The Hoofbeat Newsletter

Lovingly referred to as "1,000-pound therapists," Hearts' herd plays an influential role in Hearts' therapeutic work. Whether being ridden or participating in groundwork, horses have a way of connecting with participants that makes the individual feel GOOD.

Hearts' 16 equine partners have the extraordinary responsibility of providing a safe and stable environment where participants can build strength, mobility, and flexibility: often where other more traditional therapies have proven unsuccessful. Participants also feel empowered and have greater self-esteem after working with horses.

Hearts is pleased to announce a new equine-facilitated learning program! Hearts is providing both the facility and the horses to Diana Ferrari (MH, MA, LMFT) and equine specialist Lauren Hayes (MA, Registered Associate MFT). Hearts considers this program to be very worthwhile and beneficial to our Santa Barbara youth.

Thank you for helping us empower individuals, teach core values, and heal mind, body, and heart. With such a great need in our community, I hope I can count on your support and generosity.

How do we even begin acknowledging and thanking our amazing volunteers for all the hours of dedication and hard work? Over the last several months, this exceptional team has helped us move our entire facility and create a warm and welcome environment in our new location. They've also got down and dirty--and often very wet--during the rains, pitched in extra time when shifts were short-staffed, and continue to work tirelessly to make it seem effortless to our participants and our herd.

Lynn and her daughter were dedicated volunteers at Hearts. They felt it was important to maintain a connection to the organization following their departure as volunteers and wanted to find a way to stay involved. That's when they found Rocco online when he was in need of a sponsor. They quickly found a bond with him.

Love is in the air this month with the recent Valentine's holiday! We want to share a little love story between an amazing volunteer, Caron Miller, and a special horse named Rakel at Hearts.

Thank you to our community for all of your support throughout the 2021 year. With so much uncertainty in the world and many big changes happening at our facility, we are both grateful and excited for the year ahead.

Our team recently finished building an updated and more efficient facility to provide life-changing programs to the Santa Barbara community.

The facility further strengthens Hearts’ ability to support numerous special needs communities in Santa Barbara. With completing this project, our therapeutic programs continue to positively impact many individuals’ physical and mental health.

My name is Karen Sweeney, and I have been participating at Hearts for more than four years.

In 2008, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS affects the central nervous system and balance. Before my MS diagnosis, I had been a very active person. I ran, swam, and bicycled. That slowly changed after my diagnosis of MS, and, as you can imagine, it was a complete lifestyle change.

Program manager Kristen Kallai reports, "Parents are impressed with the views of the Santa Barbara mountain backdrop while watching their children ride in our new arena. For riders, the new site signifies a new beginning. For many of our riders, small changes can be overwhelming. But, we were pleasantly surprised at the overwhelming excitement and enthusiasm for this fresh start."