Upcoming Events

March 30-May 24

Spring Session

(begins on a Saturday!)

April 15,

4:30pm-6:30pm

New Volunteer Open House

April 21-April 27

National Volunteer Week

April 30

9am

Spring Sensory Garden Clean-up

Session Updates!

Spring Session is here!

This is our largest session to date!

It has been AMAZING how our volunteer team has stepped up to fill

242 volunteer spots every week this session!

Volunteer Attendance was emailed last week to everyone who is

signed up for Spring Session.

If you did not receive an email, that means you did not sign up for classes. Please email me if you are wanting to volunteer for Spring Session and did not receive an email.

➜We are still needing Volunteers in the below classes for Spring Session.

Can you help us?

Tuesday 4:30pm class - 1 more volunteer needed

Thursday 4:30 class - 1 more volunteer needed

Friday 9:30 class - 2 more volunteers needed

Saturday 12pm class - 1 more volunteer needed

➜We are also needing substitute volunteers throughout session!

Can you help us by being a substitute volunteer?

Please send Melinda an email!

Need to miss a class?

You can do one of two things:

1. If it is at least a day in advance, please email volunteer@smilestherapeuticriding.org.
2. If it is the same day you are scheduled to volunteer, please CALL our cancellation line at 262-882-3470, option 1. This line rings to all SMILES staff and we will be able to get the message out quickly to the Instructor.

New Volunteers!

We have a lot of new volunteers so please be sure to give them a big SMILES welcome when you see them in the barn or in class!

Ariana Garland

Ray Owens

Jo Booker

Jill Fatz

Isabella Gould

Sophia Jackson

Haley Oppenheimer

Dawn McBride

Kolaya Wilson

Billy Adams

Brenda Harris

Katie Nickels

Olivia Haeni

Cathy Murphy

Ann Richardson

Nicole Kaminski

Kelly Pike-Nelson

Pam Lerch

Jerry Young

Mary Valenziano

Steve Smith

HEARTS Training Refresher



Our HEARTS Program has grown exponentially!

If you are newer to SMILES, HEARTS is our unmounted program where clients learn how to safely work with the horses in a

one-on-one setting.

HEARTS covers topics such as grooming, saddling, horse care,

leading and more!

Need a quick refresher on HEARTS training?

Click the link below

New Training Video!

We are excited to announce our "Oops" Video Training Modules!

These short training videos will be about improving our horsemanship skills,

whether inside the arena, or in the barn.

Please let us know any feedback on this training video,

or any future trainings you would like to see!

For further training and review, check out our

5 Common Horse Leader Mistakes

on our YouTube Channel.

📣 Tell your friends and family about our upcoming

New Volunteer Open House!

Equine Seminar and Tack Sale Success!



Wow, our volunteers sure helped make our Equine Seminar and Tack Sale a HUGE success!

We could not have done it without you guys!

From the Barn!

Welcome to the Team, Pantera!

We are excited to introduce SMILES’ newest Therapy Horse in Training, Pantera! Pantera is a 7-year-old Quarter Horse/Morgan Cross who came to us from the Appleton area. Pantera was primarily used for leisure riding and has been hauled to several states for rodeos and trail ridden at state parks. His tall/lean body type will be ideal for our riders who have tight muscle tone or have goals of working on core strength and balance. Pantera’s kind and gentle personality is exactly what we look for in a candidate and we are eager to see him start his mock-classes during Spring Session. He is currently living with Nugget outside of the breezeway and has Henry’s previous stall.

Be sure to stop in and give him a warm welcome! 

New Beginnings for Henry & Dixie!



We are thrilled to report that Henry and Dixie are thriving in their new homes! Have you ever wondered how SMILES determines when to rehome or retire a horse? When assessing the herd, SMILES staff take into consideration both the physical and mental health of the horses. As the horses age, we try and retire them so they have less of a workload and can enjoy a semi-retirement, like Turtle and Rose.

However, sometimes we must rehome a horse early due to their mental health. One of the biggest setbacks for the horses entering the program is the number of different handlers and riders they could have each day. In a more traditional setting for a horse, they create a bond with their rider or family and are comfortable and confident in their daily routine.

