BOH PEP 4H

Dear Families,
We are pleased to announce the dates for the 2026 BOH-PEP 4-H (MSU Extension-Oakland County 4H) Proud Equestrian Program located at the Bloomfield Open Hunt Club, 405 E. Long Lake Rd at Kensington Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304
We will be offering three 8-week sessions. Each has three classes. 6:30, 7:15, 8:15
Spring dates Summer Dates Fall Dates
March 30 – May 18 June 1 – July 20 August 3 – Sept 28
(Sept 7, Labor Day no classes)

Please review the schedule and choose the session(s) you CAN attend. Please indicate if you can only commit to one class time or are open to any slot available. We can schedule a rider for one session, one class only.
To participate in 2026 BOH-PEP 4-H, this is what will be required of you. Please read and be prepared to complete the following list (1-8) which previews the application process. Required documents will be sent to you in January by our 4-H office, so please be sure you are enrolled in Oakland County 4-H.

Current 4-H enrollment is required of all program rider families. There is no fee for enrolling.
Families can join 4-H any time after September 1, 2025, for the year 2026. Specific PEP forms will be sent in January.
Questions regarding 4-H membership should be directed to Kelly Morris, kemorris@msu.edu, or Jordan Hewitt, hewittj8@msu.edu, our 4-H program manager.
A face-to-face evaluation will be required for all new to the program rider candidates to determine if the program is a good fit for them. In some cases, returning riders will also need to be evaluated.
To determine if the applicant is a compatible match for the program, we need their height, weight and if they use special equipment (walker, wheelchair, braces, for example). Complete information allows the professional instructors to arrive at the best decision for the rider (and four-legged volunteer)!
We will refund the $50.00 fee if we are unable to place your applicant.
To be considered for the program (any session) the application and all the forms must be completed and returned, along with your check for $50.00, payable to BOH-PEP 4-H CLUB no later than March 1, 2026. Class size is limited. (If you are unable to pay the $50.00 fee, please contact Mame for a confidential discussion regarding the possibility of a scholarship for your rider).
Please include a current head/shoulder photo (school photo? Would be perfect!)
We must have ALL the forms completed to consider the rider for placement. We cannot accept photocopies or email attachments (Physician signature is required by 4-H. Sometimes called a “wet” signature).

https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/michigan_4_h_enrollment
https://msu.samaritan.com/custom/502/volunteer_home

The Oakland County 4H Proud Equestrian Program (PEP 4H) is a therapeutic riding program for people who are mentally and/or physically challenged. It improves physical, social and emotional needs in a recreational setting.

Families and volunteers share the rider’s joy as they accomplish goals and experience success. This shared experience creates a bond among families, their rider, horse and volunteers. This bond we hope lessens the sense of isolation that families often experience.

• Safety is always our number one concern
• Improved motor coordination and balance: Riding a horse requires both coordination and balance. Because of this, therapeutic horseback riding improves these areas in students who may otherwise have difficulties due to their disabilities.
• Core Strengthening: The movement of the horse at walk replicates the normal human gait of walking.

BOH-PEP and our instructors are certified through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International.
BOH-PEP is an Oakland County 4H Youth Development, Michigan State University Extension program. Our primary sponsors are Variety, The Children’s Charity (Tent 5) and the Bloomfield Open Hunt Club.

We are grateful to them and for all the many volunteers that make this valuable, impactful program possible.

Dear Families,
We are pleased to announce the dates for the 2026 BOH-PEP 4-H (MSU Extension-Oakland County 4H) Proud Equestrian Program located at the Bloomfield Open Hunt Club, 405 E. Long Lake Rd at Kensington Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304
We will be offering three 8-week sessions. Each has three classes. 6:30, 7:15, 8:15
Spring dates Summer Dates Fall Dates
March 30 – May 18 June 1 – July 20 August 3 – Sept 28
(Sept 7, Labor Day no classes)

Please review the schedule and choose the session(s) you CAN attend. Please indicate if you can only commit to one class time or are open to any slot available. We can schedule a rider for one session, one class only.
To participate in 2026 BOH-PEP 4-H, this is what will be required of you. Please read and be prepared to complete the following list (1-8) which previews the application process. Required documents will be sent to you in January by our 4-H office, so please be sure you are enrolled in Oakland County 4-H.

Current 4-H enrollment is required of all program rider families. There is no fee for enrolling.
Families can join 4-H any time after September 1, 2025, for the year 2026. Specific PEP forms will be sent in January.
Questions regarding 4-H membership should be directed to Kelly Morris, kemorris@msu.edu, or Jordan Hewitt, hewittj8@msu.edu, our 4-H program manager.
A face-to-face evaluation will be required for all new to the program rider candidates to determine if the program is a good fit for them. In some cases, returning riders will also need to be evaluated.
To determine if the applicant is a compatible match for the program, we need their height, weight and if they use special equipment (walker, wheelchair, braces, for example). Complete information allows the professional instructors to arrive at the best decision for the rider (and four-legged volunteer)!
We will refund the $50.00 fee if we are unable to place your applicant.
To be considered for the program (any session) the application and all the forms must be completed and returned, along with your check for $50.00, payable to BOH-PEP 4-H CLUB no later than March 1, 2026. Class size is limited. (If you are unable to pay the $50.00 fee, please contact Mame for a confidential discussion regarding the possibility of a scholarship for your rider).
Please include a current head/shoulder photo (school photo? Would be perfect!)
We must have ALL the forms completed to consider the rider for placement. We cannot accept photocopies or email attachments (Physician signature is required by 4-H. Sometimes called a “wet” signature).

This program is designed for persons with special needs.

Riders have an evaluation as to their specific needs for optimum benefits of participating in the riding program.
The age is primarily young children over the age of five, and is also open to ages upward.
A physician’s note and recommendation is required.
Therapeutic horseback riding improves upon the social skills of people with disabilities who may have difficulty interacting with others. This improvement starts with the bond that is naturally built between the individual and the horse during the lessons that are given.
Horses stimulate the senses in a number of ways that are beneficial for people with certain disorders such as those which fall within the autism spectrum. The rider’s vision, hearing, sense of touch and smell are all stimulated by the sounds, smells and the feel of the horse itself. When the horse is in motion, the stimulation is to the student’s tactile senses. This creates both sensory enjoyment and/or appreciation for the act of riding.

“Lessons are designed with the individual rider in mind.”

Under the guidance of our trained instructors, horseback riding provides an excellent form of physical and emotional therapy.

Our main goal is improving our rider’s body function through the movement of the horse.

Along the way, our program nurtures an improved self-image for each rider. This is accomplished through reinforcing existing abilities and challenging riders to strive for greater achievement within the scope of each individual. Even the most reluctant rider soon discovers that horseback riding is fun as well as beneficial. Each lesson consists of riding instruction, exercise and games on horseback. Parents of riders are enthusiastic in describing the physical progress and improved self-confidence in their rider. We feel our students truly benefit in mind, body and spirit. BOH-PEP is NOT just any pony ride!

Mame Orban Administrative Director BOH-PEP 4H
248-990-1289 marydellen@yahoo.com

Volunteer Coordinator : Sue Agauas
586 707 1369 smagauas@gmail.com

Jordan Hewitt, 4H Program Coordinator
hewittj8@msu.edu,

MSU Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, or veteran status.