Special Olympics

Great Strides Long Island has been partnering with Special Olympics since 2005. We offer an 8-week training session to prepare athletes for competition in the regional horse show at HorseAbility in SUNY Old Westbury. The 2023 training sessions begin on Monday, July 3 and will be held until Friday, August 11. Two additional weeks of training sessions will be held in the fall, dates to be determined. Sessions are comprised of small groups. The goal is to give athletes instruction and practice to prepare them for the horse show.

The Special Olympics show is a great opportunity for riders to show off their skills and experience a competitive event. Athletes are proud of their ribbons and medals and always eager to try again next year!

Special Olympics is only able to support a limited number of athletes for training. All athletes must register to participate.

Please fill out the Special Olympics registration form at this link for registration.

PLEASE NOTE: All athletes are expected to participate in the show and attend 8 training sessions. We build in a couple of extra sessions in case of holidays or other issues. If an athlete cannot make a regularly scheduled lesson, they are expected to give at least 24-hours advance notice. Athletes who do not attend all eight sessions may not be allowed to participate in the horse show. Those who do not compete in the show will not be able to participate in the next season’s training unless cleared by the Great Strides Executive Director.