Therapeutic Riding Communication Boards
Give every rider a voice!
Enhancing safety, independence, and inclusion while making every ride more connected, confident and engaged.
Therapeutic riding boards give every rider a voice—enhancing safety, independence, and inclusion while making every ride more connected, confident, and engaging. Designed specifically for PATH Intl. certified centers, speech-language pathologists (SLPs), occupational therapists (OTs), and equine-assisted therapy volunteers, these Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tools bridge the communication gap in the barn, arena and mounting ramp.
By integrating a dedicated visual framework into the physical environment of an equestrian center, we provide a reliable communication anchor that ensures all riders can participate actively and safely.
Why Equine-Assisted Therapy Centers Need AAC Boards
Implementing communication boards is about more than hanging a sign; it’s about creating an intentional culture of inclusivity at your equestrian center. In the high-sensory environment of a stable or arena, verbal speech can often “lock up” due to anxiety, excitement, or sensory overload.
A dedicated equine therapy AAC board provides a reliable visual safety valve. It removes the stressful burden of initiation from nonverbal, minimally verbal, or emerging communicators. By offering a shared vocabulary that everyone in the arena can see and use, you level the playing field. Instructors, volunteers, parents, and riders all look at the same symbols together, creating joint attention—the precise cognitive connection that serves as a precursor to deep social bonding and successful therapeutic outcomes.
Custom AAC Solutions for PATH Intl. Certified Centers
Every equestrian center operates differently, which is why standard layouts don’t always fit. Our therapeutic riding boards feature an expansive core vocabulary layout that is 100% customizable to meet your specific Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) needs. Whether your program utilizes the Modified Fitzgerald color-coding system or Gossens’ Made to Order layouts, we adapt the board to match the systems your riders already use at home or school, ensuring seamless therapeutic carryover.
Improving Rider Safety and Independence with Visual Supports
Safety is the absolute priority in equine-assisted activities, and clear communication is a critical safety component. Therapeutic riding boards empower riders to actively direct their experience and advocate for their own physical boundaries.
Instead of trying to decipher a rider’s distress or discomfort, staff can rely on the board as an immediate tool for functional communication and self-regulation. By placing the boards strategically within high-transition zones, riders are equipped to express their needs spontaneously, preventing sensory meltdowns and dangerous misunderstandings before they happen.
Emergency Icons: Stop, Help, and Hurt Functions
In an active riding arena, quick action is vital. Our therapeutic riding boards include prominent, universally understood symbols like “Stop,” “Help,” and “Hurt.” If a rider experiences a sudden lapse in balance, feels pain, or realizes their saddle cinch is too tight, they can point to the board to communicate their discomfort or safety concerns instantly and effectively to instructors and sidewalkers.
FAQs - Clear Answers to Your Questions about Therapeutic Riding Boards
What materials are best for arena or barn use?
An equestrian arena is a demanding environment subject to dust, dirt, moisture, and fluctuating temperatures. Paper or laminated communication tools simply cannot hold up to daily barn wear and tear, and high-tech electronic AAC devices pose a damage risk around horses. Our heavy-duty communication boards offer a permanent, low-tech solution that is always ready to use, no charging cables or batteries required.
Built specifically to withstand rigorous indoor and outdoor stable environments, our therapeutic riding boards are printed on premium, all-weather aluminum composite or Alumalite alloy. These materials are completely weather-tested, scratch-resistant, and easy to clean, ensuring the high-contrast icons remain vivid and legible for years to come.
Can I customize the icons or layout of the Equine AAC boards?
Our Therapeutic Riding boards are 100% customizable. The standard layout and vocabulary set have been professionally curated by Speech-Language Pathologists to ensure they meet the needs of a wide range of individuals who would benefit from using these boards. By utilizing a fixed set of industry-standard symbols, we provide a consistent “language” that can be easily recognized by staff and students across different rooms or facilities
Where should I Install the communication board?
To maximize interaction, we suggest installing your therapeutic riding boards at the specific “eye level” of the horse-and-rider combination. Ideal locations include high-transition areas where natural pauses occur, such as right beside the mounting ramp, near the arena entrance gate, or along the perimeter fence lines where instructors cue changes in gait or direction. If the board will be installed in the barn, we recommend the top of board be no more than 36″ off the ground to best accommodate individuals in wheelchairs.
What is the best way to teach how to use a communciation board?
Modeling is one of the most powerful ways to encourage functional language in the arena. Instructors and volunteers can naturally integrate the communication board into the lesson routine. For example, a sidewalker can point to the “Go” symbol before leading the horse forward, or point to “Whoa/Stop” at the end of a ring. By demonstrating how to use the icons during everyday arena interactions, you show the rider that the board is a valid, valuable, and trusted method of communication.
Are these boards appropriate for all ages?
Yes. While the symbols are clear and easy for children to understand, the design is professional and dignified enough for use with individuals of all ages. Therapeutic riding boards are beneficial for anyone experiencing communication barriers.
Aluminum Composite Communication Boards
$550 - $675
- Our Therapeutic Riding Boards are available in 3 sizes : 2’x3′, 4’x3′ and 3’x2′
- All communication boards are 100% customizable to meet your needs
- All of our communication boards are availalbe with Boardmaker or SymbolStix symbol systems.
- Color code systems available per your request: Modified Fitzgerald or Gossens’
- Made to Order
- Inventory: In Stock
The vocabulary layout for our Therapeutic Riding Boards includes core and fringe vocabulary. All of our communication boards are 100% customizalbe to meet your needs and the needs of your riders.
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Installation of our therapeutic riding boards are easily accomplished with standard everyday tools. We provide suggestions for installation. We strongly suggest placing boards at the “eye level” of the horse/rider combo or near high-transition areas like the gate or the mounting ramp to maximize engagement. Please contact us directly if you have specfic questions.
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