TRAC Awarded $20K PATH Intl. Grant to Expand Equestrian Access for Special Needs Riders
7/21/2025
Centenary University Equestrian Center | Long Valley, New Jersey
NULL
Centenary University’s adaptive riding program provides equine-assisted services for adults and children with physical and cognitive disabilities, as well as specialized populations like veterans.
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ, July 21, 2025—TRAC (Therapeutic Riding at Centenary) has been awarded a $20,000 grant from PATH Intl., a global organization leading the advancement of professional equine-assisted services that support more than 53,000 special needs individuals. The University’s adaptive riding program is one of the few collegiate training grounds in the nation for students seeking a career in equine-assisted services.
Disbursed over two years, the PATH Intl. Bob and Toni Mallet Access Grant will support diversification of program offerings, thus reducing the waitlist for TRAC, which provides equestrian opportunities for adults and children with physical and cognitive disabilities, as well as specialized populations such as military veterans, at-risk youth, and residents of assisted living facilities. TRAC participants benefit from equestrian experiences that can result in physical, social-emotional, and cognitive benefits, while enhancing goals such as balance, strength, and sensory integration. In addition, the grant will support three paid internships per year for enrolled Centenary University students in the process of becoming PATH Intl. certified therapeutic riding instructors (CTRIs).
TRAC currently serves 95 individuals annually with a staff of three credentialed professionals, as well as a host of trained volunteers from the University and surrounding communities. The program usually has a waitlist of 10 for its therapeutic riding and horsemanship programs, which can translate into more than a year’s wait for services, according to Director of TRAC and Assistant Professor of Equine Studies Karen Brittle. “Ten people on a waitlist may not seem like a large number, but when you consider that TRAC’s therapeutic riding program generally serves 25 individuals in any given program session, that number is significant,” Brittle explained. “Typically, individuals wait between 12 and 18 months for participation in therapeutic riding or horsemanship—and sometimes longer. We’re so grateful to PATH Intl. for this grant and their commitment to TRAC and our participants.” Brittle noted that there is not currently a waitlist for TRAC’s veterans programming.
Centenary is a higher education member of PATH Intl., with TRAC designated as a Premier Accredited Center. In recent years, PATH Intl. has recognized TRAC staff and participants for excellence: TRAC participant Vika Christian was selected PATH Intl. Youth Equestrian of the Year, while the University’s resident veterinarian, Jesslyn Bryk-Lucy, D.V.M., was named PATH Intl. Veterinarian of the Year for Region II. More recently, Brittle earned PATH Intl. certification as a master level therapeutic riding instructor—the highest certification offered by the organization.
ABOUT CENTENARY UNIVERSITY
Centenary University offers extraordinary learning opportunities that empower students to develop intellectually, emotionally, and interculturally—keys to career and personal success. Under the leadership of President Dale Caldwell, Ed.D., the University aspires to advance its reputation as a world class institution offering innovative programs, including the world’s first Master of Arts in Happiness Studies, to lift the future for our students and local communities.