About Us
The Children's TherAplay Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit pediatric outpatient clinic just north of Indianapolis serving children with disabilities. But, that’s just the beginning of the story.
Children's TherAplay is the largest clinic in the country providing physical, occupational, and speech therapies on horseback, through an innovative treatment strategy called hippotherapy. Our kiddos experience transformational outcomes through these unique therapies.
The Children’s TherAplay Foundation came from the most unlikely of beginnings. In 2000, an Indianapolis-area occupational therapist contacted Craig Dobbs, owner of Lucky Farms, about borrowing some of the Lucky horses to help special needs children utilizing an innovative form of treatment called hippotherapy.
Blessed with four children of his own, Craig was happy share some of Lucky Farms' resources to help children in need, especially when he began to see for himself what the therapist had told him to begin with: Hippotherapy works.
In 2001, Children's TherAplay became a not-for-profit organization, still on the grounds of Lucky Farms. In the following years, Craig and other caring individuals helped expand our offerings and our facilities.
Today we are proud to offer pediatric physical, occupational, and speech therapy in a state-of-the-art an sensory-rich children's clinic and indoor arena. Each day we are honored to contribute to and celebrate the first steps, first words, first jumps, and other remarkable gains of Central Indiana children with disabilities.
The mission of The Children's TherAplay Foundation is to provide children with disabilities a foundation for developing life skills through innovative therapies, including physical, occupational, and speech therapies using a horse as a treatment tool, in a safe and caring environment.
The Children's TherAplay Foundation is to be the nationally renowned leader and educator in physical, occupational, and speech therapy on horseback, which is enthusiastically endorsed as an effective treatment tool for children with disabilities.
Children's TherAplay collaborates with organizations that share our passion for improving the lives of those we serve. By providing a warm and supportive environment, we help children and their families achieve their goals and dreams.
Why does it matter that Children's TherAplay is a United Way of Central Indiana partner agency?
United Way agency partners must go through a certification process, ensuring each program is fully vetted and certified. The United Way partner agency logo guarantees your contributions are being used wisely and appropriately.
We're proud to say Children's TherAplay has received the highest rating possible in this intensive evaluation, and to be an official partner agency of the United Way of Central Indiana.
The Children’s TherAplay Foundation, Inc. Diversity Statement
1. Diversity is a process of valuing differences in people through actions. These differences include: ethnicity, gender, age, physical ability, communication style, sexual orientation, economic status, education and culture. Diversity impacts our mission-driven programs and services developed by our volunteers and staff, as well as mechanisms to monitor, measure and report progress toward achieving desired results.
2. The Children’s TherAplay Foundation, Inc. does not discriminate against any child or parent based on race, age, sex, creed, national origin, religion or disability in any of its activities including admissions, access to services and/or employment.
3. The Board of Directors of The Children’s TherAplay Foundation, Inc. will provide equal opportunity in employment and in the delivery of services, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, or sexual preference. Employment actions and activities include, but are not limited to, hiring, discharging, classifying, transferring, promoting or upgrading, demoting, determining pay rates, participation in staff benefit programs, training or re-training, assigning work tasks, tools, equipment or space. The Children’s TherAplay Foundation, Inc. shall, to the fullest extent possible, refrain from making financial or contractual commitments to any other agency, organization, business or industry which practices, condones or perpetuates discrimination in employment and/or provision of services.
4. The Children’s TherAplay Foundation, Inc. is committed to the inclusion of and full participation by all persons in the achievement of its mission. Because we value the diversity of our community, The Children’s TherAplay Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors, staff and community stakeholders encourage the recruitment of a diverse workforce. It is the belief of all associated with The Children’s TherAplay Foundation, Inc. that bringing together different experiences, beliefs and cultures allows for the best possible services to our constituencies.
