Location
The Riding Centre is located at 1117 East Hyde Road in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The grounds occupy 60 acres of land that is part of the 1,000-acre Glen Helen Nature Preserve, owned and overseen by the Glen Helen Association. Through the generosity of Antioch College and now the Glen Helen Association, the Yellow Springs community, and countless volunteers, we have been able to offer lessons, therapeutic riding, and day camps to the Miami Valley at affordable cost for over 60 years. Facilities include two barns, rolling pastures, a large outdoor ring, a lighted indoor ring, a cross-country hunt course, several wooded trails, outdoor shelters for the horses, and stables.
History
Louise Soelberg
The Riding Centre was the brainchild of Louise Soelberg and was founded in 1959 as an educational, nonprofit project dedicated to teaching the love, care, and understanding of horses. Following a back injury that ended her career as a professional dancer, Louise turned to her other primary love – horses. A unique woman, Louise created a one-of-a-kind equestrian facility. She convinced Antioch College to lease her 15 acres of farmland that was part of Glen Helen, a large nature preserve held by the college. The property included a broken-down barn and a dilapidated, house she would come to call home.
By 1961, a formal lease agreement between Louise and Antioch College set aside 60 acres of Glen Helen farmland for the development of The Riding Centre. Its purpose would be to provide educational and recreational services for Antioch College and Yellow Springs. Horsemanship was offered as a physical education class for Antioch students, and costs were kept to a minimum. We are a unique nonprofit charitable learning institution for horsemanship that exists thanks to the pioneering spirit, dedication, and love of a remarkable woman.
Always putting the needs of the horses before her own, Louise lived out her life in voluntary poverty and died peacefully in 1994, at the age of 90. Her legacy is carried in the hearts and minds of those running the operation today.
Carolyn Bailey
Director
Carolyn was born and raised in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and began what would become her equestrian career when she was allowed, due to her enthusiasm, to begin riding lessons at The Riding Centre at age eight years. She bought her first horse when she was 11 years old and began teaching lessons when she was 15! In 1977, she enrolled at The Cheff Center for the Handicapped in Augusta, Michigan, where she received her certificate to teach riding to the mentally, emotionally, and physically challenged. She was asked to stay on at the Cheff Center as an instructor and spent the following two years gaining valuable experience.
In 1981, Carolyn returned home to The Riding Centre where her heart truly was, and together with Louise Soelberg, carried on the work of The Riding Centre. Embodying Louise’s heart and philosophy, Carolyn has been Head Instructor ever since. In 1989, Carolyn also became Director and assumed full responsibility for day-to-day operations.
Present Day
Today we are a thriving organization with an active lesson program, offering both regular and therapeutic riding lessons, horse boarding, and a strong foothold in the community, thanks to Carolyn’s dynamic leadership. With Carolyn’s steady management, we are continuing Louise’s legacy of promoting a love and understanding of horses.
In 2009, we celebrated our 50th anniversary, and we look forward to 50 more years of sharing our love of horses with others. Read Lauren Heaton's wonderful article published in the Yellow Springs News.