Rocking Horse Rehab

What Rocking Horse Rehab does

Rocking Horse Rehab is a privately held pediatric rehabilitation and family wellness center founded in 2001 by speech-language pathologist Sheri Marino. The company delivers a unified portfolio of equine-assisted clinical therapies and traditional therapeutic disciplines, including hippotherapy (PT/OT/Speech), Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP), adaptive riding, and treatment-room services. Clinical delivery is anchored to American Hippotherapy Association training standards and PATH Intl. registration, with staff carrying specialized credentials such as AHA Level 1 and CTRI certifications. The center's primary customers are children from age 2 through adolescence with autism, cerebral palsy, developmental disorders, and related conditions, along with their families; secondary segments include young adults with developmental delays, adults with mental health needs, schools and districts, and corporate or recovery groups seeking wellness retreats.

The underlying service platform is built around a single physical site — until 2025 at Essex Equestrian Center in West Orange, NJ and now at Lord Stirling Stables in Basking Ridge, NJ, a 500-acre Somerset County Park System property with indoor and outdoor arenas, 14 acres of trails, and dedicated treatment rooms. Service revenue is generated primarily through fee-for-session therapy (hippotherapy, OT, PT, speech, EFP), recurring school-based programs (some integrated into student IEPs), summer enrichment programs, wellness retreats, and life-skills programs. Distribution is direct, with referrals driven by word-of-mouth, school partnerships, and outreach to 18+ college/university internship programs; pricing is contact-based and not publicly disclosed. Operations are founder-owned and founder-led, with no disclosed institutional capital, M&A activity, or multi-site expansion.

Name

Rocking Horse Rehab

Legal name

Rocking Horse Rehab

Website

https://rockinghorserehab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Pediatric Physical Therapy & Developmental Rehab (HSADAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Medicine, Lameness & Performance (Equine) (HLAMABAJ), Horse Boarding, Livery & Stable Operations (AFAEAGAG), Equine Rehabilitation, Layup & Retirement Facilities (AFAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Equine assisted therapy
• Pediatric rehabilitation
• Hippotherapy services
• Occupational therapy
• Therapeutic riding

Headquarters

HQ city

West Orange

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Therapy Services: Fee-for-service therapeutic sessions including hippotherapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and equine facilitated psychotherapy for children with disabilities and their families.
2. School Programs: School-based equine therapy programs, field trips, and weekly sessions that can be incorporated into student IEPs. Includes partnerships with music programs.
3. Wellness Retreats: Group wellness retreats for corporate team building, recovery, and field trips, customized to meet group needs.
4. Summer Programs: Summer enrichment programs combining equine activities with arts, crafts, martial arts, and music programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rocking Horse Rehab provides equine-assisted therapies including hippotherapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and equine facilitated psychotherapy for children with disabilities and their families. Services are delivered by state-licensed, American Hippotherapy Association-trained, and PATH Intl. registered therapists at a dedicated treatment facility with horses, indoor/outdoor arenas, and treatment rooms.

