Who We Are

About The HEART Center

The HEART Center was founded in 2014 after a simple realization: many students who struggle in traditional classrooms learn differently when movement and real responsibility are part of the environment.

What began as a therapeutic riding program quickly showed us something important. When students were working with horses, moving their bodies, and solving real problems, they were able to engage in ways that rarely happened in a desk-based classroom.

Those experiences led to the development of a different kind of learning environment. Today, The HEART Center operates as a recreation-based microschool where horses, purposeful movement, and hands-on learning are integrated with academics to support students whose brains and bodies process learning differently.

The People Behind The HEART Center

Chelsea Harden, CTRS
Founder & Executive Director

Chelsea Harden is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist and a PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor with more than a decade of experience working with neurodiverse students and individuals with developmental disabilities.

Through her work in recreation therapy and equine-assisted learning, Chelsea recognized that many students struggle not because they lack intelligence, but because traditional (special) education does not account for the disconnection between the brain and the body. She began developing learning environments that integrate purposeful movement, hands-on experiences, and real-world problem solving to support students whose nervous systems require a different approach to learning.

In 2014, Chelsea founded The HEART Center with the belief that education could be designed differently. What began as a therapeutic riding program has grown into a recreation-based microschool and learning community where horses, movement, and purposeful experiences are used to help students build the academic and life skills needed for meaningful independence.

Today, Chelsea continues to lead The HEART Center’s programs and curriculum development, advancing neuro-informed learning approaches that support students with brain-body disconnects in developing practical skills for school, work, and everyday life.