About Anita

Anita Shkedi introduced therapeutic riding in Israel in 1985. Since then she has continued to work in the field, providing and facilitating Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy (EAA/T) to challenged and disabled children and adults. She has a Doctorate and Master Degree in Education, a Post Graduate Diploma for health visiting, and British State Registration Nursing diplomas as well as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor’s certificate from The Wingate Institute.  Her doctoral thesis researched Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy: Towards a Future Curriculum. In 2015, she received the Award of Excellence from the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame for her work in Israel. She is the author of the book Traumatic Brain Injury and Therapeutic Riding published in 2012, which has been praised by many colleagues in the field of therapeutic riding.

Anita, along with her husband Giora, were founding directors of INTRA, the Israel National Therapeutic Riding Association, where she continues to work in a part-time capacity as a consultant. In 1988, Anita founded the Wingate Institute Diploma Course for Therapeutic Riding Instructors, which she administered for twenty-one years. Currently, she examines and teaches in some of the eleven therapeutic riding instructor courses available in Israel, many of whose directors were trained by Anita.

In 1994 Anita and Giora brought the first Israel Paralympic teams to the World Championships and Paralympic competitions for riding for the disabled. She became a steward for the Federation Equestrian International, (FEI), Para Equestrian and served on the board of the International Paralympics Equestrian Committee (IPEC) from 1996-2001. This committee evolved into a branch of the FEI in 2006.

In 2005, Anita developed a successful and on-going Equine Studies course for Youth at Risk that offers a five-point school matriculation for high school students in Israel. Anita continues to give clinics, lectures, and train instructors in Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy in more than 15 countries, as well continuing to write articles that are published in various EAA/T publications. She is also a leader in partnering with the horse to provide EAA/T for Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and adults who have severe disabilities. Anita continues to enjoy horseback riding, while spending time with her children and grandchildren.

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