A project that has been in the works for more than two years is now a reality at SPURS Therapeutic Riding Center in Aberdeen. A sensory trail has been added to the property to engage riders in new ways as they maneuver their horses around different obstacles and across various terrains.

“This has been a bit of a pipe dream for everybody at SPURS for quite a while,” SPURS Executive Director Becky Fischbach said. “There are all sorts of stations to entice all of their senses.”

SPURS is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities through therapeutic horseback riding. SPURS has indoor and outdoor horse arenas, but the addition of the new James H. Thompson Sensory Trail will offer fun and unique challenges for SPURS riders.

The trail includes 15 different sensory stations and obstacles. There is a station that has several hanging pool noodles that the riders can pass through similar to a car wash. Several stations are set up to take the horses over varying terrains including concrete, rubber, wood chips, and chopped-up pieces of tires. There is even a roping station where riders can toss a lasso around the horns and head of a plastic steer. The stations are designed to provide riders with different sensations and engage all their senses as they ride on the trail.

“It is such a unique asset that brings a new set of challenges for our riders,” Fischbach said.

Fischbach got the idea to add the sensory trail back in 2019 when she visited the Naples Therapeutic Center in Florida. Fischbach said most therapeutic horseback riding centers in the United States have sensory trails and when she got back from Florida, she got to work with her staff designing a trail for the SPURS property. Funding for the project was donated by the Jack Thompson family to memorialize his younger brother. The Thompsons have been longtime supporters of SPURS and its mission.

SPURS worked with Quest Construction and Jacobs Construction to develop the plan for the sensory trail. The plan included a grand entrance made from large logs and a metal sign to recognize the Thompson family for their contributions. Fischbach, however, was not sure where they would get the poles until she mentioned the project to Northern Electric CEO/General Manager Char Hager earlier this summer.

“Becky was showing us the plans for the new sensory trail, and she wasn’t sure where they were going to get the poles for the entrance and I said, ‘we’ve (Northern Electric) got poles,’” Hager said.

Northern Electric donated four large used utility poles to construct the sign. Northern Electric linemen delivered the poles in September and helped construct the sign at no charge.

“It is nice to give back to the community and our guys like to do something like that every now and then,” Northern Electric Cooperative Operations Manager Jerry Weber said.

“It was just so impressive how everyone came together to work together and get it done,” Fischbach said.

The new eye-catching entrance draws riders’ attention to the sensory trail the moment they arrive on the property. It gets them excited to use the trail that will become part of the regular programming for SPURS riders and staff.

“It will become a part of our program. It is just a huge asset as we venture outside the arena and over to the sensory trail,” Fischbach said.

An asset that has been years in the making and will continue to benefit SPURS riders for years to come.