Alatheia Therapeutic Riding Center To Expand With Indoor Arenas

Alatheia Therapeutic Riding Center is building a new primary indoor arena in Sunnyslope. 

It's part of the nonprofit's Double the Capacity capital campaign.  

Alatheia Therapeutic Riding Center Director of Development Daria Land says the new facility will be a game changer. 

"We will double our capacity and we will also be able to offer services all year round," said Land. "Right now, we're only (functioning) during spring summer and fall, and we're closed during the winter due to weather." 

Alatheia currently only offers outdoor riding at its operation near Monitor. 

Land says the $6.5 million project is moving forward because it is 70 percent funded. 

"We own the property," Land said. "We've gone through all the permitting process with the county and just got everything approved. Now, our first arena is going up." 

The new site will have two indoor arenas once the project is fully funded and complete. 

The nonprofit offers therapeutic horse–riding lessons for children and adults with disabilities and veterans with mental health issues – anxiety, depression, PTSD and suicide ideation. In addition, Alatheia has a third program called Barn Buddies, which trains children with disabilities in work and life skills that can be used for transferable employment in the future. 

The new Sunnyslope location will have a larger indoor arena that’ll serve children and adult riders with disabilities. A second smaller arena will be reserved for veterans to offer them more privacy as they deal with mental health issues. 

Alatheia currently serves 105 riders weekly with therapeutic horses but has a waiting list of 80 within the four-county area it serves – Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counties. 

The completion of the Sunnyslope facility will double the nonprofit’s ability to handle riders and eliminate the waiting list. 

Alatheia Therapeutic Riding Center is a 501(c)(3) organization that gets its funding through private donations and large event fundraisers. It also receives grant money from private foundations, trusts and occasional state funding 

The new facility should be completed and operational by the end of 2025.