Cheff Center

Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center is a nonprofit organization in Augusta, Michigan, dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with disabilities through equine-assisted services and education. Founded in 1969 as North America’s first therapeutic riding center built specifically to serve people with disabilities, Cheff provides a supportive, inclusive environment for participants ranging from toddlers to adults over 80. Its programs serve people with physical, behavioral, emotional, and cognitive challenges.

Services include therapeutic riding, an adaptive sport that develops riding skills and supports healthy exercise, and hippotherapy, in which specially trained physical, occupational, or speech therapists use the horse’s movement to help address individual treatment goals alongside traditional therapy. Ground-based programs offer unmounted horsemanship and school group visits, while mental health programming includes self-care events and activities for teens and tweens. Cheff also provides instructor training, workshops, apprenticeships, internships, and mentoring through its education programs.

A herd of more than 15 equine partners, professional staff, and trained volunteers supports the center’s work. Cheff welcomes community involvement through volunteering and donations.