Loss, grief, conflict, disappointment, rejection. These are all words that hold an emotional connection. For humans these words hold meaning and memories, and they can remind you of your darkest moment and your hardest day.  When I hear the word “loss,” it reminds me of the memories I missed out on not taking more sports in high school and when I hear the word “disappointment” it reminds me of my fear of disappointing California Rainbow. 

However, these words do not hold meaning to animals. What animals perceive is that their owner is upset and they have the ability to help them feel better. For most people, after a long hug or cuddle from their favorite animal it can make them feel better almost immediately. For others,  just being in the presence of animals can make them feel an oversupply of joy. Imagine if you weren’t able to casually walk up and hold your cat or take your dog on a walk. This is what millions of people are faced with. 

In 2016, Guy and Carrie Adams were at their lowest point. They expressed that by the grace of God, a four-year-old girl in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy spontaneously showed up wanting to pet one of their horses. Guy Adams felt bad because the horse she wanted to pet was an unpredictable race horse they had just adopted so he went and found a safer horse for her to pet. This girl was not just able to pet the horse but was able to learn how to ride it. This was the start of “the Heart of the Horse Therapy Ranch”.

The Heart of the Horse is a nonprofit organization providing equine horse therapy to children with physical disabilities to make the impossible possible. This organization started in 2011 but wasn’t called the heart of the horse until 2016. They have four programs, the biggest being their assisted therapy for disabilities. They also have Horses 4 H, allowing people who are 12 and older to connect, build confidence and strength. They have Bandit Buddies which focus on children who are 5 to 12 years old, focusing on the same thing as for Horses 4 Healing. Lastly, they have their veteran equine therapy service, focusing on veterans with service related injuries from being on active duty.

They harness the profound connection between humans and horses to foster growth, resilience and healing. Their evidence-based assisted program empowers individuals facing physical disabilities and military service related injuries to build confidence, develop new skills and exercise the renewed sense of freedom. 

California Rainbow, I am so excited to finally share with you that we will be working alongside the Heart of the Horse Therapy Ranch for our 2026 Grand Service Project and I sincerely hope that you will fall in love with it just as much as I have!  Thank you! 

For more information about Heart of the Horse, visit their website at https://www.heartofthehorse.org/