Back Bay Therapeutic Riding Center

Back Bay Therapeutic Riding Center offers therapeutic riding lessons, Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL), Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy & Therapy (EAPT), and other horse-based activities. Participants take part in equine-assisted services that include hands-on interaction with horses and other equine-assisted programs.

• Ages: 5–18 years old

Back Bay Therapeutic Riding Center’s mission is to provide therapeutic riding lessons, EAL, and EAPT, along with other horse-based activities designed to nurture the body, mind, and spirit of individuals with physical and mental special needs, while offering a forever home to a herd of rescued, donated, or abandoned horses. The program is one of the last remaining horse sanctuaries in Newport Beach and provides a permanent home for rescued animals, including ten horses, a pig, a goat, and chickens. The specialized staff includes certified Therapeutic Riding Instructors and Equine Specialists in Mental Health & Learning who are EAGALA certified. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a member of PATH Intl., the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship.

Back Bay Therapeutic Riding Club has been serving the community for more than twenty years and became a nonprofit in 2007. The leadership team includes founder Bernadette Olsen, her husband Jeff, their sons Ebo and Jeffrey, and longtime friend Larry Lake. The program has worked with over 1,000 volunteers, served more than 600 individuals with special needs, and hosted many occupational therapy students for their first fieldwork experiences. Volunteers of all ages help care for the animals, support riders, and sustain the daily life of the ranch. The barn is described as a place of hope, belonging, and healing, with a focus on improving physical ability, emotional regulation, and confidence, and therapeutic riding is described as helping improve balance, joint mobility, coordination, muscle tone, posture, socialization, and communication.

Last updated March 13, 2026.