Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding Breaks Ground at New Home in Havre de Grace

Havre de Grace has an air of tranquility about it, and now more people will benefit from its healing powers.

Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding, which provides horseback riding and healing experiences for those with special needs in Harford County, broke ground Thursday at its future facility on Tydings Lane.

The organization offers therapeutic services to adults and children with special needs, disadvantaged or at-risk youth and the elderly, according to a statement from Harford County government.

Currently, Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding has a facility in Fallston, the statement said.

Looking for a permanent headquarters since 2003, the group has bounced from Bel Air to Havre de Grace to Fallston, trying to find a facility it can afford, according to The Aegis, which reported the organization became a recreation council in 2011, making it eligible for county funding.

Harford County moved forward Thursday with a groundbreaking to celebrate the first phase of the effort to build a new facility at Oakington Farms. Phase one includes design, demolition of dilapidated structures, construction of driveways and parking areas and creation of future pasturelands, the statement said.

"We are beginning phase two, which will be the design and construction of an indoor riding arena," Harford County Director of Parks and Recreation Arden Case McClune said. Construction on the indoor arena will begin in 2015, McClune said.

The new facility will allow the organization to reach more individuals in need, according to Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding Executive Director Cathy Schmidt.

"We will have the facilities to expand and implement new ideas," Schmidt said. "Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding at Oakington will have the capacity to serve more vulnerable people in our community."

The program serves more than 200 people each year, mostly with developmental disabilities, and has five horses and 80 volunteers, The Aegis reported.

Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding provided $75,000 toward the $420,000 cost of phase one for the new facility; and Harford County Executive David Craig challenged it to chip in $75,000 more, according to the county's statement.

"This is a wonderful partnership to help serve the citizens of Harford County," Craig said. "Teaming up with Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding will make a big difference in the county."

Harford County's Board of Estimates approved a nearly $370,000 contract in April for Dixie Construction to begin work on phase one—to construct fencing for three pastures on 39 acres, build a parking lot, grade 3 acres and provide stormwater management, according to The Aegis.

"Thank you, Harford County, for investing in the health and well-being of people with special needs, disadvantaged youth and the elderly," Schmidt said.

On Thursday, officials from Harford County, Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding and Harford County Parks and Recreation came together at 900 Tydings Lane to mark the next phase of development for Oakington Farms. After raising their shovels, they celebrated the event with a reception at nearby Swan Harbor.

Future phases of the project include renovating existing structures for stables and equipment storage, McClune said.

Getting the facility ready will cost an estimated $1.02 to $1.17 million altogether, according to McClune, who said Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding should be able to move in by late 2015.