Mentoring with Horses

Mentoring with Horses Why horses? They have thoughts, feelings, emotions, and individual personalities. Let’s connect! (423) 268-4126

MENTORSHIP ~ DISCIPLESHIP ~ HORSEMANSHIP.. thru Compassionate, Supportive & Trauma-Informed
Experiential and Therapeutic Equine-Assisted Learning
for Essential Life Skills Development and Enhancement MENTORING WITH HORSES LLC
Developing Life Skills for Foster and Adopted Kids with Complex Trauma Needs

We provide one-on-one equine-assisted mentoring to foster and adopted children ages 9 to 17 wh

o have early developmental (complex) trauma needs. As a Stable Moments® service provider, we accomplish this by pairing community mentorship with unmounted equine-assisted learning activities to help heal trauma, promote resilience, and equip them to better navigate life and make healthy transitions into adulthood. This involves taking a trauma-informed approach to meeting them where they’re at, recognizing their personalities, interests, strengths, challenges and goals, and helping them develop life skills in the areas of self-worth, self-regulation, emotional awareness, responsibility, healthy relationships, and independence (such as calmness, mindfulness, confidence, respect, empathy, humility, trust, focus, communication, anger management, executive functioning, and social awareness). They are sociable, very sensitive to our energy, highly attuned and responsive to our behavior, and capable of individualized connections and real relationships. Partnering with horses offers tangible therapeutic benefits while making the mentoring more fun, more exciting, more engaging, more powerful, more intense, and more effective, even for children and youth who refuse to engage in traditional therapy. Have questions about our program structure, enrolling a child, or joining our community mentors team?

Cinnamon decided she needed a (well-deserved) break between the two Heartstone Horse Encounters sessions we had on Frida...
06/21/2026

Cinnamon decided she needed a (well-deserved) break between the two Heartstone Horse Encounters sessions we had on Friday. 😊

HEARTSTONE HORSE ENCOUNTERS: On their first day of camp at The Oaks Retreat Center on Friday, a number of the young adul...
06/21/2026

HEARTSTONE HORSE ENCOUNTERS: On their first day of camp at The Oaks Retreat Center on Friday, a number of the young adults and youths with the Church of Jesus Christ took time out to experience some of the Heartstone horses, connecting through grooming, building relationships while navigating obstacles, and even participating in Faith-Trust rides. It was such a pleasure to meet and spend time with them, and we also appreciate our wonderful equine partners: Casey, Cinnamon, Gypsy, and Zoey, and our horse handler volunteers Rebecca, Sarah, Brad, and Joe. We thank God for all of you!! Enjoy the pics!

NO ONE RECOVERS ALONE! This week our women participants continued their journey along R-HUB's Christ-centered, horse-ass...
05/28/2026

NO ONE RECOVERS ALONE! This week our women participants continued their journey along R-HUB's Christ-centered, horse-assisted PATH TO FREEDOM, with a Biblical emphasis on the critical need for a safe and supportive community. As with the men earlier in the week (separate post), the inclusion of more of Pete Gatto’s testimony, supporting scriptures, group discussion and self-reflection questions help provide a strong foundation for future sessions. They spent some time observing their horses as a small herd, and took note experientially of how herd instinct and relational cues impact belonging, fear, and trust, not only by observing herd shifts in real time, but also seeing what kinds of impact bringing one’s own presence and energy into a herd of horses can have in their own community. The women were challenged to notice how horses behave in herds that reflects something we need as humans, and one way in which each of them is learning to be a “safe person” in someone else’s recovery herd. We thank God for each participant and what He is doing in and through each of them and the horses, by His grace and for His glory.

NO ONE RECOVERS ALONE! This was week two of the journey along R-HUB's Christ-centered, horse-assisted PATH TO FREEDOM, w...
05/27/2026

NO ONE RECOVERS ALONE! This was week two of the journey along R-HUB's Christ-centered, horse-assisted PATH TO FREEDOM, with a Biblical emphasis on the critical need for a safe and supportive community. The inclusion of more of Pete Gatto’s testimony, supporting scriptures, group discussion and self-reflection questions help provide a strong foundation for future sessions. By spending some time observing the horses as a herd, the guys took note experientially of how herd instinct and relational cues impact belonging, fear, and trust, not only by observing herd shifts in real time, but also seeing what kinds of impact bringing one’s own presence and energy into a (small) herd of horses can have in their own community. The participants were challenged to notice how horses behave in herds that reflects something we need as humans, and one way in which each of them is learning to be a “safe person” in someone else’s recovery herd. We thank God for each participant and what He is doing in and through each of them and the horses, by His grace and for His glory. While we did not capture pics of the herd observations, the guys did get to spend some time trying out a new obstacle course in our outdoor arena. For full context, we have even included a video of Todd as he walks through (learning) the course with his equine partner Casey. Enjoy!

HEART (Autism & Horses): Here are some pics from a recent session with some of our kiddos, including short videos of Luk...
05/27/2026

HEART (Autism & Horses): Here are some pics from a recent session with some of our kiddos, including short videos of Luka (solo) and Lilia (with help from Ms. Sarah) walking Vega around an obstacle course the kiddos designed and built themselves. They had so much fun together!

