The Daviess County Public Schools district is concluding another successful season of partnership with Dream Riders of Kentucky Inc. According to its website, Dream Riders “provides individuals with physical, cognitive, social and/or emotional needs an opportunity to experience the joy of riding and the therapeutic value of horses.”
The final session of the year will take place on Thursday, April 21, at the Dream Riders stable, located at the Daviess County Lions Club Fairgrounds, 4705 Winkler Road, Philpot. Students from Highland Elementary School will be on site from 8:45 to 10:15 a.m., and students from Burns Middle School will be there from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
“We work with Dream Riders to provide an opportunity for students to work on social and emotional learning skills in a unique environment,” said DCPS district counselor coach Krystal Goins. “Each week, there is a theme or focus area, such as building relationships, empathy, teamwork or self-regulation. (Dream Riders executive director) Sandy Webster and her incredible team of volunteers lead students through activities with the horses that allows them to practice these skills.”
Goins’ role is to help students and staff members make connections with how the skills may be applied outside the riding arena, including at school, home and in the community.
DCPS has celebrated many success stories throughout its partnership with Dream Riders. Among the most recent are a current Heritage Park High School student who has become a regular volunteer with the program. “She is using the skills she has learned to help others, and she is applying these skills in her family and work environment,” Goins said.
