We are Horse Warriors™

Horse Warriors™ is an equine based empowerment program serving people of all ages in a series of empowerment workshops. We are a national professional training center for people working in the field of Equine Facilitated Mental Health and Learning. We also offer a free program for those on the cancer journey, their caregivers, and their families. 

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Who can participate?

Anyone who needs our services!

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What are the different programs?

• Power Ponies™: Parenting Programs provide structured, educational, encouraging equine facilitated empowerment for children ages 6-11. Students learn to teach and model safe, healthy development of personal boundaries, clear communication, creative self-expression, exploration of feelings, and positive interactions between themselves and their parents. Classes meet 5 days a week for 3 hours a day - sessions are 1 week long. Parents accompany their children 3 of the 5 days and work with their children and their horses. All family sessions are co-facilitated by licensed counselors, and equine sessions are taught by certified equine professionals.

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• Mighty Mustangs™: Open to families with children ages 7-11 who have participated in a full season of Power Ponies™. Classes meet 5 days a week for 3 hours a day - sessions are 1 week long. Parents accompany their children 3 of the 5 days. Parent sessions are co-facilitated by a licensed therapist.

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• Horse Warriors™: Open to youth ages 12-18. Students apply and are recommended to the program by a teacher, therapist, counselor, etc., who knows the student well. Programs run year round; students meet for 2 weeks during the summer, Monday-Friday, from 9am-4pm, and for monthly discussion/art groups during the academic year. All students do 30 hours of community service per year. Upper level students become mentors for the Power Ponies™ and Mighty Mustangs™ programs. Course includes relationship building, horsemanship, social skill development, art, creative writing, public speaking, and academic assistance. Parent involvement in programs is required, and parent/child activities are co-facilitated by a licensed family therapist.

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• Girls' Leadership Camp: Four-day experiential exploration of the many facets of leadership open to girls from 5th - 9th grades. Working with the horses, students practice awareness, boundary setting, compassionate leadership skills, respectful peer interactions and self-esteem building. Camp includes riding, groundwork, team-building activities, arts and crafts.

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•Read, Ride and Draw Camp: For boys and girls age 9-11 who love to read and play with horses! Program is 5 days long and includes riding, group reading of an age-appropriate book, discussions, journaling, horse games and art activities.

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• Women & Horses™: Open to women with an interest in horses. Course is 3 days long and meets from 9am - 5pm each day. Content includes relationship building, horsemanship, creative self-expression, riding, obstacle training, and trail riding. Suitable for riders of all levels - beginner to advanced.

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• Horses of the Goddess™: Six-day (intensive) professional training for instructors and therapists. Content includes relationship building, curriculum development, integration of equine and mental health professionals in therapeutic programs, creativity projects for equine programs, mental health theory and practice, somatic experiencing, horsemanship, riding, and discussion.

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• Cancer Kickers™: FREE programs for those on the cancer journey. The program contains elements of skill development, artistic sharing, camaraderie and positive, forward movement into beliefs and practices of seeing oneself as healed. Participants move towards a place of joy and discovery where they can be challenged by new experiences and succeed.

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• Saturday Superheroes: Saturday Superheroes is a FREE program that includes fun, camaraderie and empowering support for people who are currently in treatment for breast cancer, have completed treatment, or are in recovery beyond their treatment.

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How does it happen?

Each student gets a horse during the summer months of the program. Groups are small and intimate, with personal and emotional safety maintained at all times. Riding and horsemanship skills are taught progressively in an arena, and when students are safe and comfortable with their horses, we ride out on the trail. Days are spent (rain or shine) out in the backcountry.

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Journaling is a key component of the program. All students receive instruction in art and creative writing; everyone has solo time during the lunch break for working in their journals and reflecting. After journaling, we have time for optional sharing of our work and observations with the group. Then we continue with our riding throughout the afternoon.

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In the non-riding months of the year, participants meet monthly for day long art retreats/discussion groups. Discussions are adult supervised but student driven. This gives students a forum for exploring ideas, problem solving and sharing experiences. Students who need academic help are given free tutoring from our broad base of volunteers. We use the model of "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz as a framework for coping with peer pressure, maintaining confidentiality and removing emotional charge from much of what is perceived through adolescent filters: 

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• Be impeccable with your word

• Don't take anything personally

• Don't make assumptions

• Always do your best

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We teach young people skills that enable them to have a solid, appreciated, and recognized voice in the world by cultivating healthy and creative self-expression. We teach, model, and encourage the values of compassion, kindness, personal responsibility and accountability, volunteer involvement with community, and respect for the well-being of ourselves, our horses, and our environment. 

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