What are the opening hours?

Monday 8am - 4:30pm Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm Thursday 8am - 4:30pm Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding

Home
United States
Lenoir City, TN
Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding

Equine Assisted Services
PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Center

Est. 1987
(1)

Lessons are generally one hour long; the first half being dedicated to grooming and the second half to riding. Through grooming, tacking and riding their horse, participants develop skills that produce wide-reaching improvements in areas such as; fine and gross motor skills, motor planning, sequencing, memory, attention span, balance, hand/eye coordination, right/left handedness, communication, bo

dy awareness, flexibility, teamwork, socialization, coordination and improved self-esteem. The recreational aspect of STAR's program proves invaluable for these special persons who often cannot participate in conventional sports.

05/19/2026

💫🐴Welcome to the STAR Herd, Scout!🐴💫

Meet Scout, a 17-year-old buckskin tobiano paint Quarter Horse gelding with a lifetime of experience and heart. Scout has been a beloved trail, pickup, and ranch hand horse throughout his years, faithfully serving his owners in many roles.

His owners felt he was ready for a new chapter and a new purpose, and they are hopeful Shangri-La will be the perfect fit for him. We are excited to welcome Scout to the barn, and he has already settled in beautifully. Please join us in giving Scout a warm welcome to the STAR Family!

Fun fact: the small darker spots within the white areas are often called "ink spots" or "paw prints" which can happen in tobiano horses.

05/18/2026

Now in our 40th year, STAR has been a place where miracles happen. Today, we’re honored to share Kiernan’s story. 🌟

At 11, Kiernan is defying Sanfilippo Syndrome Type IIIB — a rare condition often called "childhood Alzheimer’s." While most lose the ability to walk by age 8, Kiernan is still walking and running, which his parents attribute to his time on horseback and his profound bond with his equine partner, Snip. 🐴❤️

This is the true power of Shangri-La. Kiernan’s journey is just one of many within our gates. Thank you to everyone who supports our mission — your generosity allows us to remain a haven of growth and joy.

Watch Kiernan’s beautiful story below. 🎥👇

05/17/2026

Our Volunteers are absolutely un-bale-ievable!

A massive, heartfelt THANK YOU to the incredible crew who showed up on Friday and crushed some serious manual labor. Together, we moved and stacked nearly 700 bales of hay into our barn!

Our herd is going to be happily munching for months to come, and it’s all thanks to this powerhouse team. Our volunteers tackled every single job like total pros:

🚜 Driving the tractors & baling the hay
🚛 Loading up the trailers
🌾 Checking moisture levels to keep our stash safe and top-tier
💪 Carrying and stacking bale after bale (who needs a gym membership?)
🥪 Keeping the team fueled with some seriously delicious afternoon BLT sandwiches!

Our programs simply couldn't run without the dedication, sweat, and heart of our volunteer family. You all represent the absolute best of Shangri-La!

Drop some love for our amazing volunteers in the comments below! 👇❤️

05/15/2026

🦋 Tiny Hooves, Big Hearts! 🦋
STAR's Minis in Motion equine partners, Eddie and P***y, visited Dolly Parton Children's Hospital yesterday to celebrate Staff Appreciation Week! Since the hospital has officially partnered with the legendary Dolly Parton, Eddie and P***y made sure to dress the part! They sported their finest butterfly wings to honor the new partnership and Dolly’s iconic spirit. 🦋✨

The staff at Children's work tirelessly to bring smiles, hope, and healing to kids every single day. While they spend their shifts caring for others, we wanted to make sure they felt the love too.

To the nurses, doctors, specialists, and support staff: You are the real magic-makers. We only hope that Eddie and P***y’s visit provided a fraction of the joy you give to your patients every day.💖🐴

05/13/2026

🚜🌾 NEW DATE: Hay Day is Moving Up! 🌾🚜

Change of plans! Due to the upcoming weather forecast, we are moving Hay Day to Friday, May 15 at 12:00 p.m.

Forget the gym — come get a real-world workout while helping the horses of STAR! We need a crew to help us get our hay supply safely tucked into the barn. Whether you can stay for the whole shift or just a couple of hours, every set of hands makes a difference.

