HETRA Expands Online Educational Platform to Tackle COVID-19 Obstacles

With its facility in Gretna closed since early March due to the coronavirus, the Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy (HETRA; www.HETRA.org) has continued to serve the community through online educational efforts. In the last eight weeks alone, HETRA University has produced more than 35 live webinars geared toward equine-assisted activity professionals, participants, and volunteers.

As the only site in the state of Nebraska with premier accreditation from the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Itl.), HETRA has employed the wealth of knowledge and experience of its instructors to produce high-quality informative content. The Academy also partnered with Hoof Falls and Foot Falls to host on-demand versions of their most popular webinars.

HETRA University provides everything from educational short videos to virtual tours of their campus, coloring pages, worksheets, and story time segments with their miniature horses. While its leadership looks toward reopening the campus in the near future, these materials are available for viewing and download, free-of-charge at www.HETRA.org.

In June, HETRA returns its primary focus to the 2020 Horse of the Year Race (HOTY). While COVID-19 has significantly affected HETRA’s ability to provide on-site services, the HETRA Herd still needs support. The HOTY campaign is vital to the herd’s annual care, covering expenses such as food, supplements, veterinary care, and more. Ten teams currently are raising funds, and the 2020 Horse of the Year will be crowned mid-summer.

HETRA’s mission is to improve the quality of life both physically and emotionally of adults and children of all ability levels through equine-assisted activities. Learn more at www.HETRA.org or call (402) 359-8830.