ONE DAY AT A TIME! This week we had the great pleasure of starting our second cycle of R-HUB's Path to Freedom with part...
05/21/2026

ONE DAY AT A TIME! This week we had the great pleasure of starting our second cycle of R-HUB's Path to Freedom with participants from Exodus 14 Ministries (EXO14). This is a Christ-centered Recovery program with Equine Encounters that is voluntary and supplemental to their core EXO14 recovery program, and this time around we are blessed to not only have men participating, but women also! The sessions were a blessing for all -- humans and horses! With the arena perimeter representing a 24-hour window, the space symbolizing "just for today", and the horses representing our journey while letting go of yesterday's regrets and tomorrow's worries and fears, the participants were encouraged to lay down personal burdens they are trying to control that are actually unmanageable. They had four opportunities (barrels) along the path, where they could pause with their horse (partner), quietly yet intentionally meet with the Lord, and place a token, rock, or multiple of them at the foot of a cross, symbolizing releasing the burden(s) at the feet of Jesus. We also encouraged them to involve their equine partners, reminding them that horses are excellent listeners and never snitch! We thank God for our participants -- some new and some returning -- and the privilege we have of both serving them and sharing in the love of horses together before the Lord!

PURPOSE. This past week we were able to complete our first 13-sessions cycle of R-HUB's PATH TO FREEDOM program – YAY! H...
05/16/2026

PURPOSE. This past week we were able to complete our first 13-sessions cycle of R-HUB's PATH TO FREEDOM program – YAY! Having been transformed by applying the Biblical principles in the Path to Freedom, each participant was encouraged to embrace his call to bring the message to those who are still suffering. For this they considered several Biblical truths, including how God uses the weak, calls us to join Him in reaching others, and that while God does not erase our past, He is able to redeem it! The very scars that once seemed to disqualify us need no longer be a source of shame, but rather a testimony of His mercy and grace! The men were led in a prayer declaring their freedom and purpose, and they completed their journey alongside their equine partners. In doing so, they reflected three points: 1) what it was like (before), 2) what happened (turning point), and 3) what it is like now (after / moving forward). They were also reminded of how their horse partner has been a safe and non-judging companion – a witness to their story.
We thank God for each of these men, our wonderful horses, the blessing R-HUB’s Path to Freedom program has been, and we trust that God will continue to work in their lives, to their joy and His glory!

NEXT WEEK: We are so pleased and praising God for the privilege to start a new cycle of Path to Freedom, welcoming NOT ONLY new and returning men, BUT ALSO six (6) women who have signed up. IN ADDITION, we will start our own follow-on BEYOND Path to Freedom program, open to the participants who complete the Path to Freedom program and desire to continue spending time with the horses. In this follow-on program, they will expand their knowledge, skills, and experience with additional mentorship, discipleship, and horsemanship! THANK YOU LORD JESUS!

HEART (HORSES & AUTISM): This past week we had two new participants start our program: Jaxsin and Bryson welcomed Carson...
05/12/2026

HEART (HORSES & AUTISM): This past week we had two new participants start our program: Jaxsin and Bryson welcomed Carson, and Luka, Alex, and Mila welcomed Lilia. They all kept Vega very busy and had a great time practicing grooming and groundwork, both individually and at times collaboratively. These kiddos are gaining so much confidence and enhancing their life skills each and every week, as the many pictures here below help to show. Meanwhile, Crew and Charlie supported their mom, Mrs. Jess, who brought their new baby sister Lindy into the world. Congratulations Mrs. Jess and Mr. Dylan!

COMMUNION WITH GOD. This week our men on R-HUB's PATH TO FREEDOM practiced cultivating an intimate relationship with God...
05/07/2026

COMMUNION WITH GOD. This week our men on R-HUB's PATH TO FREEDOM practiced cultivating an intimate relationship with God through solitude, prayer, and meditation. We considered how addiction is often misguided worship, and how lasting recovery involves not just letting go of a substance or behavior but also returning to right worship: putting Jesus Christ on the throne of our hearts. With their equine partners they practiced Lectio Divina (“Divine Reading”), appreciating and experiencing God’s Word not just as information, but as communion with Him through movements of the heart – not steps to perform, but invitations to dwell with the One who made us. The experience of reading just a few verses and focusing on hearing, reflecting, responding, and resting in the company of their horses and in the presence of God, abiding in Him by slowing down and “being” rather than “doing”, was positively impactful. They then spent the remaining time enjoying the company of their horses. As always, we thank God for each of these men, our wonderful horses, and how God continues to work in their lives, to our joy and His glory!

HEART (HORSES & AUTISM): This week some of our regular participants were out of town. That didn’t stop Crew and Charlie ...
05/03/2026

HEART (HORSES & AUTISM): This week some of our regular participants were out of town. That didn’t stop Crew and Charlie from designing and building yet another obstacle course of their own for Vega. Our older young ladies (Abigail and Ava) were given the task of cooperating with their horses (Gypsy and Shelby) by taking turns allowing each to graze a little, walk a little, and repeat – multiple times. They did well in spite of how much their horses like to bury their faces into the grass and not come up for air! (lol) They also spent time giving TLC to their four-legged partners while enjoying being outdoors on such a beautiful afternoon! Joshua spent some TLC time with Gypsy and also practiced leading her over a more challenging obstacle set that required more leg step-ups – good rewarding exercise for them both!

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90 Stanley Lane
Greeneville, TN
37743

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