With the busy stable and full classes, SMILES was just too stimulating for our sweet Dixie. She wasn’t able to have a consistent routine and lacked confidence in her role as a therapy horse. She now lives locally where she is turned out with only 3 other horses and has just one rider. She is being ridden outside and is becoming a little cow horse which has boosted her confidence. She has the same daily routine and the same daily handlers which has allowed Dixie to thrive in her new home! Check out Dixie, getting ready in the roping chute next to her herd of cattle!

When SMILES purchased Henry, he had been a children’s trail pony. We found out quickly that being led around in circles here was just too boring for Henry. Henry was a Border Collie and we needed a Golden Retriever! He started acting out in class and during grooming simply out of boredom.

When looking for the perfect home, we wanted to get him back to his happy place which was taking kids down the trail! He found just that and is thriving in his new home.

Look at how sweet Henry is with his new family.

They just adore him and I think it’s safe to say the feeling is mutual!



It is heartwarming to hear how the horses are doing in their new homes and the adventures they go on. Our number one priority is that the horses here are healthy and happy in their roles as program horses.

Did you know?



The horses at SMILES get farrier services every 6 weeks, keeping their hoof-health in optimal shape. A farrier is a craftsman who trims and shoes horse’s hooves.

You may have noticed when grooming that some horses have front shoes, and some have no shoes at all. There are several factors that go into determining if a horse needs shoe support such as whether their hoof soles are thin, if they need support balancing their hoof/bone structure, if they have arthritic changes within the hoof wall, or if their hooves are brittle and crack easily.

Watch this brief video of SMILES farrier, Cody Vondra of C4 Farrier Services, as he goes through a shoeing cycle with program horse Holly, explaining the what’s/how’s/why’s of shoeing!

April Volunteer SPOTLIGHT!

Meet Suzanne Peters

How did you become involved with SMILES and how long have you been volunteering?

I had read an article about SMILES and thought it sounded interesting. I came to the first Tack Sale in 2016 to take a look. Everyone was so welcoming, I signed up that day and have been with SMILES ever since!

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Milwaukee and also spent a lot of time up North visiting family and exploring in the woods. Our home in the city was a duplex with a fenced yard. For some reason, I was not able to convince my parents that I could put a horse there!

Who is your favorite horse at SMILES and why?

I love them all! I do have a soft spot for Sport. He's a big, handsome goofball with loads of personality, knows his job, and takes good care of his riders. He likes to joke around during warm-up, but is all business in class.

Do you have a favorite SMILES event? If you are new, which event are you most interested in attending?

I love the Student Horse Show! The clients really get to show off their skills, as well as the variety of horses that serve in our program. I enjoy working with clients in the show, but also love being "back stage" in the barn. 

What would you say to someone who is interested in volunteering at SMILES?

Join us! You don't need any "horse experience" to volunteer at SMILES! The in-person training is excellent and you can review and learn more via the SMILES channel on YouTube. Plus, staff, volunteers, and horses will all help you! 

I've worked or volunteered for several organizations over the years, and I have to say SMILES is one of the best. The culture at SMILES is kind, positive, and forward- thinking, and volunteers are truly appreciated.

Is there anything else you'd like your fellow volunteers to know?

At SMILES, I'm always willing to help and you can ask me anything. If I don't know the answer, I'll help you find someone who does! Outside of SMILES, I work in a senior care facility, where I need to be flexible and versatile every day. I was widowed many years ago and raised four children on my own. Hmm. What else about me?

I have a very peculiar set of skills. (I think a lot of moms can say that.) I love heist movies. I'm a natural card counter (sorry, no trips to Vegas). I went to mime school (LOL). I'm good at target shooting, but very bad at slow dancing! I have never been without a cat.

SPRING CLEANUP

Sensory Garden

Tuesday, April 30 – 9am

(If you are not able to stay for long, ANY time is appreciated)

Spring is here and our sensory garden is ready to bloom! We have great things planned for the garden this year! Come help our garden spring clean-up.

Please contact Sharon Vandenbroucke

(our Master Gardener) if you can help:

scvandenbroucke@gmail.com

April Birthdays!

Pat Plucinski 4/1

Megan Sandman 4/6

Dean Hoefert 4/7

Cindy Lapidakis 4/8

Donna Thielen 4/14

Sebastian Coy 4/19

Madison Bussinger 4/19

Jill Fatz 4/20

Steven Smith 4/20

Sue Storms 4/26

Marisol Figueroa Cruz 4/26