Today we’d like to introduce you to Krista Jurkovich.
Hi Krista, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have always loved horses, and early in my teaching career I had a student involved in therapeutic riding who picked up on that and invited me to his barn. It took one visit and I was hooked! I began volunteering and eventually became their volunteer coordinator, but the teacher side of me still wanted to do more. After having my son, I decided to leave my classroom position and this gave me the time I needed to pursue becoming certified as a therapeutic riding instructor through PATH International. Life took me from Ohio to Kansas, where I got to work in another amazing facility, and then we moved to Yulee in 2019. My plan to volunteer and maybe work my way into a job at another local center was quickly dashed when I learned there were no centers within an hour of us and with 2 year old twins I just couldn’t figure out how to get involved further away. But I stayed involved in the horse world and the need for services here became more and more apparent. We filed for our 501c3 in March of 2020 and we’ve been here ever since!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. When we initially purchased the property where our program runs today, we were scammed out of $13,000 when we hired a company to clear the land who left the job less than 1/3 completed. Over the last 4 years, my husband lost his job 4 times due to restructuring and being the “low man on the totem pole.” Most recently, the county decided to rezone the area surrounding our property from agricultural to medium density residential housing where we could face up to 150 houses along our 10 acre boarders.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Paramount Adaptive Riding Center ?
Our mission is to enrich the lives of others, particularly those with special needs, using the therapeutic nature of horses. We offer inclusive riding lessons, horsemanship experiences, equine assisted activities, and host equine therapy experiences for individuals of all ages in our community. We have an incredible team of volunteers who support our clients, and our farm has truly become an extension of our family.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love the people!! There are so many families from all over the country and even the world here. It’s a very friendly place to live and people go out of their way to be helpful. I wish there were more opportunities for our individuals with special needs here!
Pricing:
- $70 an hour for lessons
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ParamountARC.org
- Instagram: Paramount_arc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AxGLqoquv/?mibextid=wwXIfr
