New stalls added at London therapeutic riding centre

The Sari Therapeutic Riding Centre held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday to celebrate their latest expansion.

The SARI Therapeutic Riding Centre north of London has expanded.

The centre has four new stalls that were unveiled Tuesday afternoon.

SARI Executive Director Lisa Citton-Battel told CTV News the demand for the agency’s services continues to grow and they’ve been adding horses to address that demand, but the recent additions needed accommodations, “The project started with our team prioritizing for new stalls for SARI so that during inclement weather they wouldn’t have to stay in the arena. They would each have their own place to stay.”

The arena is filled with sand and it’s hard to keep it clean when horses are staying in there.

Their first call was to long-time supporter Doug Wastell and the team and Wastell Homes.

They volunteered to help and came up with a plan to expand the main building, putting an addition where an exit door already existed.

Architectural plans were donated by Strik, Baldinelli, Moniz, and Langford Lumber supplied materials for the structure.

The missing pieces were the unique components for the stalls. Citton-Battel said that’s when something magical happened, “The following day, I received a call, and it was one of those ‘did that just happened?’ moments. Marion Donaldson offered four interior stalls to SARI after we just committed to building four stalls. So, we were very fortunate. We said ‘Yes, we’ll take them.’”

That’s when SARI volunteers stepped in to clean-up, revitalize and install the stalls.

SARI leadership said the new horses will allow them to serve up to 35 new program participants annually, increasing capacity from 350 to approximately 385 participants each year.

The organization is registered not-for-profit organization located on Medway Road, north of London, providing adaptive riding to people with disabilities.

“This expansion represents so much more than just physical space,” said Citton-Battel. “It means more opportunities for people with disabilities to experience the joy, connection, and confidence that comes from working with horses. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped bring this project to life.”

The agency raises funds in two ways. One third of the money collected to support the centre comes from fees and the rest comes through donations and other fundraising efforts.

Their next fundraising event is an Artisan Auction taking place on Oct. 18 at the SARI centre.