The Hoofbeat: August 2018
Hearts Celebrates Another Successful Summer Camp
As the instructors for this year's summer camp, we wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s summer camp a success! 

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.

One of our most popular activities is taking our campers out to explore the trails at Hearts. Our trail rides give the riders an opportunity to experience a truly natural environment, unaltered by man. Campers watch as valley quail and cottontail rabbits scurry across the trail into wild growing quail bush and blooming globe mallow. Red tailed hawks roost in the Oak tree canopies and campers hug their horses as they duck under overhanging branches. The experience allows the riders to connect with their horses in a relaxing but stimulating environment. They must use brain and brawn to navigate through the uneven canyon terrain, which leaves them feeling accomplished and confident. It’s truly an exciting adventure!

It’s a treat for us to be able to share our love and knowledge of horses with kids who are equally passionate about these amazing animals. Some of our campers even got to have their first experience on horseback with us! We are so thankful for all of our volunteers, too, for helping to make their experience positive and fun. Our dedicated volunteers braved the recent heat waves and we are very grateful for their support and for developing mentoring friendships with our campers.

Thank you everyone for another amazing summer camp. Don’t forget to give our wonderful horses some extra love, they worked their cabooses off and we couldn’t have done it without them!


Sincerely,

Kari Oslie & Lily Garcia
PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructors
OUR DONORS ROCK! We'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to Kris and Brian Kittle for their generous gift to Hearts which has allowed us to purchase a brand new specialty saddle. With the addition of this specialty saddle into our program, more riders will be able to benefit from the stability it has to offer, thus allowing them to focus on the real therapeutic benefits of the movement of the horse. Even more individuals will have an opportunity to ride in our program when they had previously thought it would not be possible due to physical limitations. This saddle has opened the door for them. Thank you again for your continued support!
Viva la Fiesta!
Did you know the Santa Barbara's Fiesta Horse Parade is one of the largest equestrian parades in the country? Check out this fabulous article from the Santa Barbara Independent which honors these truly magnificent animals!

Hearts will be CLOSED for lessons this Friday.
Have a safe and fun Fiesta weekend!
In case you missed it....
Vinnie, our oh-so-spunky mini, is going through clicker training! Our program coordinator Kari is working on teaching him some fun new tricks that he can show off around town. Ain't he the cutest?!

Follow Vinnie and his friends on Facebook and Instagram!
Experience the heart and soul of our organization
Join us for Hearts 101: An Inclusive Tour (previously Open House) on August 18th from 10:00 am to 11:00 am !

Come to the Hearts ranch to learn more about our expanded programs, recent news, and to learn more about the amazing individuals we serve. There are many opportunities to bring friends and family throughout the year to see our mission in action!

Upcoming dates:
Saturday, September 8th, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Saturday, October 6th, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Saturday, November 3rd, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Saturday, December 1st, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center | (805) 964-1519 | info@heartsriding.org | www.heartsriding.org