Place of Horses

We are trying to feed and provide vet care and meet the needs of our senior rescue horses with donations, grants, and tuition from our Ranch Hand program, which teaches people horse care and allows them to bond with and understand horses.

Our goal for the Ranch Hand program is to instill a sense of self respect, compassion, responsibility and self worth in the youth, in the process of learning to care for these horses.

Ranch Hands Strategies: We give participants a horse for the day, and focus on teaching the whole horse experience. A typical day might start with grooming, personal time with the horse, chores, tacking up and riding, horsemanship classes, and learning the participant’s needs and the needs of the horse.
Riding is not the sole focus of the experience. Participants learn to catch, halter, lead, tie, brush, saddle, and tend to their horse’s needs that day. They clean its stall, provide fresh clean water and hay, and give the horse its required supplements and medicines. They work hard doing chores. They learn how to be a partner and a leader of their horse, follow all safety rules, and use common sense. They learn how a horse thinks and how to apply that knowledge to their own situations and lives. They receive basic riding lessons and go on trail rides. They learn all aspects of horse care from giving immunizations and taking rectal temperatures, to cleaning diarrhea off rumps.
The participants benefit by learning good life skills, including conflict resolution, empowerment, respect, empathy, and having a can-do attitude. The rescued senior horses benefit by having a job and a purpose, and by getting light exercise and all the doting and love an old horse can handle.

Our Ranch Hand volunteer coordinator was an Equine 4H leader for 5 years, was voted 4H Leader of the Year, and was a Girl Scout leader for 8 years, and voted Girl Scout Leader of the Year.

The Place of Horses has retired, rehabilitated senior horses that teach our participants how to be better people. They are non judgmental partners and always come through for people who care for them.

We partner closely with our vet, farrier, equine massage therapist, and equine chiropractor to give our horses the absolute best care possible.

We apply for grants and funding almost daily; plan fundraisers as the opportunity arises, and promote our horses and youth on social media to gain interest.

The Place of Horses is currently home to 11 equine and has become home to hundreds of youth and a small percentage of adults through out the years. We have rescued 32 horses since we began, and have rehomed the horses who could not thrive here due to space limitations or safety issues around people- all to their forever homes. We help support those horses as needed as well.

The Ranch Hands participants overwhelmingly report success in their school, home, and social lives. Their therapists, school counselors, parents, and other respective figures all give us feedback with letters and recommendations regarding these people. ALL say, "Don't stop doing what you are doing."