Healing Strides of VA

Terms and Conditions for Healing Strides of Virginia

Effective Date: November 17, 2025**

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Healing Strides of Virginia website (healingstridesofva.org), our services (including equine-assisted services, therapeutic horsemanship, mental health, coaching, education programs, volunteer opportunities, and intake processes), and other related online interactions ("Services"). By accessing the website, completing intake forms, or using our Services, you agree to these Terms. If you are entering on behalf of a minor or organization, you represent authority to bind them, including adult consent for all minor participation in volunteering, horsemanship programs, or treatment.

We reserve the right to update these Terms; changes are effective upon posting. Continued use constitutes acceptance. Participation requires completion of intake forms (https://link.healingstridesofva.org/widget/form/czGgvFSkrR8R9eAuR13g?notrack=true), which include signed consents for liability releases, medical waivers, photo releases, and confidentiality.

1. Eligibility and Use of Services

- You must be 18+ or have parental/adult consent for minors (required for all programs involving children). Services are for therapeutic, educational, and supportive purposes only, not medical emergencies (call 911 if needed).

- Use Services responsibly: No harassment, illegal activities, or unauthorized sharing of others' information. All participants, including minors, must adhere to safety rules (e.g., helmets, supervision).

- Prohibited: Reverse-engineering our site, transmitting viruses, or violating intellectual property rights.

- Intake and Consents: All participants, volunteers, mental health, coaching, education clients, and others must complete intake forms with electronic signatures acknowledging risks, releases, and consents. For medical-side services, signed HIPAA authorizations are required for PHI sharing. Insurance billing is available only for recreational therapy or mental health services, not therapeutic horsemanship or coaching and education.

- Ethics and Code of Conduct: All participants and volunteers agree to abide by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) Code of Conduct (available at https://pathintl.org/resource/code-of-conduct/).

2. Services and Limitations

- Therapeutic Horsemanship, and Mental Health, Coaching and Education Programs: Provided by certified professionals, professionals in training, including equine specialists and background-checked mental health staff. Outcomes vary; we make no guarantees of results. Participation requires signed waivers, releases, HIPAA authorizations (for PHI), and adherence to safety rules. We may discuss medical info internally (e.g., with instructors/admin) as needed for client care, per consents. Insurance reimbursement is processed only for eligible recreational therapy or mental health sessions.

- Volunteering: Subject to background checks (with consent via intake) and availability. Minors and the limitations on liability.

- We are not liable for indirect damages, lost profits, or third-party actions. 

- Force majeure (e.g., weather, pandemics) may disrupt Services without liability.

6. Governing Law and Disputes

Governed by Virginia law. Disputes resolved in Franklin County courts or via mediation. No class actions.

7. Termination

We may terminate access for violations, including non-compliance with confidentiality or background check consents. Upon termination, obligations (e.g., payments) survive.

8. Contact Us

For questions: [email protected] require adult consent.

- Website Access: Free, but registration and intake may be required for forms. We may suspend access for violations.

3. Payments and Refunds

- Fees processed via NMI; all charges are non-refundable except as required by law or our policy (e.g., 24-hour cancellation notice for sessions). Insurance billing for recreational therapy or mental health is handled separately and subject to insurer terms.

- No liability for payment disputes; contact NMI directly.

4. Intellectual Property

- Our site content (text, images, logos, curriculums) is owned by us or licensed. Use for personal, non-commercial purposes only; cite us for shares.

- User-submitted content (e.g., testimonials, paperwork, photos via intake consent) grants us a non-exclusive license to use, giving us your explicit agreement.

5. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

- Services are provided "as is" without warranties (express or implied) for fitness, accuracy, or results.

- Equine assisted therapy and horsemanship involve inherent risks (e.g., falls, animal interactions, unpredictable equine behavior); you assume responsibility via signed intake waivers and releases. Under Virginia's Equine Activity Liability Act (Va. Code § 3.2-6200 et seq.), equine activity sponsors like Healing Strides of Virginia are not liable for injuries or death resulting from the intrinsic dangers of equine activities, including risks of equine behavior, terrain, or equipment failure, except in cases of negligence or failure to warn. This includes all of our equine assisted services, therapeutic horsemanship and mental health, coaching, and education programs, where participants (mounted or unmounted) acknowledge these dangers