Sarah LesslerGALLOP NYC’S LAUREN REISCHER
AT AGE 25, EQUESTRIAN LAUREN REISCHER transitioned from being a therapeutic horseback riding student to coaching and supporting therapeutic riders and programs. Born with cerebral palsy, Lauren spent her early years in intensive physical therapy and underwent hip reconstructive surgery when she was 3 years old. Her therapy focused on recognizing her legs as separate limbs rather than a “mermaid tail.” Her therapist recommended therapeutic riding, which led her to her first ride at Gallop NYC, a therapeutic riding program in New York City. Her family refers to this as Lauren’s “miracle moment.”
Lauren’s physical progress and emotional bond with horses grew quickly, impressing her family and inspiring her father to support Gallop NYC’s mission. After several years of therapeutic riding, Lauren’s trainer, who also ran a boarding and training farm in Goshen, New York, suggested she was ready to pursue riding beyond therapy. “Every Friday, my dad would pull me out of school and drive me to Goshen so I could ride and learn to be an able-bodied rider,” Lauren recalled. She soon became part of a hunter-jumper barn, where she found friends who shared her passion and treated her as an equal. “Riding was the only thing that was really mine at that time in my life, and it was sacred to me,” she said. Lauren also had the opportunity to compete at local horse shows, including the prestigious Hampton Classic, which features a special class for riders with disabilities.
Lauren continued her equestrian journey at Brown University, where she joined the equestrian team and eventually became captain, finding another supportive community. After graduating from Brown, Lauren worked as an associate director for development at the Special Olympics NY while serving on the board of Gallop NYC, blending her philanthropic passions with her professional life. Later, she joined the marketing team at the American Thoracic Society and now serves as the director of the annual fund for Vibrant Emotional Health. “I’ve been groomed to work in philanthropy for as long as I can remember,” Lauren laughs. As a teenager, she fundraised for Gallop NYC through bake sales and events, learning the basics of fundraising, donor cultivation, and event planning early on.
In addition to her other commitments, Lauren has dedicated herself to a project with Special Olympics NY. She noticed that many top-performing Special Olympics riders were leaving due to the limitations of therapeutic riding centers. “The goal was to create a horse show series for Special Olympics riders at A-level show venues alongside able-bodied riders across New York. I wanted to give them the grand experience of major horse shows, not just isolated events, but a unified, ‘real’ horse-show experience,” Lauren explained.
Many may not know that Special Olympics covers all competition costs for its athletes, including horse shipping and athlete accommodations. Lauren’s development skills came
into play when she promised, “If you let me run this program, I’ll get it subsidized.”
She successfully funded the program’s first year and secured costs for the second. Venues like HITS Saugerties, the Hampton Classic, and Saratoga were highly supportive. Additionally, Lauren obtained donations of extensive horse show supplies from companies like FarmVet and Back On Track. Beyond creating, developing, fundraising, and organizing classes, Lauren coaches for Special Olympics riders at Gallop NYC and other farms. Her dad even serves as an assistant coach.
Lauren prioritizes making donors feel valued, not like ATMs. “I want donors to feel that I’m investing in their investment,” she says, recognizing the risk of donor burnout. With many charitable individuals in the sport, she aims to find a niche of supporters who can help raise awareness for improving accessibility for disabled riders at A-level show venues. “My challenge and goal is not just growing loyal supporters but also raising awareness so we can be self-sustaining,” Lauren states.
One of Lauren’s long-term goals is to standardize these classes so that every major show in the country can make them accessible. She currently owns two horses, Renaissance and Benignity, which she keeps in Schenectady, New York, and often uses for her therapeutic riding program.
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