The Spirit of Christmas is a family friendly event and fundraiser for Greater New Orleans Therapeutic Riding Center, with thousands of LED lights and decorations, tasty holiday treats ($), Christmas Character greets, Christmas trees, pony rides ($) and much more! The event, named after one of Greater New Orleans Therapeutic Riding Center’s therapy horses “Spirit”, is presented by GNOTRC and Destrehan Plantation and held next to the Plantation Home in Destrehan, Louisiana, off Exit 6 from I-310. The Spirit of Christmas is a 1/4 mile tour that winds through 5 acres of stately oak trees. The tour sports over 70 lighted frames, over 50 Christmas trees, a lighted tunnel, and features “The Cajun Night Before Christmas”, by Trosclair, with permission from Arcadia Publishing.Activities at The Spirit of Christmas include pictures with Santa, Santa’s Workshop, duck races, Christmas caroling, Christmas stand-ins, light projections, holiday treats ($), and pony rides for the kids ($). Free parking is available. Purchase tickets below!
Greater New Orleans Therapeutic Riding Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting horse-assisted activities for children and adults with disabilities. The center was established in 1993 and is located in LaPlace. It is home to seven therapy horses and a menagerie of small animals.
GNOTRC is a PATH Int’l affiliate member operating center. PATH Int’l is the national governing body for the therapeutic riding industry.
Classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 and 6:30 P.M. and Saturdays at 9:00 & 10:00 A.M. Classes may be up to 50 minutes in length. The fee for classes is $35 per time, and riders usually come once a week. Safety helmets are required in order to ride and are provided by GNOTRC.
To see children and adults with disabilities ride horses is truly an unforgettable experience. Not only do they sit taller and smile more, they extend their dreams beyond the confines of their disability into new, unexplored worlds. Riding exercises the spirit as well as the body. Therapeutic riding is recognized by the American Occupational Therapy Association and the American Physical Therapy Association.
