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On May 11, about 165 supporters of Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center (Hearts) gathered at the Carriage and Western Art Museum for its annual Barn Dance. The event funds scholarships for low-income children and adults with disabilities so they can participate in Hearts’ therapeutic horseback riding program. Funds also support Hearts’ veteran’s program, Equine Services for Heroes, and its at-risk youth program, run in partnership with Girls Inc. and CALM.

Hearts riders took home the gold at The Annual Student Horse Show. Participants of all ages showcased their reining and horsemanship skills before a captive audience.

Our volunteers are the heartbeat of Hearts- without them, we would not be able to serve our riders as effectively and efficiently as we do. Hearts volunteers not only provide help with sessions and facilities, they provide a positive and accepting group that support Hearts’ riders, staff, and horses. Volunteers start out by receiving training as sidewalkers or barn crew, and as they volunteer their time at Hearts they begin to grow in their horsemanship skills and comradery with one another. The Hearts volunteers emotionally and physically support our riders in sessions by providing encouragement, smiles, and hand-over-hand help or appropriate holds when needed. For our horses, volunteers are providers of positive energy, love, and of course- carrots!

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Ugo Arnoldi was among the group of men who rescued the Robert “Bob” Ramsey from the side of Painted Cave Road and the 154 Highway in 2016. Here is an excerpt from the story he wrote about the “Ram with Large Horns."

In honor of Valentine's Day happening this month, I thought it was only appropriate to highlight a study done by the Institute of HeartMath which explains the powerful connection between horse and human. And believe it or not, it has to do with our HEARTS!

There's never a dull moment at Hearts! From new horses to events, selfless volunteers to Minis on the Move, 2018 was filled with energy, excitement, and a whole lot of HEART!

Every summer we invite kids from the community, as well as kids already enrolled in our riding program to come spend a week at Hearts to participate in a horse-themed summer camp. We also have groups from Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara and CALM participate. Our campers get to develop friendships with our amazing horses and volunteers while learning about horse science, horsemanship, equine-facilitated learning activities and basic riding skills.

Our participants certainly did us proud at our Annual Student Horse Show on Saturday, April 21st. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day! The sun was out, the horses were ready to go, and our participants looked amazing! It was a day filled with excitement and celebration.

Celebrating National Volunteer Appreciation Week April 15-21 - Today is a day to remind all of you just how much our volunteers are appreciated. In honor of National Volunteer Appreciation Week April 15-21, it is my pleasure on behalf of the staff and Board of Directors, to formally express our gratitude to all Hearts volunteers! We currently have 146 active volunteers and last year alone, our volunteers completed over 16,000 hours of volunteer service. WOW!

Hearts installed a motorized lift in January, which has positively impacted several program participants in just a short amount of time. The structure in which the motorized lift lives was generously donated by members of Los Rancheros Pobres, a local men's horseback riding club. The new lift structure was dedicated on Sunday, February 25 at Hearts. Over 28 members of the Pobres donated funds for this special project.