Keswick Sensory to Host Golf Tournament to Support Learning and Growth for Autistic Children

KESWICK, Va. — April 17, 2025 — The first time Owen Jacobson rode a horse at five years old, his parents knew something special was happening.

“We weren’t quite sure how it was going to go,” Owen’s father, Greg Jacobson said. “We knew at the time he was autistic; we had already had that diagnosed.”

Owen, who loves animals, was happy sitting on top of the horse as it walked a circle. So happy, in fact, that he would not get down when his turn was over.

“He really thrived off that sensory experience of physically being on the horse and moving,” Jacobson said. “Once he finds something he likes…getting him to stop doing it becomes a problem. It was hard to get him off the horse.”

From that experience, Greg and his wife, Kim, decided to devote their lives to building an environment where autistic children and their families could have a safe place to learn and grow.

They were afforded that opportunity in 2022 after buying a farm in Keswick. The farm, which has riding horses, along with a mule, goats, sheep, and pigs, hosts 25-40 families with autistic children each year, and provides activities that focus on providing an individualized experience to each child.

“It’s all about getting [the children] to try something new and having enough variety available so if one thing doesn’t work, we have other options,” Lexy Chernish, the assistant director at Keswick Sensory said.

The goal of the whole experience, which includes more than just riding horses, is to strike a balance between familiar, comfortable activities and activities that allow for adventure and growth.

“The trail has a lot of activities that [the kids] are probably familiar with either through occupational therapy or just playing: climbing on a rock wall, balancing on a beam, or sitting on a swing,” Chernish said. “These are all things they may have been exposed to, but now they’re doing it in a different way, in a new environment.”

A typical visit involves spending time getting to know the horses, riding games, snacks, free time with the rest of the livestock, and a loop through the quarter-mile trail complete with activities that provide therapeutic value.

Throughout the day, children are given the opportunity to achieve a goal at their own pace, like a visitor earlier this year whose experience was filled with chances to break pre-determined barriers while playing games on horseback.

“[The visitor’s] mom said in occupational therapy and physical therapy her son didn’t really have the motor control to grab [a hula hoop] and place [it on a post],” Chernish said. “It took a couple repetitions, but by the end he was able to…and [His] mom kind of broke down and started crying.”

Ultimately, the agenda is up to the child and their parents. Even the food served – which can be a challenging subject for autistic children – can be customized to individual needs.

To help pay for the expenses associated with taking care of the animals, the team at Keswick Sensory launched an annual charity golf tournament, which raised about 30 percent of their operating budget last year. This year’s event will be Keswick’s first as part of the Applied Underwriters Invitational’s series of national charity golf tournaments.

“We’re growing our operating budget, and I hope that the [Invitational] golf tournament can keep pace with that,” Jacobson said. “It was pretty great to be able to share that there’s more than $90,000 in gifts and prizes that are a part of this event [due to the sponsorship]. That’s going to allow us to grow.”

This year’s Drive to Thrive tournament will take place at The Club at Glenmore in Keswick on April 28th.

"The Applied Underwriters Invitational showcases the power of collaboration," Jamie Sahara, President of Applied Underwriters, said. "Together, Applied Underwriters, the sponsors, golfers, and volunteers raise both funds and awareness for important charitable initiatives nationwide. Each tournament is a potent example of the exceptional outcomes we see when we unite our efforts.”

For more information, or to sign up to participate, reach out to Lexy Chernish at makeadifference@keswicksensory.org.