Employing horses in a working farm environment, Challenge Unlimited at Ironstone Farm provides beneficial therapy for people with a wide range of physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities. The two primary programs are Challenge Unlimited and Ironstone Therapy – both using the horse’s unique ability to enhance a person’s movements and touch a person’s heart, inspiring strength, hope and encouragement. The farm’s professional staff of over 20 licensed instructors and therapists work with 35 program horses and 200 volunteers to serve 450 to 500 children and adults each week, year round.

Coming from more than 90 cities and towns throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire, participants enjoy the aesthetic beauty of the farm while receiving valuable therapy in collaboration with other service providers to best address their physical and emotional needs.

Primary Programs include Therapeutic Riding, Recreational Riding and Hippotherapy--physical and occupational therapies and speech/language pathology.

New programs in the near future will include partnerships with the mental health professionals to provide equine-assisted mental health therapies. A recent pilot program for persons with cancer and cancer survivors yielded an incredibly positive response. Look for programs such as these to be launched by 2010.