Wine, Dine and Whinny

Exceptional Equestrians is excited to hold our annual Wine, Dine and Whinny auction virtually this year! We may not be able to get together in person, but we have some great items to auction off for a wonderful cause. All proceeds will go to help Exceptional Equestrians provide therapeutic riding and licensed therapy sessions to invdividuals with special needs.
2020 has been a year like no other. We started our Spring semester in March with more than 140 clients each week, our biggest semester to date. And two weeks in, we had to close down. Thanks to our outdoor environment and the nature of our service, EE was able to re-open on a limited basis in May and is currently fully operational. However, many changes have been put into place to protect the safety of our clients, volunteers and staff. Most sessions are one-on-one with a client and instructor. Staff is filling many roles that were previously served by volunteers. We are frequently disenfecting, wearing masks and re-formatting the traffic flow of our facility and sessions. While we have not raised our cost to clients at all, and in fact are providing financial assistance to even more clients, EE's cost per unit of service has increased greatly. EE participants pay, at most, $35 per session, while our cost is currently closer to $150 per session.
Events like Wine, Dine and Whinny help make up the difference! Please consider purchasing an auction item to help support EE during this difficult time.

At EE, we use horses to help change the lives of individuals with special needs.
Exceptional Equestrians of the Missouri Valley, Inc. is a volunteer based, not-for-profit organization providing people with disabilities enjoyable, affordable horsemanship experiences for therapeutic effect, developing and strengthening mind, body and spirit.
EE provides services to more than 140 individuals each week. Our clients have a wide range of special needs, including autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrom, traumatic brain injuries, ADHA, learning delays and much more. They participate in therapeutic riding, licensed physical and occupational therapies, job skill training, summer camps and much more.
At Exceptional Equestrians, our nationally accredited instructors, state licensed therapists and specially trained horses and volunteers facilitate sessions that lead to life-changing results. Using the movement of the horse along with the proven benefits of human/animal interaction, EE helps our clients to meet their goals and see significant improvements in crucial life skills. After participating in sessions at Exceptional Equestrians, clients report progress in balance, coordination, muscle strength, following directions, social interaction and much more.
Some clients see huge progress- they may learn to walk or talk for the first time thanks to skills mastered on their horse. For others, the changes are smaller but no less important. Learning to use both hands to steer their horse may allow them to feed themselves. Completing an multi-step obstacle course helps clients stay on task at school and have more success in the classroom. Being able to control such a large animal builds confidence for participants who may not have control of many other areas in their lives.