Special olympics sponsored horse back riding for my daughter's special needs self contained preschool class when she was 3. My daughter started in the county special olympics spring games in kindergarten in their jr athlete division. Sadly, due to her medical issues, participating in their track program is no longer possible for her, but she did enjoy it while she could do it. You can not be on an offical competitive team until you are age 8. Special olympics is a great program, but they are restrictire on who qualifies. There are also many athletes with profound special needs who do not qualify for special olympics who thrive on special needs cheer teams. I am not going to apologize for being passionate about this topic. Special needs programs are one of the best parts of allstar cheer. Nowhere else do you see typical athletes care so much about those who are disabled. It does so much for athletes, their families, helpers, and the gyms as a whole. I know of quite a few helpers who have gone on to be special education teachers, nurses, and therapists because of their experiences working on a special needs team. In fact a former helper is interning at my kids' therapy center right now.