Articles by author: DeeDee Conrad

Kiz Richter is joining Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center as the new volunteer coordinator. Our current volunteer program manager, Sarah, is moving out of the area. Sarah has done some fantastic work here at Hearts, and we wish her all the best on her new adventures!

Howdy All, I want to say thank you to our donors (individual and corporate), our grantors, our volunteers, and staff that together made it possible for Hearts to ride out the pandemic in 2020 and give us a healthy start to 2021.

On behalf of the staff and herd of Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center, THANK YOU for the outpouring of support we have received this year. While this year was not short of challenges, Hearts remains open and active because of you.

Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center honors U.S. military veterans by offering Equine Services for Heroes. Equine Services for Heroes provides an opportunity to build camaraderie, be of service to fellow Veterans and the community, and experience a challenging physical activity. Equine Services for Heroes is a weekly program. 

We hope everyone is enjoying a safe and spooky Halloween! Things look a bit different this year, so we thought we'd take it back to some past Halloween celebrations at Hearts - because who doesn't love a horse in costume?!

For the remainder of the year, we are bringing the ranch to you through videos showcasing our therapeutic programs, introducing you to our rockstar horses, and sharing inspiring stories from participants.

Since our horses are taking a well-deserved break, we thought this was also a great time to celebrate each of them! We couldn't do our work without them, so here's a shoutout to the individual equines that make Hearts what it is today - and to the fantastic folks who sponsor them.

Hearts began its first phase of reopening at the beginning of this month. We plan to continue taking this transition very slowly and carefully so we can keep our staff, volunteers, and participants safe and healthy. We are following guidelines for social distancing, cleaning, and sanitizing set forth by Santa Barbara County.

Our programs are now modified to allow for lower-risk operations, including lessons provided to independent riders in the therapeutic riding program, Equine Services for Heroes, and most recently our summer camp, which is run in conjunction with SB Parks & Recreation. Our staff is evaluating our policies and procedures daily and making any necessary adjustments to keep our participants safe and healthy.

The staff at Hearts has worked hard to put together a plan for resuming some of our programs. While we are anxious and excited to begin inviting participants back to the ranch, we must keep everyone's health and safety at the forefront of our planning. We will be following guidelines for social distancing, cleaning, and sanitizing set forth by Santa Barbara County.