The second annual GALLOPNYC Ride with Pride celebration kicked off with a grand parade through Prospect Park led by Parade Master John Franzeb, where GALLOPNYC volunteers and riders, mounted on horses, carried the GALLOPNYC banner, and a herd of paper−mache horses.
After a ribbon award ceremony conducted by NYC Deputy Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey, Ride with Pride showcased the riding skills that GALLOPNYC students have learned throughout the past year. Many of GALLOPNYC’s 90 riders participated in the free, public event.
GALLOPNYC families also celebrated Father’s Day with a day in the park supporting their accomplished riders, where some dads saw their children ride for the first time.
About 40 riders demonstrated walk, sitting trot, posting trot, steering and games, under the guidance of instructors Ben Goldberg, Suzanne Marquard and Dianne Montegue.
Spectators were able to watch riders, meet the horses and ponies, and learn about horses and horseback riding from GALLOP riders and volunteers. The Prospect Park Zoo also offered a free horse craft for kids to make.
Horses were provided by Kensington Stables, where GALLOPNYC has been offering therapeutic riding lessons since 2007.
The mission of GALLOPNYC is to bring the joy of therapeutic riding to people with disabilities in NYC. They serve riders who present a broad range of disabilities, including: learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, emotional disabilities, at risk teens, and children in counseling.
