EIN: 51-0187545
Mission Statement
Lift Me Up! is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Member Center serving the Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC, communities, bringing healing and joy to people with physical, mental, and emotional challenges.
Through our team of horses, volunteers, and PATH-certified instructors, we offer therapeutic riding and wellness programs year-round, 7 days a week. We provide services to multiple underserved populations, including children with physical and neurological challenges, at-risk teens, first responders, veterans, individuals in mental health treatment, and residents of senior living facilities. Our therapeutic riders and wellness program participants range from ages 5 to 70+.
Program Summary
Our Therapeutic Riding Programs focus on building confidence, trust, and emotional regulation through calming connections with horses. Each rider has a special bond with their equine partner and instructor, and develops physically, mentally, and emotionally through individualized plans.
Lift Me Up’s Equine-Facilitated Wellness Center is a place of respite in a serene environment from the stress of everyday life. We offer unmounted programs for groups of participants who work with our trained horses and instructors in exercises to improve self-awareness, decision making, problem solving, and building confidence learned through observing herd behavior. Bolstered by
the profound healing power of horses, our programs help individuals overcome emotional and mental health challenges through guided interactions with our equine herd.
Impact Statement
At LiftMeUp! we work at the intersection of horses and human potential — specifically for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) who too often find themselves on the outside of programs, therapies, and communities that were not designed with them in mind.
The outcomes are real. The three-dimensional movement of a horse’s walk closely replicates the human gait, activating core muscles, improving postural control, and stimulating neurological pathways in ways that conventional clinic-based therapy cannot replicate. Beyond the physical benefit, horses are non-judgmental, acutely responsive to human emotion, and naturally attuned to the nonverbal cues that many individuals with an I/DD use as their primary language.
The evidence supports what our clients and their families experience firsthand. Peer-reviewed research consistently documents significant gains in gross motor function, balance, communication, social reciprocity, and emotional regulation among individuals with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and related conditions following equine-assisted intervention.
In 2025, LiftMeUp! served 1,000 clients through 6.500 hours of Therapeutic Riding sessions, and Equine Facilitated Wellness cohorts. Among Equine Facilitated Wellness clients, a significant percentage showed pre-to-post gains in self-regulation and adaptive social behavior as reported by caregivers and facilitators.
What ways can the public get involved?
There are many ways the public can get involved. In 2025, our volunteers spent more than 10,000 hours helping Lift Me Up! achieve our mission. You can also help LMU identify potential new partners and groups to collaborate with like SafeSpot of Fairfax or Special Education PTA of Arlington. IF you know of an individual who could benefit from our programs, please let them know. There are also many ways you can financially support our her and our clients through our annual giving fund, our annual gala, or sponsoring they health and well-being pod our heard.
How are charitable dollars spent? Where does my donation go?
Donations go directly to our programs and to the healthcare and well-being of our herd.
We also just started a scholarship fund to help defer or completely cover the costs of some of our most vulnerable clients.
Information provided October 2026