The Story of Mane Stream’s Founder.

*Octavia Brown Founder of Somerset Hills Handicapped Riders Club*

Written by: Patty Walter

Mane Stream was founded in 1972 by visionary and pioneer in the field of adaptive riding, Octavia Brown. Octavia grew up in post-war England and her passion for horses and riding began when she was eight years old and spent a week with instructor, Miss Bowen, riding around the English countryside.

Octavia arrived in the US in the early 1960’s. Some friends who worked at McLean Psychiatric Hospital near Boston, were exploring how to include horses in therapy sessions with patients. By 1967, Octavia had literally taken over the reins of this small riding program, considered “activities therapy” at the facility.

Octavia remembers, “We only had four horses on the property at the psychiatric institution and it convinced me of the effects horsemanship and trail riding could have on the patients.” She continues, “We could share a passion and joy in riding that transcended our differences and allowed them to feel “normal” while at the barn.” With this in mind Octavia also realized how others with disabilities and challenges might benefit. At the time there were no therapeutic riding programs in the United States, but that was about to change.

In 1969 Octavia saw an ad in The Chronicle of the Horse looking for people who were working with handicapped riders. She joined the group composed of equestrians from the U.S. and Canada. The group’s goal was to create something similar to the British Riding for the Disabled Association. During a meeting, they developed the foundation of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA), which later became the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH Intl.) Octavia reflects, “What began as a grassroots effort evolved into an international association”.

As a newlywed in 1971, Octavia relocated to the Somerset Hills area of New Jersey, and discovered that there were no therapeutic riding programs in the state. Inspired by a course she had taken at the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center in MI, and her experience at McLean, Octavia thought, “Why not try to create something like this in New Jersey”. The program’s first riders came from the therapy department of the Easter Seals Center in Morristown. Working with Dr. Naomi Lorch, Octavia developed the framework of a therapeutic riding program. They partnered with the Somerset Hills Pony Club, which provided horses, ponies, and volunteers, and with the Roser Family, which also provided horses and ponies, along with a facility. Mane Stream, founded as Somerset Hills Handicapped Riders Club (SHHRC), was formally established in Bedminster in 1972. Octavia’s passion and vision became the second organization of its kind in the nation.

As the program grew, it moved to Octavia’s family home, Crossroads Farm in 1975. For the next twenty years, SHHRC focused on therapeutic riding (now called adaptive riding at Mane Stream), and included lessons, trail riding, horse shows, demonstrations, and ride-a-thons. Octavia remembers, “I never had any trouble fundraising as the Somerset Hills area, Essex Fox Hounds, and United States Equestrian Team (headquartered in nearby Gladstone, NJ) embraced me with both hands.” SHHRC enjoyed the support of the local horse community and many other community members, including Helen Gordon, a strong advocate for SHHRC through the years.

Initially, SHHRC offered one program, therapeutic horsemanship. In the spring of 1995, the organization expanded to include therapy services, and then shortly after, the name was changed slightly to Somerset Hills Handicapped Riding Center when the organization moved to its current location in Oldwick. To meet the expanded programming needs, the facility required extensive renovations and extensions which began in 1999 and were completed in 2001.

After spending 25 years building SHHRC (renamed Mane Stream in 2012), and ready for a new challenge, Octavia became a professor of Equine Studies at Centenary University, where she co-founded TRAC - Therapeutic Riding at Centenary. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Centenary University.

Now retired, Octavia has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors over the years, including the 2021 Centenary University Golden Dome Award and the 2022 EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian Award. Octavia is still very active in the industry and considers the creation of therapeutic riding training materials and the training of the instructors, two of her greatest achievements.

That one week that Octavia spent learning to ride, decades ago in Kent, England, sparked a passion that led to the creation of an industry with hundreds of centers around the country that have positively impacted thousands of lives over the years. Fifty years later, Mane Stream’s programs continue to reflect Octavia’s original vision - to transcend differences among participants and instill the joy of being around horses.