Product overview

Rocking Horse Rehab is a pediatric rehabilitation and family wellness center offering a unified portfolio of equine-assisted therapy services and traditional therapeutic programs. The center operates as a single integrated service platform centered on hippotherapy as the core treatment modality, supplemented by mental health services (Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy), adaptive riding programs, school programs, and specialized support services. Key services include Hippotherapy (PT/OT/Speech), Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, Adaptive Riding, Therapeutic Riding, School Programs, Treatment Room Services, Hay University Life Skills Program, Saddles and Sunshine sibling support, Healing with Horses wellness retreats, and Horsemanship/Humanship Skills Training. The center also partners with The Jam Cats Music Program for integrated music therapy within school programs. Services are delivered by state-licensed therapists trained by the American Hippotherapy Association and registered with PATH Intl.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hippotherapy (PT/OT Services Utilizing Equine Movement) A treatment strategy using evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning in purposeful manipulation of equine movement to engage sensory, neuromotor, and cognitive systems to achieve functional outcomes. Offered by occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology professionals for children with disabilities.
• Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) An experiential form of psychotherapy involving a partnership with a client, therapist, and an equine. The horse acts as a biofeedback machine, providing clients and therapists with information regarding moods and changes within those moods.
• Adaptive Riding and Equine Assisted Horse Education Athletic education of recreational equitation for those with special needs and abilities, including adaptive horsemanship that works toward cognitive development, motor skills, balance, coordination, muscle tone, focus, attention, and emotional awareness.
• Therapeutic Riding Teaches basic riding skills while assisting in the development of cognitive, physical, and social skills for children with special needs in a therapeutic manner.
• Treatment Room Services (Comprehensive OT and PT) Comprehensive occupational therapy and physical therapy services provided in dedicated treatment rooms, allowing continued work toward functional goals after hippotherapy sessions in a sensory-based treatment room.
• School Programs Educational equine experiences customized to suit therapeutic and educational needs, including Hippotherapy, Developmental Riding, Therapeutic Riding, Equine Assisted Activities, Music Programs, and Art Therapy. Field trips and weekly services available, may be added to student IEPs.
• Saddles and Sunshine (Sibling Support) Therapeutic support group for siblings of children with special needs, designed to help siblings manage feelings of anxiety, depression, embarrassment, and jealousy. Facilitated by a licensed clinical social worker, may be combined with therapeutic riding classes.
• Hay University Life Skills Program Life Skills Program designed to help meet the needs of young adults with developmental delays, consisting of vocational training, therapeutic riding, and group psychotherapy to promote social, emotional, and physical healing.
• Healing with Horses (Wellness Retreats) A wellness retreat using horses to provide immediate, objective feedback enabling awareness of emotions, attitudes, and behavior patterns. Programs include corporate team building, recovery retreats, and high school field trips.
• Horsemanship/Humanship Skills Training Social skills training program emphasizing social connections between horses and humans. Includes mounted and unmounted opportunities, uses a training manual to promote generalization of skills from barn to home and school. Upon completion, students earn the Horsemanship/Humanship Skills Award.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Haven International Center for AutismminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2016Sheri Marino traveled to Ghana, Africa for the opening of Haven International Center for Autism. As part of the Haven professional team, Sheri provided staff training, led a developmental clinic for children at risk of autism, and donated a videoconferencing center on behalf of The Autism Think Tank NJ.
• The Autism Think Tank NJcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSheri Marino serves as Executive Director of The Autism Think Tank NJ, a 501(c)(3) organization that coordinates medical videoconferences with distinguished physicians collaborating on medically complex autism cases globally.
• Focus for Health FoundationminorOthersProvided financial support for Haven International Center for Autism opening. Sheri Marino serves as Pediatric Health Advisor, contributing clinical expertise to guide the Foundation's mission addressing chronic health issues related to environmental causes.
• The Jam Cats Music ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with The Jam Cats Music Program for school programs, offering music therapy services as part of the equine therapy experience.
• County College of MorrisminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 18 colleges and universities providing student interns for occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and mental health therapy programs.
• Delaware UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 18 colleges and universities providing student interns for therapy programs.
• Rutgers UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 18 colleges and universities providing student interns for therapy programs.
• Seton Hall UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 18 colleges and universities providing student interns for therapy programs.
• Montclair State UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 18 colleges and universities providing student interns for therapy programs.
• Kean UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOne of 18 colleges and universities providing student interns for therapy programs.
• Somerset County Park System (Lord Stirling Stables)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRocking Horse Rehab's new home at Lord Stirling Stables, part of the Somerset County Park System sitting on 500 acres with outdoor arenas, indoor arena, and 14 acres of scenic trails.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mane Stream: New Jersey-based equine therapy center (formerly Somerset Hills Handicapped Riding Center) offering adaptive riding, equine-assisted activities, and therapy services to children and adults with disabilities. Geographic overlap with Rocking Horse Rehab's tri-state footprint and similar multi-disciplinary service model with PATH Intl. affiliation.
• Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Academy: Long Island, NY-based therapeutic riding center serving children and adults with disabilities through adaptive riding, hippotherapy, and equine-assisted learning. Direct regional peer with similar service mix, PATH Intl. credentials, and population focus to Rocking Horse Rehab.
• BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding & Educational Center: One of the largest therapeutic riding and equine-assisted therapy centers in the United States, based in Poplar Grove, Illinois, serving children and adults with disabilities through hippotherapy, therapeutic riding, and equine-assisted learning. Comparable multi-program service portfolio and growth trajectory to Rocking Horse Rehab.
• High Hopes Therapeutic Riding: Nonprofit therapeutic riding center in Norwalk, Connecticut providing equine-assisted services to children and adults with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities. Comparable scope, certification standards (PATH Intl.), and population focus to Rocking Horse Rehab's pediatric therapy model.
• Cheff Center for the Riding Disabled: One of the oldest and largest therapeutic horseback riding centers in the US, located in Augusta, Michigan, offering equine-assisted services including hippotherapy and adaptive riding to people with disabilities. Direct analog to Rocking Horse Rehab's combined clinical-therapy and adaptive-riding model with similar population focus.

Others

• American Hippotherapy Association: National industry association that sets clinical practice standards and certifies therapists (including AHA Level I credentials held by RHR staff) in hippotherapy. Ecosystem enabler that legitimizes and supports practitioners like Rocking Horse Rehab rather than a direct competitor.
• PATH Intl. (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International): National accrediting body for therapeutic horsemanship programs and certified instructors (CTRI credential). Certifies Rocking Horse Rehab's adaptive riding staff and provides industry standards; ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.

Regional players

• STRIDES Toronto: Canadian equine-assisted therapy center (Ontario) providing therapeutic riding and related services for children and adults with disabilities. Comparable offerings to Rocking Horse Rehab but serving a different geography with publicly-funded provincial healthcare reimbursement model.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Specialized Hospital (RWJBarnabas Health): New Jersey's largest pediatric rehabilitation system providing comprehensive OT/PT/Speech, mental health, and developmental services across multiple inpatient and outpatient sites. A broader incumbent in the same pediatric therapy market without equine-assisted modality, representing meaningful competition for referrals and therapist hiring.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Rocking-Horse-Rehab-221306885118
• Instagraminstagram.com/rockinghorserehab
• Xx.com/rhr_horses
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rocking-horse-rehab

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rocking Horse Rehab