Isabella Rios, 21, of Howard Beach, Queens, participates at Gersh...

Isabella Rios, 21, of Howard Beach, Queens, participates at Gersh Academy and NYEC's equine therapy program. Credit: Gersh Academy

Long Island's Gersh Academy plans to open a new school for kids on the spectrum at an equestrian center.

Beginning in May, Gersh will start taking applications for the full-time school for young people with autism that will open in September 2019 on the second floor of the New York Equestrian Center in West Hempstead.

The school is the outgrowth of Gersh Academy and NYEC’s Equine Assisted Therapy Program, which was launched five years ago and allows Gersh Academy students to work with and help take care of horses.

The school will ultimately have room for more than 100 children in eighth grade up to age 21, Gersh says. It will have 18 classrooms above the 60 horse stalls and indoor riding ring. For the first year, the school will likely accept 30 to 40 students.

“From what we’ve researched, it’s the first time in the country there’ll be a school inside an equestrian center,” Gersh says. “They’ll be feeding the horses, grooming the horses, caring for them, riding them, developing relationships with them.” There currently are therapeutic programs that offer horseback riding extracurriculars for kids with autism, but “we’re taking it to the next level,” Gersh says.

Tuition hasn’t yet been determined, he says. For more information, call 631-385-3342 or visit gershacademy.org.

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