Rising Hope Therapeutic Riding Center

08/23/2025

Equine-Assisted Services (EAS), which incorporate horses in a variety of ways in an effort to improve human wellbeing, have grown in popularity in recent years. Although much research has been conducted regarding the benefits that horses may provide for human health and wellbeing, little attention h...

08/22/2025

Horses can play a significant role in a veteran's healing journey.
Equine therapy can help warriors find a deeper connection to nature, animals, and inner peace. Warrior Scott Michael shared his experience with equine therapy at a recent connection event in Texas.

08/22/2025

Dr Temple Grandin is one of the best known animal scientists in the world. She grew up in America, and she is autistic, which means her brain works a little differently to most people’s. She often says she “thinks in pictures.” This helps her notice tiny details about animals that others might miss.

Most of her career has been spent improving how cattle are handled on farms, making systems calmer and safer. (Which is why many farms have safe handing pens for cattle on farms today)But her ideas are just as useful when we think about horses.

Temple reminds us that animals don’t see the world the same way humans do. A shiny puddle, a flapping jacket, or a garden chair in the wrong place might look like danger to a horse. Horses are prey animals, always on the lookout for threats. What seems silly to us can feel very real to them.

As she explains: “Horses have to see the same object from all angles. They don’t automatically transfer learning from one side of their brain to the other.” In other words, a horse that walks calmly past a wheelbarrow on the left rein may still shy at it on the right.

For coaches and riders, this matters. If a horse spooks or refuses, it isn’t “naughty”, it is reacting in the only way it knows. Our job is to slow down, let the horse look, and give it time to learn.

Temple also talks about how animals respond to pressure. A gentle aid, released at the right moment, helps the horse to understand. But rough hands, loud voices, or constant pushing only build fear. As coaches, that means showing riders how to be clear but kind, guiding, not forcing.

And this links horse welfare with rider welfare. A calm horse gives the rider confidence. A frightened horse makes the rider nervous. By putting the horse’s feelings first, we create safer, happier lessons for both.

Temple Grandin may have made her name with cattle, but her lessons about patience, clear signals for animals are pure gold for anyone who works with horses. When we see the world through the horse’s eyes, we become better kinder horsemen.

08/01/2025

The wonderful Jana Marie Foundation is offering a free Youth Mental Health First Aid class on Tuesday, Aug. 5! Reach out to them if interested.

For the low, low price of $0, you can become certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) next Tuesday, August 5!

This certification is valued at $110 per person, but thanks to a generous grant, it's available to you at no cost. How neat is that?

Join us at the Jana Marie Foundation office from 9 am-5 pm and learn how to apply the YMHFA Action Plan and be better prepared to advocate for youth dealing with mental health challenges or crises. Nearly 1 in 5 individuals in the US live with a mental illness, so this is a skillset that is useful to everyone (not just mental health professionals).

To register for the workshop, visit the link listed at the bottom of the flyer (or use the QR code). We hope to see you there! If Tuesday doesn't work for your schedule, you can also register to receive notifications about future courses.

07/31/2025

🌟 Support Our Herd — One Wish at a Time! 🐴💫

Looking for a simple, meaningful way to support our riders and horses? Our Amazon Wish List is filled with items that help us provide safe, enriching, and therapeutic experiences for our participants — from daily barn essentials to sensory tools and horse care supplies.

Whether you’re able to give big or small, every gift helps us continue our mission of healing, empowerment, and connection through horses.

🛒💖 Take a look and help make a difference:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1DBX1SDGAXWCF?ref_=wl_share

Thank you for being part of our community — we couldn’t do this without you! 💙

07/31/2025

Tuesday Research Round-Up
At HHRF, we believe strong programs are built on strong science. Each week, we’re highlighting research that deepens our understanding of horses, humans, and the connection between them.
Because informed care leads to better outcomes—for both horses and humans.

07/19/2025

07/17/2025

Children with speech and language difficulties worked with horses in a first-ever pilot camp using evidence-based equine therapy. https://nbc4i.co/45Z3hs7?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_NBC4

07/15/2025

How much weight can a horse carry.

In my experience, a horse can carry an infinite amount.
They can carry the weight of broken hearts, broken homes, and broken bodies.
Countless tears sometimes comb their tangled manes.
Moments when parents and friends cannot be there to help and hold a person, horses embrace and empower.
They carry physical, mental, and emotional handicaps.
They carry hopes and dreams; and they will carry the stress from your day when you can't carry it anymore.
They carry graduations, they carry new careers, they carry moves away from everything familiar, they carry marriages, they carry divorces, they carry funerals, they carry babys before they are born, and sometimes they carry the mothers who cannot carry their own baby.
They carry mistakes, they carry joy, they carry the good and they carry the bad.
They carry drugs and addictions, but they also carry the celebrations.
They will carry you to success when all you have felt is failure.
They will carry you, never knowing the weight of your burdens and triumphs.
If you let them, they will carry you through life, and life is hard, life is heavy.
But a horse will make you feel weightless under it all.

~Sage Sapergia

Photo: Carolyn & Jett, a rescued mustang

07/15/2025

Horses can acclimate to hot and humid weather conditions; however, air temperature and relative humidity can affect your horse’s ability to cool themselves. Each individual horse’s health and body condition are also important factors in terms of their ability to tolerate heat and humidity.

It is recommended to avoid (or use caution when) riding or exercising a horse when the combined air temperature (in Fahrenheit) and relative humidity (%) surpass 150. For example, if the temperature is predicted to be 92 F with 69% relative humidity, the combination of the two is 161.

When the air temperature + relative humidity is less than 130, horses are generally very effective at cooling themselves. Between 130 and 150, a horse’s ability to cool themselves is decreased. When the combination is greater than 150, a horse’s ability to cool themselves is greatly reduced, and if the combination is greater than 180, conditions could become fatal if the horse is stressed.