With heavy hearts, we want to let the STRIDE community know that our founder, Kathy Gliva, has passed to greener pastures.

STRIDE began as a small therapeutic riding center at Kathy’s home stable, EKG Stables in Peter’s Creek, Alaska. Kathy began with only a handful of volunteers, both two-legged and four-legged, to help those in need reach their potential. Kathy believed that riding a horse elevates those who are seated in a wheelchair so they can look over people instead of always looking up at them, giving them a new perspective on life.

Kathy continued to run the facility until 2011, when the Vernolas took the lead and moved the program to the Ridge in Wasilla. She left this world in January 2026 – ride on fast and free, Kathy.