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01/1993 - THE IDEA IS CONCEIVED

The History of JHTRA

Article from JH News & Guide Wednesday, August 26 1998

The Jackson Hole Therapeutic Riding Association began as a gathering of three friends who wanted to help improve people’s lives.

In 1993, Elaine Infanger, DeDe McDonald and Robin Lightner got together to discuss therapeutic riding.

Infanger and Lightner had been involved in local equestrian organizations and had heard about the benefits of the therapy. McDonald was a physical therapist who had been helping C-V students learn to ride on a horse he borrowed from Sheriff Roger Millward.

The women knew that therapeutic riding was helping people around the world, and that in horse country like Jackson, it could be a particularly relevant method of therapy.

The trio quickly put a plan into action: they enlisted therapeutic riding pioneer Lida McCowan to teach them techniques and benefits and recruited board members and volunteers. Lightner hired Kay Northup as an administrator to help set up the organization….

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