"No." A word heard all the time by individuals with disabilities. At Promise Ranch, "no" is not a word we often use. What you might hear instead is "yes", "let's give it a try", "sure, why not?"

We believe that all of our participants should be encouraged to be as independent as possible, and 25 (one third) of our current riders are proof of that philosophy. These 25 individuals are able to groom and tack their own horses with little to no assistance. In addition, they are all riding independently at the walk, and several of them are even learning to trot and canter on their own!

Through our therapeutic riding and horsemanship lessons, we empower our participants to focus on their ABILITY and we help them gain confidence, self-awareness, and self-esteem. By learning to care for and ride a horse at the highest level of independence possible, our participants realize, "Yes. I can!".

"My daughter, Madelon, was diagnosed with a Motor Planning Disorder when she was almost 3 years old. She is now 13 and has, unfortunately, struggled the last 10 years. We began Occupational Therapy the moment she was diagnosed and as she was growing up, we signed her up for every sport under the sun, praying that one would be a good match. Unfortunately, all we achieved was increasing her frustration and decreasing her self-esteem. Not what a parents wants.

However, since discovering Promise Ranch, Madelon has thrived. She looks forward to riding Lily every Saturday. She feels safe. She feels successful. She feels valued. She feels challenged. She feels important. She feels loved. People with special needs not only need the opportunity to strengthen much-needed life skills, but they also deserve the opportunity to feel valued and successful. Promise Ranch provides this opportunity and so much more."

--Gregg and Jennifer Larson

Promise Ranch relies heavily on the time and talents of our generous volunteer team. On a daily basis, we need anywhere from two to six volunteers per hour to assist as horse leaders and sidewalkers in our lessons or therapy sessions. Without the dedication of these volunteers, we simply would not be able to operate.

Additionally, we are in need of dedicated, skilled individuals willing to donate their time to help in many other areas from marketing to fundraising. We are also seeking experienced professionals who are interested in joining our Board of Directors.

Your financial support means everything to us! Promise Ranch needs to underwrite 70 - 75% of our operational costs through donations and grants from individuals, corporations, foundations, and government entities.

Our two main ongoing areas of need are in horse sponsorship and participant financial assistance:

1) $600 fully sponsors one horse for one month. This amount allows for full care of one of our amazing therapy horses, and also for a small amount to be put aside in an emergency veterinary fund.

2) Our riders can be fully supported at $585 per 9-week term for adaptive/therapeutic riding lessons, or $1,260 per 9-week term for hippotherapy treatment sessions. Due to the unique nature of our services, treatments are typically not covered by insurance. At Promise Ranch, we want and NEED to ensure that our families can have access to this extremely beneficial service without financial burden.