Program Overview
Bringing together the equestrian community has been a passion project for us for nearly a decade. Most members of the equestrian community can attest to the way horses enrich our lives. They teach us patience, confidence, perseverance, boundaries and responsibility, to name a few. They are our teachers, students, companions and therapists.
Our Mission
In recent years, horseback riding has emerged as not only a recreational activity but also a powerful tool for personal development and growth, particularly for children. The benefits of horseback riding extend far beyond the arena, encompassing physical, emotional, and social aspects of a child’s life.
Allow me to elaborate on some of the transformative effects that horseback riding can offer:
- Physical Fitness & Coordination: Riding requires balance, coordination, and muscle strength, contributing to the physical development and well-being of children in a fun and engaging way.
- Emotional Stability: Interacting with horses fosters emotional resilience, empathy, and trust. As children learn to communicate and bond with these majestic animals, they learn integral life skills such as emotion regulation, conflict resolution and how to establish health boundaries.
- Confidence Building: Overcoming challenges while riding, such as mastering a new skill or conquering fear, leadership skills, boosting self-confidence and self-esteem in children.
- Social Skills: Participating in riding programs encourages teamwork, leadership, and effective communication, instilling valuable social skills that are essential for success in life.
Despite the myriad benefits of horseback riding, access to such programs has become increasingly limited for many families, especially those from low to middle-class backgrounds. The costs associated with riding lessons, equipment, and horse care can be prohibitive, creating barriers for children who would otherwise benefit greatly from this experience.
The mission of our Young Riders Program is to provide opportunities for our youth to experience the joy of and wisdom of horses. We hope to remove financial barriers and to give everyone an equal opportunity to enjoy the sport and to develop their horsemanship skills within it.
Our Equitable Access program will be providing funding opportunities for youth to get involved in a riding program, or for riders in a program to further their education and riding goals.
We encourage our members to dream big and only be limited by the boundaries of their imaginations.
How Will the Young Riders Program Benefit Your Child?
- Financial Assistance
- Offers a sense of community
- Volunteer experience
- Learning opportunities
- Riding support
- Motivation and incentives
- Friendship and comradery
The journey through horsemanship is incredibly rewarding and there are very few sports that develop life skills in as many ways as horses do.
Children learn empathy, compassion, boundaries, self control, leadership skills, fine motor skills, coordination, perseverance, dedication, responsibility, professionalism, sportsmanship, self motivation, conflict resolution and the list go on.
We hope that our program will offer children opportunities their financial situations may have other wise made impossible. In return we wish to foster exemplary stewards of the sport who contribute to their communities and help to make the planet a better place.
How Can you help?
Donations and sponsorships make the most direct impact however Hoof to Heart will hosts several Fundraisers through out the year. Follow us on our facebook page to stay current on our up coming events or reach out to us directly for to find out more about donation and sponsorship opportunites.
Current Fundaisers:
Annual Jumpathon– We host an annual jumpathon that offers riders the chance to show case their skills while raising funds to continue develoing in the sport. Donors sponsor a dollar amount for every obstacle jumped clear in a course of ten jumps. This is a wonderful, exciting and interactive way to support our young riders.
Online Auction– This is an exciting event! Come bid on some fabulous auction items in a fun, fast and furious online bidding war! Not interested in bidding? No problem, we are always excepting donations of new and gently used items as well as gift certificates and services.
Worker Bee Donation-Have a task that needs doing? Perhaps your garden needs weeding, rocks need picking, or you have some other dreary task to tackle. Make a donation to our Young Riders Program and we provide you with a some very keen volunteers to help get it done. Ask us for details!