Our Story
Talisman is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Grasonville, Maryland, and is the only year-round, full-time adaptive horseback riding center on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Each year, Talisman provides life-changing experiences to a diversity of participants across its broad range of program areas. The beautiful 28-acre farm provides a peaceful setting to serve people of all ages with cognitive, physical, emotional, and social challenges, disabilities, and diagnoses. Participants come from many of the counties in Maryland, Baltimore City, Northern Virginia, and the surrounding Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Talisman is a certified Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH) Member Center. It employs PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructors (CTRI) to provide unique equine experiences through careful instruction and delivery of therapeutic activities. The instructors can also partner with licensed therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social service workers to create individualized client plans and lessons.
In addition, Talisman is one of 42 licensed stables across the state certified as a Horse Discovery Center by the Maryland Horse Industry Board. Professional staff are employed to provide quality, entry-level experiences to individuals beginning their equine exploration.
Talisman uses a rolling enrollment program to provide our participants with consistent, valuable equine-assisted activities. Lessons are customized to the participant and are conducted at the same time once per week. Our participants are long-term investments. Talisman’s approach to programs provides ample opportunity for our participants to work toward their health and wellness goals and to progress in the variety of equine programs through the entire year. We are committed to serving the community notably employing this client-centered approach at our farm.
Our Guiding Principles
The professional team at Talisman passionately believes in the life-changing potential of equine-assisted activities and the transformative power of nature and the outdoors. We are dedicated to providing our services to people of all backgrounds and abilities, and strive to create an environment where everyone feels welcome and valued.
We believe all children deserve extraordinary opportunities to grow and explore life within their own means. We deliver exceptional experiential programs to children as progressive learning pathways toward positive living and independence.
We respect our active-duty military, veterans, and first responders, and honor their sacrifices. We stand united with his group and support personal journeys of healing in the present environment with programs focused on strengthening mental and physical resiliency.
We understand that the trust of our supporters, patrons, and partners is the foundation of our organization. As stewards of donor funds, we are committed to transparent and responsible fiscal management.
Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, International Member Center
The PATH Intl. (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) was founded over 50 years ago. Its mission is to promote safe and effective therapeutic horseback riding.
PATH carefully evaluates its member facilities, ensuring that they are upholding the over 150 standards to sustain viable programs using best business practices, provide compassionate, humane equine management, program- specific standards, facility maintenance and precautions and contraindications for disabilities. PATH centers must also uphold and abide by the core values of a PATH center including: Access and Inclusion, Compassion and Caring, Cooperation and Collaboration, Education, Excellence, Innovation, Integrity and Accountability, Professionalism, Service, and Holism.
Likewise, instructors who are PATH certified must pass a rigorous training and testing process to work within the therapeutic riding program. Therefore, becoming a PATH certified instructor and facility enables the team to provide excellent programs for both the participants and the equines.
Maryland Horse Discovery Center
Horse Discovery Centers are licensed stables that volunteer to become a Horse Discover Center. To be accepted into the program, the stables must meet stringent criteria and eagerly welcome newcomers with open arms to educate them about horses and horsemanship. Criteria includes proof of commercial liability insurance; written programs and procedures addressing safety rules and public outreach; clean, sanitary conditions, equipment, and facilities; and of course, well cared for and healthy horses!
Horse Discovery Centers strive to provide the general public with a safe, friendly, and educational experience, particularly for those individuals who have never or rarely experienced horses personally. In essence, Horse Discovery Centers are a fantastic way to inclusively connect Maryland’s people and horses.
Maryland Corps/Service Year Option
Talisman is honored to serve as a Host Site Partner in the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation (DSCI), Maryland Corps and Service Year Option Programs. These programs offer a year of professional growth and career exploration where participants can earn a salary, gain new skills, and identify where talents and purpose intersect, all while serving the community with fellow Marylanders. Service roles provide participants with job training, on-site mentoring, and resources to be successful. Together, Talisman and the DSCI equip people with character, leadership, and life skills that can be used today and in their future careers. This platform allows Talisman a means of advocacy in professional development for many of our participants and volunteers, and a great way to magnify the importance of service to the community.
American Hippotherapy Association
The American Hippotherapy Association (AHA), Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides educational resources and continuing education courses for occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology professionals who incorporate equines, equine movement, and the equine environment in treatment. AHA, Inc. is the only organization in the United States whose focus is on educating licensed healthcare professionals on therapy services involving equines. The term hippotherapy refers to how these professionals use evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning to utilize equine movement and interaction as a therapy tool to engage sensory, neuromotor, and cognitive systems to promote functional outcomes.
As an AHA, Inc. member, Talisman is committed to partnering with licensed healthcare professionals to offer equine-assisted activities as a complement to other therapeutic practices. We invite interested healthcare workers to visit the farm; tour the facilities; and meet our staff, instructors, and herd as we familiarize them with our work and our mission. This outreach has resulted in healthcare providers around the state referring their patients to Talisman as a means to integrate hippotherapy into their plan of care.
Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating
Talisman is honored to have earned a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator, the highest possible distinction awarded by America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This rating is reserved for nonprofits that demonstrate exceptional financial health, accountability, and transparency.
Only a small percentage of organizations achieve this top rating, which reflects our strong commitment to using donor contributions efficiently and responsibly. That means that when you give to us, you can trust that your support is being used as effectively as possible to advance our mission and create meaningful, lasting impact.
This four-star rating isn’t just a symbol—it’s a promise to our supporters that we hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity, stewardship, and effectiveness every day in our mission to provide quality services to our participants and to our community.
