Beloved nonprofit in financial trouble as demand grows for its horse therapy programs

A Kennewick-based nonprofit that uses horses to help children and adults with a range of disabilities is struggling to stay afloat.

For the first time in its 10-year history, Therapeutic Riding of Tri-Cities is trying to raise $18,000 in donations from the community to help it through the winter, said Cynthia MacFarlan, TROT’s founder and executive director.

TROT serves hundreds in the Tri-Cities area with physical, psychological and social challenges by offering a range of therapeutic riding and other equine programs in the spring and fall.

“We see beautiful things happen every day in the arena with the learning, smiles and laughter of these children and adults who don’t have a lot of other opportunities to participate in therapeutic recreation,” MacFarlan said.

MacFarlan has a background as a speech and language pathologist, using dogs and horses to help clients.

She told stories of largely non-verbal participants speaking up around the horses and of riders with physical limitations relaxing their bodies while riding.

TROT started in 2014 as a pilot program with four riders and two horses working in an arena on MacFarlan’s property in Pasco.

So far this year, there have been nearly 300 participants in TROT programs, using nine horses housed at the center.

It was an all-volunteer organization for more than six years.

To keep up with the growing interest in their programs, TROT expanded to a new property in Kennewick in fall 2020 and over time have hired the equivalent of five employees – some part-timers and some full-time – plus volunteers.

Services include adaptive riding classes, led by a certified instructor of riders with disabilities, riding skills classes and programs for local nonprofit partners (Path to Success), a free program for health care workers, first responders and veterans (Horses Helping Heroes) and a series for younger riders ages 9 to 15 (Trotter Club).

But offering more services mean TROT has increased costs including more horses, instructors, space and administrative resources needed to sustain programs.

The organization operates on a budget of about $200,000 per year, with revenue coming from fees for programs tuition, grants, event sponsorships and public donations.

But MacFarlan told the Herald tuition charges are minimal. The adaptive riding class currently costs $380 for an 8-week program.

To cut costs this year, TROT has laid off staff or reduced their hours and paused the center’s portable toilet service among other changes.

MacFarlan has also given up her salary for the next few months.

TROT created a new monthly donor program, with a goal of 200 donors by the end of October. There also is a Sponsor a Horse program, plus options of one-time donations and planned giving.

Some fundraising events are also planned, including TROT or TREAT and a movie on Oct. 25, Cowboy Christmas in December and TROT’s MANE benefit event in June 2025.

MacFarlan said they hope someday to be to invest in a covered arena to be able to operate year-round and serve customers on the waiting list for programs.

When registration opens in February for the spring session, classes will typically fill up within three hours. There were up to six families on the waiting list for the fall 2024 session.

More information, including ways to donate, can be found on the TROT website.