“It is a name that reflected how we can support veterans, special needs individuals and their families to rise victoriously above their circumstances,” Managing Director of Development Becky Rasbeary said.
Victory provides equine-assisted services, including physical therapy that incorporates a horse’s movements, therapeutic riding and the Horses for Heroes program.
Rasbeary said people who participate in the physical therapy program have a disability, such as scoliosis, spina bifida or cerebral palsy.
“The repetitive movement of the horse simulates pelvis movement. ... The gait of the horse mimics a human’s gait,” she said. “When a horse walks, they’re walking for that person, so they [the riders] are exercising their pelvis, strengthening their core, back and legs.”
Therapeutic riding, Rasbeary said, assists clients with physical, mental, cognitive, social or behavioral issues while teaching riding skills.
Victory’s Therapeutic Riding Manager Sarah Bichara said the dominant age group using therapeutic riding services has shifted from children to teens since 2020.
“A lot of riders we are getting calls for now may have something cognitive or physical they’ve dealt with their whole life, but now because of their challenges and post-COVID[-19], they’re also struggling with mental health as well,” Bichara said.
Through a partnership with nonprofit Traffick911, Rasbeary said Victory has also started seeing quite a few girls who survived human trafficking.
Horses for Heroes is a program established to help veterans. Its motto is “We serve those who have served.”
Rasbeary said veterans are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, anger management, anxiety and depression.
Instructors at Victory are certified through PATH—the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International.
Rasbeary, who started working at Victory in 2019, said she spends her days talking to donors, hosting community talks, conducting tours and planning events.
“Horses are very expensive,” she said. “I bring in the money and watch it go out. It’s the nature of the beast.”
The center is situated on a 27-acre ranch with a 17-horse barn; large indoor and outdoor arenas; and areas for horses and riders to explore sensory stations designed and built by Eagle Scouts.
Rasbeary said a $1.5 million donation from Don and Linda Bowden of Keller was instrumental in shaping the center into what it is today.
“They provided a large gift for us to build our arena [and] barn, and put up all our fencing because they believed in Victory,” she said.Here are some ways to support the nonprofit Victory Therapy Center.
HOW TO HELP
•Sponsor a rider ($20-$400/month)
•Sponsor a horse ($750-$5,000/year)
•Take part in a fundraising event
•Attend a volunteer orientation
•Attend a lunch and learn
Victory Therapy Center, 10600 Dunham Road, Roanoke. 682-831-1323. https://victorytherapy.org. Office hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat.-Sun. closed. Class hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Sun. closed
