Agape East, which provides equine assisted therapy for kids and adults, has notified participants that the Greenfield-based program is being put on hold this year.
GREENFIELD — Agape Therapeutic Riding Resources has suspended programming at its Greenfield location this year as officials say they’re focused on hiring and training instructors and therapy horses to enhance the program in 2025.
Program participants, parents and volunteers received word of the closure in an email the first week of May.
In a press release sent to the Daily Reporter May 6, Agape’s marketing and fundraising director, Kimberly Watts, shared that the temporary closure was due in part to the increasing demand for therapeutic horseback riding and equine-assisted learning.
“Becoming a PATH certified instructor, a requirement at Agape, takes 6-18 months to complete depending on the individual’s prior horse experience,” she wrote.
“Roughly 1 in 10 horses has the personality and temperament required to be a good therapy horse, and the trial period takes a minimum of 60 days before they become an official member of the Agape herd. Keeping up with the demand for services and navigating the lengthy process of adding instructors and horses, along with recent staff changes in Greenfield, is a challenge.”
The announcement comes less than seven weeks after three employees at the Agape East site — at 531 W. 100 South in Greenfield — opted to end their employment on the same day, March 22.
One of those employees, Jennifer Wright, is now offering her own equine-assisted therapy program called Harnessing Hope.
Anne Meils recently shared her concerns with the Daily Reporter about how she says her adult son was dismissed from the Agape East program this spring after being a regular rider for the past 25 years. Meils said they were told no horse was available for him.
Meils shared a letter she said was sent to Agape’s board president outlining concerns she has with the changes at the Greenfield facility.
In it she voiced concern over the recent staff changes, saying: “Emily Pagett began her work with Agape as a volunteer and later was a PATH certified instructor and in management until recently when she resigned after 13-plus years. She was a jewel. Jennifer Wright, PATH certified instructor, managed the Greenfield location until recently. She was a jewel. She resigned. Caroline Johnson, the equine director, was excellent in her effort to take good care of the horses to advance Agape. She resigned. Ainsley Flannery, the latest PATH certified instructor at east Agape, was another jewel. She resigned.”
A former Agape East volunteer reached out to the Daily Reporter with similar concerns, over both the exodus of employees and the care of the horses at the Greenfield barn.
Amanda Dehoney, director at Greenfield Hancock Animal Management, said a welfare check was requested but that her department found no violations when visiting the facility May 9, and that the horses were being well cared for.
Agape officials say the horses at the Greenfield location will be relocated to Agape’s main site in Cicero as the nonprofit focuses on acquiring more staff and horses in preparation for resuming programming in Greenfield next year.
According to last week’s press release, the nonprofit plans to provide opportunities for participants to visit the Greenfield facility throughout the year this year. Watts said facility improvements will also get underway, including the installation of a circular driveway for easier and safer entry and exit into the parking lot, the construction of an observation deck and the installation of arena lighting.
Sandy Segneri, whose daughter Juli, 13, has been riding with Agape for over five years, said it’s unfortunate that all the riders who rely on the Greenfield site have been abruptly left without services this year after an email was sent out as recently as March 3 expressing excitement over the upcoming season.
“That means all the kids have nowhere to go,” she said.
The Indianapolis woman said she wasn’t totally surprised by the closure, since she’s kept in touch with the staff members who recently left the program.
Her daughter now gets equine-assisted therapy from three different programs, including Wright’s.
“I thought it (the closure) was coming considering the fact that they didn’t do much around the property in the last year,” she said.
Agape’s executive director, Stephanie Amick, remains positive about the future of Agape East.
“It’s heartbreaking to know that we can’t welcome everyone back this season, but in the long run, stepping back now ensures we can continue to make an impact in Hancock County and surrounding communities long into the future,” she said within last week’s press release.
