About
Stride Ahead
At Stride Ahead, we empower people in need to achieve their highest potential. We partner with horses using proven methods to assist with personal, social, educational, and physical development.
Stride Ahead professionals are trained and certified by the most widely respected equine assisted therapy associations, including the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International and the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association.
About Our Work
As far back as the ancient Greeks, horses have been used for therapeutic purposes. In addition to building strength, stamina, and coordination through riding, they are also valuable emotional companions.
Horses are keen observers, often mirroring people’s emotions in a way that conveys both understanding and support. If you’ve ever wanted someone to be here with you—engaged and without judgment—a horse is an ideal companion.
At Stride Ahead, our programs pair horses’ natural gifts with qualified human facilitators (equine and mental health professionals) to address a variety of circumstances.
Stride Ahead Programs:
Each one provides integrated care in the form of physical and emotional support.
Stride Ahead Staff and Board Members
Board Members
Katherine Branch
Terrence Burroughs
Joselyn Cassidy
Chris Lobkowicz
Caroline Moise
Raymond Payne
Dan Reed
Bonnie Sturgeon
Core Team
Karen Maloney
Susan Perlman
Anne Preston
Miracle Rankin
Pam Smith
Staff
Pam Smith, Program Director, Instructor
Abbey Luke, Instructor
Nancy Scott, Bookkeeper
Karen Maloney, Volunteer Coordinator
Stress Relief & EAL/EAP Team
Susan Jung, LPC
Bobbi Woolwine, LCSW
Chris Lobkowicz, ES
Anne Preston, ES
Pam Smith, ES
Rider of the Month
Click below to meet a few of our riders!
Volunteering at Stride Ahead
The programs we offer wouldn’t be possible without a devoted group of volunteers putting in hours at the barn. Stride Ahead volunteers include horse owners, horse lovers, students, and neighborhood residents who appreciate how horses can help humans.
We’re always looking for good people to help us make a difference. We host regular volunteer training sessions and volunteer mentoring opportunities for those interested in working with the horses.
Stride Ahead’s History
The spark that would become Stride Ahead began with Anne Preston’s experience of her daughter’s healing journey. From 1996 to 2002, her daughter suffered from an eating disorder that threatened her life. With the help of doctors, nurses, and medicine, her daughter recovered. Throughout her daughter’s journey, however, Anne noticed that some of the most immediate and profound benefits came from the time her daughter spent with therapy animals.
The effect that horses and dogs had on her daughter’s healing process inspired Anne. She wanted to create a space where people could engage with horses in a way that might alter the trajectories of their lives.
In 2006, Anne began Hands On Horses, a program that allowed children with disabilities, at-risk youth, and elderly clients to connect with these evolutionary partners of ours.
Inspired to dig deeper into this kind of therapy, Anne undertook a two-year self-education program with the leading practitioners of equine-assisted therapies across the United States. She earned her certification as a therapeutic riding instructor from PATH International, and as an Equine Specialist from EAGALA (Equine-Assisted Growth and Learning Association). In 2008, Anne gathered a team of other certified equine specialists, PATH instructors, and volunteers to begin providing therapy programs at Little Creek Horse Farm. In 2009, Stride Ahead, Inc. was formed and recognized as a 501c3 nonprofit.
Anne’s vision for Stride Ahead is for everyone who interacts with the organization to benefit from it; that each client, horse, volunteer, donor, vendor, or ally moves closer to their fullest potential as a result of their experience with Stride Ahead.
The daughter whose healing was the original inspiration for this journey is now thriving and happy, living and working nearby, to the delight of her parents.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or would like to get involved, please reach out to Pam Smith.
Email: pashme01@gmail.com
Telephone: 404-217-4895