Dream Catchers and The College of William and Mary's Research Intends to Refine Therapeutic Riding Practices
Dream Catchers at the Cori Sikich Therapeutic Riding Center in Williamsburg does more than riding lessons. People from all over the world come to Dream Catchers to work towards their PATH International certifications and certifications as therapeutic riding instructors at both the registered and advanced levels.  Research is essential to the further development of best practices which could help instructors and students use therapeutic riding to its fullest potential. Dream Catchers and the College of William and Mary have completed initial research that will help refine best practices of therapeutic riding and their research team is ready to move to the next phase.
Since the prevalence of autism appears to be increasing, there is a specific interest in research with students with autism. Dream Catchers’ initial research has shown that therapeutic riding benefits children with autism. In 2011, Dream Catchers’ research team’s preliminary study of 21 autistic children showed positive benefits of behavior which was reflected in the children’s classrooms. Partnerships between school systems such as York County and Williamsburg-James City County provided opportunities for students to ride during the school day. These partnerships played an important role in the research efforts. The research team presented their findings at the PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) International Conference in Lexington, KY and the Council for Exceptional Children’s spring 2012 conference in Denver, CO. Their study has also been submitted for publication to the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
The research team is ready for the next stage of research so that the benefits of therapeutic riding for children with autism can be further demonstrated; however, the main goal is to develop evidenced based best practices across disabilities. The next stage of research will include 60 children, divided into 3 groups. The first group will participate in non-horse oriented outings to the facility; the second group will have limited interaction with the horses while the third group will receive therapeutic riding lessons. The study will take 24 months and reveal if it is the actual riding that produces the benefits. Allen R. Jones, Jr., owner and CEO of Dominion Physical Therapy, is committed to donating assessments for a group of severely challenged children in York County to examine improvements from riding.

Aside from helping build best practices of therapeutic riding, providing solid evidence and results could also aid in obtaining funding from government and private donors. Dream Catchers has applied for national grants and raised some local funding but additional funding is needed. According to Nancy Paschall, Executive Director of Dream Catchers, even a donation of $20 a month means a lot to them.
 
 
 
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