have a lasting positive impact on their health and quality of life.

Employing the teaching standards of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH, Intl.) we provide high-quality equine assisted services designed to promote health, independence and freedom. We operate year-round, providing more than 4,000 hours of programs annually. We are dedicated to breaking barriers to inclusion of people with special needs in our communities. We direct a large and robust volunteer program that brings people from surrounding communities to help deliver our programs and foster a fuller understanding of people with special needs.

Building on over 40 years of experience at our historic 60-acre ranch, our certified instructors, dedicated board, donors, and more than 150 volunteers will deliver rigorous, fun and adventurous equine assisted activities throughout the year. As a member center of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH, Intl.) we stay abreast of current research, methods, and best practices in helping people with special needs.

Our facilities include an 80' X 120' covered arena, an ADA-acceible wheelchair ramp for mounting horses, adaptive equipment, indoor ADA-accessible restrooms, picnic areas with ADA-accessible tables, and private 2-mile trail into a redwood grove. We are the only program in the area able to offer authentic trail rides into the wild and rugged landscape surrounding our property.

We offer 45-minute therapeutic riding lessons four days a week, as well as 75-minute lessons on Saturdays, which are reserved for authentic trail rides deep into Nicasio Valley. These exciting rides feature traverses up hillsides, creek crossings and opportunities for wildlife viewing.

Our highly trained and passionate staff, loving therapy horses and dedicated volunteers are a winning combination that help our students get outdoors, achieve their goals, and feel good about themselves.

Growing from just one day of riding a week, today we operate five days a week, offering 5 eight-week sessions throughout the year comprised of individual and group 45-minute and 75-minute lessons and/or trail rides. Our Saturday trail rides are designed to emphasize the therapeutic connections between people, animals, and nature. These lessons begin with stretching and warm-up exercises, followed by a trail ride through the beautiful hills of western Marin County, and give the riders’ families the opportunity to socialize and support one another in a relaxed, welcoming environment.

Our weekday lessons are designed to give our participants the opportunity to work one-on-one with an instructor/volunteer team to build skills in the arena that are specifically tailored for the individual's goals and therapeutic needs. All lesson planning begins with staff selecting which horse, volunteers, tack and equipment will work best with each person.

We also offer summer riding camps for youth and young adults under 25 and other special programs to help our community thrive. One such program is called the Vocational and Life Skills (VALS) program. In an effort to meet the needs of our community, we launched a formal vocational program for young adults with disabilities to help them develop skills they can take with them into the future. Facilitated by trained staff, VALS provides special needs youth with the opportunity to develop a set of useful life and job skills while also cultivating emotional intelligence.

Open to youth and young adults, the curriculum is intentionally crafted to meet the needs of the participants and builds upon itself allowing for deeper understanding and application of core concepts and offers repetition to increase development of new skills. Each week explores a special topic and highlights animals, plants or general ranch duties.

We believe that physical work gives everyone, especially those with disabilities, purpose and dignity, and helps them achieve independence and self-sufficiency. To our knowledge, no other programs offered in a ranch setting currently exist, and it is clear to us that there is a great need for such a program within our community.