The Perks:
To keep our heavy-lifters happy, we are providing:
🥪 Lunch (BLT Sandwiches)
💧 Water
🍦 Popsicles (The ultimate post-hay treat!)
🤝 Helping out a good cause

Need to Know:
💪 The Job: Stacking 50 lb. hay bales.
✅ Who: Anyone ages 16+. You do not need to be a trained STAR volunteer to help!
👟 Wear: Closed-toe shoes are a must. We recommend long sleeves and pants (hay is scratchy!).
🧤 Gear: We’ll have gloves available, but feel free to bring your favorite pair from home.

Ready to help? Email volunteer@rideatstar.org to get on the list. We’ll keep you updated if the clouds decide to change our plans again! 🐎✨

05/12/2026

✨Brighten Your Smile, Change A Life!✨

We are so grateful to Jack Haney, DDS for his incredible support! From now through Aug. 31, a portion of the profits from every whitening procedure at his office will be donated to STAR.

Why participate?
• Get a Brighter Smile — Treat yourself to professional whitening.
• Support Our Mission — Help us provide life-changing equine-assisted services for individuals with disabilities or other special challenges.

Don’t wait to enhance your smile — your appointment will help brighten the lives of our participants and horses! 🐴 💙 Thank you, Dr. Haney!

05/11/2026

This year marks the 20th "Alive Day" for STAR Heroes and Horses participant, Capt. Mark Brogan — a milestone celebrating his incredible resilience and recovery after surviving life-threatening injuries in Iraq. We are honored to know that STAR has played an integral part in his journey of healing through horses.

Help drive the mission of Shangri-La by pre-ordering your STAR "Horse Country" specialty license plate today, and make every mile count: https://bit.ly/4trqjQg

05/09/2026

🐴 Love Horses? Come Be a Barn Helper! 🐴

Want to get "up close and personal" with our amazing equine partners? We need you! Join us for Barn Helper Training, and learn how you can help provide .

The best part? No horse experience is required!

This is a super flexible opportunity with no weekly commitment — perfect for those who want to help out whenever they have a spare moment. You'll assist with feeding, stall cleaning, and getting the horses in and out of the fields.

Training Details:
📅 When: Tuesday, June 2
⏰ Time: 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
📍 Where: STAR (11800 Highway 11 E., Lenoir City, TN 37772)
🙋 Who: Ages 13+ (No sign-ups required!)

Ages 10–12 can join our Junior Volunteer Training on Monday, June 1!

Come learn how you can make a difference at the barn. We can't wait to see you there!

05/08/2026

🚜🌾 Hay Day is Here! Get Your Workout for a Good Cause 🌾🚜

Want to skip the gym and help our horses instead? We need hands on deck to help us put up hay! We're tentatively scheduled for noon on Monday, May 18, weather permitting!

You don't have to be a trained STAR Volunteer to participate, so grab your friends, family, or anyone needing volunteer hours. Whether you can stay all day or just a few hours, we’d love the help!

The Details:
✅The Task: Stacking 50 lb. hay bales in the barn.
👉The Requirements: Must be 16+ and wearing closed-toe shoes.
🐎Pro-Tips: Wear long sleeves/pants (hay is scratchy!) and bring a water bottle. We'll have gloves, but feel free to bring your own!

To sign up, email volunteer@rideatstar.org! We can add you to our list to keep you updated as the time draws near.

05/07/2026

This year has already brought so much to be grateful for at Shangri-La! We were incredibly honored to be named the 2026 Non-Profit of the Year by the County Chamber of Commerce this past weekend.

To celebrate this milestone, the Chamber visited the barn to present STAR with a generous $2,500 donation. We were thrilled to have the Chamber's Brett Hurst from SouthEast Bank and other dedicated members on-hand for the check presentation alongside Ryder.

A huge thank you to the Loudon County Chamber of Commerce for selecting us for this prestigious honor. We are truly proud to serve Loudon County and beyond, and these funds will go directly toward helping our participants reach their goals.

05/06/2026

✨Today, we’re excited to welcome Maggie Mae to the STAR Barn!✨

Maggie Mae is an 18-year-old Welsh Pony mare with a background as a hunter jumper show pony. Originally from Texas, she made the move to Tennessee with her owner a few years ago.

In the past, Maggie Mae has been a wonderful lesson pony for kids, though she’s been enjoying a bit of a break lately. While she’s not quite ready for full retirement, she’s ready for a new purpose — and we’re hopeful she’ll love her new role here at STAR.

We can’t wait to see her settle in and become part of our herd!

Address

11800 US-11 E
Lenoir City, TN
37772

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4:30pm
Friday	8am - 4:30pm

Website

http://www.rideatstar.org/

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