2000: The Outdoor Arena and the beginning of Blue Heaven Riding Academy
The concept of Blue Heaven Academy started in February 2000. With the donation of logs from Longview Fiber, Carrie and her son Wesley cut the trees down, and, were aided by her husband Tim, and daughter Bobbie, in constructing the outdoor arena by hand on their own property. Blue Heaven Therapeutic Riding Academy officially opened August 7 th, 2000.

As you can expect the weather is a considerable factor in conducting therapeutic riding sessions-especially when warmth is needed to relax muscles. In winter months, Carrie, would load horses, and tack into a trailer and travel to a local indoor arena to conduct classes four times a week.

2003: The Indoor Arena
In 2003, a monumental grant from Meyer Memorial paved the way for Blue Heaven to build its own indoor arena! The grant provided funding for a 14,000 square foot arena.

At long last, classes at Blue Heaven could be conducted on its own premises year round!

2004: The Viewing Room
A heated viewing room was opened in Christmas 2004 during Blue Heavens first Christmas Party. Sadly, the opening of the room was bitter sweet. Months prior to the building of the room, a rider that was with Blue Heaven from the beginning passed away. Alexis-the rider-could not speak, but is the person that Carrie says, “Taught me how to help kids to ride.”

2005: The Office
2005 marked the addition of an Office inside the arena. This gives instructors and Carrie space to conduct business all in view of what is happening in the arena.

FUTURE GOALS:
It is great to see Blue Heaven grow from just an ‘idea’ into a regular therapeutic riding academy in just a few years. We still have goals though, and here are a few of them:
1) Creating a permanent large full handicapped access bathroom.
2) Paving the areas on the inside of the arena to allow wheelchairs easy access to the loading ramp.
3) Heaters inside the arena to warm the area where classes are conducted. Many clients have muscle issues and need warmth to be able to spread their legs enough to sit in a saddle.
4) Paving the driveway to ‘the barn’.
5) Building a heated tack room. This is to prevent tack from getting moldy.
6) Building a grain room so the horses stay out of “the kitchen” so to speak.