Summer Volunteer Opportunity

Howdy Partner!

You are invited to volunteer with the Summer Horse Experience! 

If you are age 14 or older and you love horses, the outdoors and helping others, then come join our Team.  Opportunities abound to work with the horses and the riders.

You may volunteer once or twice a week in the riding lesson program or spend a whole week with the same riders at the Summer Horse Experience.

The Hearts Summer Horse Experience begins June 11 and runs through August 24, 2012.

Volunteer opportunities are available on Monday through Friday mornings, 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, and Monday through Saturday afternoons from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Let us know you are interested!  Call 805-964-1519, or email us at volunteers@heartsssb.org

Come to the Summer Horse Experience Training:  Saturday May 19, 2012 1 pm – 5 pm

Additional Trainings will be available.

If you are a new volunteer, please download the volunteer application off the HEARTs website and bring it with you:  www.heartsssb.org.

Jenny Cota
Hearts Therapeutic
Director of Volunteers
PH:805-964-1519
volunteers@heartssb.org

Looking For A New Home

Dear Hearts Friends and Supporters:

The time has come for Hearts to find a new home. 

As you may know, our equestrian facility is situated on land that we have leased from the County of Santa Barbara for the past 20 years.  It is a lovely spot and we are grateful to have been here for so long.

The county now needs to use this site for other purposes. They have given us the option of leasing another county-owned location nearby.  A Facilities Committee, comprised of board members and community volunteers, is working diligently to determine the feasibility of building a suitable equestrian center on that site. 

In addition, the committee is doing its due diligence by investigating other, possibly more suitable, options for the re-location and expansion of our Therapeutic Riding program.  

We are committed to the goals outlined in our Strategic Plan:

1)      To ensure the long-term sustainability of Hearts

2)      To serve as many individuals with special needs as possible, without sacrificing the warm and personal nature of our program.

3)      To create a facility that meets the current and long-term needs of our ridership.

At this time, we are considering a wide range of options for our re-location.  We will work with a realtor to identify properties for sale or lease. We are also interested in shared or donated property.  Please contact me if you have any ideas or suggestions.

This is a very exciting time in the life of our organization.  Hearts is thriving and growing. We view this re-location as an opportunity to create an equestrian facility that reflects our commitment to the community and our status as a Premiere Therapeutic Riding Center – one of only 21 in the state of California.

Thanks to the generosity and cooperation of the County of Santa Barbara, we have plenty of time to plan for and accomplish this next step in the development of Hearts. I welcome your input and partnership in finding our new home.

Thank you for your dedication to Hearts and to the families and individuals we serve.  I look forward to many more years of working together fulfilling our mission - To employ the power of the horse to enhance the capabilities and independence of children and adults with special needs, in Santa Barbara.

Sincerely,

Kirby Gillispie

Executive Director

You Are Invited To The Biggest Event of the Year at Hearts!

On May 27, 2012 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, riders of all ages will compete in an Olympic-style horse show before a cheering crowd of family, friends and supporters. We hope you will come to celebrate with us.
Our show this year is inspired by the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Students with physical and cognitive challenges will “Go for the Gold”. There will be a Celebration of Excellence, demonstrating how Hearts helps students achieve their personal best, both in the arena and in their lives.  A Torch relay and a delicious BBQ lunch will round out the exciting day.

You can Sponsor an Olympian!

 Your sponsorship will help provide therapeutic riding lessons year round for children and adults with disabilities, including US military veterans. 

Gold Medal Event Sponsor                                                                      $500

Support Hearts Therapeutic Riding Program
Hang your sign or banner in the arena (optional)
Present ribbons to an Olympian Team (optional)
6 Gold Medal Lunch tickets
Full Page Ad in the Horseshow Program
Recognition at the event
Recognition in any articles published
Recognition in the Hearts e-newsletter and on the Hearts website      

Olympian Team Sponsor                                               $250

Support Hearts Therapeutic Riding Program
4 Gold Medal Lunch tickets
Recognition in the Horseshow Program
Recognition at the event
Recognition in any articles published
Recognition in the Hearts e-newsletter and on the Hearts website

 Sportsmanship Sponsor                                                                           $100

Support Hearts Therapeutic Riding Program
2 Gold Medal Lunch tickets
Recognition in the Horseshow Program        
Recognition in the Hearts e-newsletter and on the Hearts website

To Become a Sponsor, call 805-964-1519!

