PAWsitive Stories
In celebration of TROtt’s (Therapeutic Riding Association of Ottawa-Carleton) 50th anniversary, Giant Tiger welcomed Dianne Urquhart, Executive Director, and John Ross, Board Member of TROtt to Giant Tiger Home Office to share the inspiring work their organization is doing to support our community through therapeutic riding.
“We’ve been operating for 50 years at this point, since 1975. During this time, we’ve been providing horse-assisted services, whether people are riding the horse or unmounted programs on the ground for people with disabilities that really improve their quality of life,” said Dianne.
Today, TROtt proudly serves over 500 individuals annually, providing more than 3,500 hours of therapeutic services each year in the Ottawa-Carleton region.
“Many of our staff are part-timers, and we have a robust Board of roughly ten individuals, bringing a broad range of skills. On top of that, we have 250 volunteers a week, providing about 9,000 hours of service a year, and they are really the heart of what makes TROtt work,” said Dianne.
Therapeutic riding has a long-standing history, backed by extensive research, demonstrating its profound impact on the lives of individuals with disabilities.
“It’s just peoples’ happy place – it’s a place that people want to come to, they make friendships, they build their confidence and improve their mental health just because it’s really fun and engaging,” said Dianne. “We customize all the activities to the needs of the individual participant and for example, for individuals with physical disabilities, it is well documented that it improves strength, balance, and range of motion, etc.”
Participants also experience mental health benefits from the program, including reduced anxiety and stress, simply through their interactions with the horse.
“The horse will reflect their emotions and feelings – there’s a non-verbal communication between them and the individual. With that, again, there’s profound changes that we see. For example, some veterans and first responders that are coming to programs with PTSD, along with young people who are dealing with mental health issues. Just having something to look forward to, it has really turned things around.”
Giant Tiger’s longstanding partnership with TROtt reflects a shared commitment to inclusion and community support, helping bring life-changing programs to those who need them most.
For more information on TROtt, please visit www.ottawatherapeuticriding.ca.