My name is Michael Staff and I am posting on behalf of my classmate, Ross Fly a sophomore Petroleum Engineering Major at Texas A&M University. I am a member of a group in an Honors Environmental Design class at Texas A&M University this semester. In the spring and summer of 2009, Ross designed and constructed 6 Stretching Barrels for SIRE Therapeutic Equestrian Center. SIRE wanted a product that their clients could take home and use to prepare for the therapy. After receiving the barrels, SIRE asked if Ross could give them the designs for the barrels so that their clients could build more of them. Soon, I was sending the Stretching Barrel plans to Pennsylvania, Canada, Croatia and other locations. With more and more people wanting the designs, my group I decided the most effective and easy way for people to access the designs would be through a website. With this in mind, stretchingbarrels.org was born!



A Stretching Barrel is a product that helps people who currently do not have the flexibility to ride a horse be able to stretch their hip and leg muscles. With this new flexibility, people that might not have been able to receive equestrian therapy will now be able to. The instructions for the Stretching Barrels are simple and easy to follow, constructed so that anyone with tools and some wood working experience can make a Stretching Barrel at home. Also, Stretching Barrels can be easily disassembled, moved, and reassembled by one person so that they can be shared and/or transported with ease.



My group and I feel that horse riders could either personally benefit or have friends and family who could benefit from this product. If you know anyone that might be assisted by this product, please pass along our information. If you’d like to learn more about the product or have questions, please feel free to contact us at stretchingbarrels@yahoo.com , stretchingbarrels.org, or the email posted on the Federation of Riding for the Disabled International website. This is a unique and inexpensive way to improve the lives and riding experience of some of your clients, so we really hope you consider looking into our product!



Thank you for your time and any support you are able to provide.

Sincerely,





Michael Staff, Ross Fly, Melanie Jackson, Thuy Tran, Melina Recio, Samir Lakdawala, and Todd Schrader

Honors Environmental Design Group 12, Texas A&M University

Owners, stretchingbarrels.org