Hearts Summer Horse Experience: An Inclusive Horse Experience For Kids of All Abilities

Isa Topete can’t help but smile when she’s riding. Although she has severe disabilities, you would never know that when watching her on horseback. After four years at Hearts Therapeutic Riding Center, Isa has become confident and strong.  Her mother, Annie Topete, believes that Hearts has helped her daughter most by providing a safe and nurturing environment. “The big thing for me as a parent with a disabled child is that we can just be ourselves here,” Topete explained. “Everyone at Hearts knows Isa and can give her the support she needs."

This summer, Hearts will continue making a difference for children of all abilities through a unique Summer Horse Camp.  “The summer program is particularly powerful, because we include children with and without disabilities,” said Program Director, Connie Weinsoff. “We talk about the differences among the horses as a way to help kids understand and respect their own differences.  By riding together, children with disabilities and those without disabilities are able to build relationships and learn from one another.”

Each camp day includes a riding segment; opportunities to groom, tack and bathe the horses; plus a hands-on, educational topic of the day such as equine nutrition, vet care, and horse behavior.  All classes are taught by certified riding instructors. At the end of the week, riders will demonstrate their new skills for family and friends in a mini-horseshow.

Children will leave the Hearts Summer Horse Experience knowing much more than horsemanship and horseback riding skills; they will leave with more self-confidence, higher self-esteem, and a greater appreciation for the value of other people.

“We focus on empowerment, peer interaction, and education,” said Weinsoff.  “Even though the camp is only for five days, the kids make a visible progression in that time frame. They go from feeling anxious or nervous on the horse or with their peers, to feeling confident and comfortable.”

Come to the Hearts Horse Show to learn more about Camp

May 27^th   9am-4pm    Camp Presentations at 11:00 and 1:00

Dates:         June 11- 16 (FULL)

June 18-22

June 25-29

July 30-August 3

August 20 -24 (Select one day -- parents and kids ride together)

Time:          9 am-12 pm

Tuition:      $350 per Week

For more information, call Connie Weinsoff at 805-964-1519 or visit www.HeartsSB.org

Angela Kelly: A Woman with a Big Heart

Angela Kelly has an innate desire to help others. Whether it’s through horses, art, or her profession as a therapist, she is passionate about helping people overcome obstacles. Angela recalls that, “growing up with horses, I have watched them do their magic all my life”. When she was in her twenties, she volunteered at a therapeutic horseback riding center.  Since that time, she has been convinced of the healing power of horses and Therapeutic Riding. Today, Angela is a volunteer at Hearts as well as a psychotherapist. In both settings, she uses holistic and natural ways to help people heal from trauma.

“Our family believes that if you do good things, good things will happen,” she said.

Kelly grew up with artistic parents and became an artist herself, believing that art can also help people heal. She has been producing art shows for over 25 years and is motivated by the conviction that art serves a purpose other than being a commodity. Art is a vehicle for self-expression, and healing, as well as a way to connect with others. “I use my art to advocate for a social issue or to bring attention to an important organization,” she explained. “My Art Shows create visibility for non-profits, and initiate new relationships and opportunities for them.”

In fact, Kelly first heard about Hearts when she and her son Max went to an art show, where she met a Hearts volunteer who told them about the organization. A love affair began after she attended the Pegasus Luncheon, where a rider spoke about therapeutic riding and how it helped him overcome PTSD.  She was so moved by his story that she knew she was going to stick around.

“Horses are the most natural cure for people who have survived unnatural situations,” Kelly said. “In my therapy practice, I see how horses can help kids with therapeutic backgrounds.”

This year, Kelly created “Horse Love in Santa Barbara,” an equine-themed art show, hosted by the Santa Barbara Frame Shop and Gallery ,to benefit Hearts. Featured artists included Katie Upton, Jeremy Harper, Brian Chessmar, Nick Van Hecke, David Schler, Jessica Rees, and Linda Collison. Funds raised by this event provide scholarships for riders who would not otherwise be able to benefit from therapeutic riding lessons.

Kelly said she will do whatever she can to help Hearts because of its mission to change lives and enhance people’s abilities. “Every week I take Max to Hearts to feed the horses, and sometimes we stay to watch the kids ride…It’s amazing to see what they can do!”