Horses for Hope

My son has been taking horseback riding lessons. He loves it. He has a fairly extreme case of ADHD and this has been huge for him. The people who run it are some of the coolest people you will ever meet and they really are helping people. The horses are super friendly too. Watching my son practice on a horse one day, a really bog horse named Pete came up to me and my younger son and was extremely friendly.

I love that they are very supportive of disabled children. How can you not love an organization like this?

I've been taking lessons here for 6 years and it's been amazing. I love all the horses and my amazing instructor Merideth it's amazing how much I've improved in the last 6 months and I love that she's been able to get us into showing consistently.

We just finished the 10 week special needs class for our sons and we all had a fantastic experience. Horses for Hope gave our sons the opportunity to get outside and have fun while gaining confidence going outside of their comfort zone.

Horses for Hope offers an excellent therapeutic riding program for those with special physical and mental needs. The riding sessions help to develop core muscle strength and provide a positive environment to interact with others as well as animals.

*Editing in response to the Owners response. I will copy and paste the following that was included at the end of the review:

"I hope this review is helpful for caregivers to make an informed decision based off of other's experiences regarding equestrian education for their minors."
Meaning, this review is being shared with others so that they may make an informed decision based off of the experience that others have had with this organization. It is entirely up to them to then consider their values and give their business to whomever they see fit to have it. This is the entire point of Google reviews. Therefore, the review is relevant and no guidelines were violated. There is nothing perplexing about this. My past involvement with the organization and identity are anonymous for obvious reasons.*

The original post:
Recently, a mother expressing interest on behalf of her non-binary minor with a genuine interest in thier program was informed that Horses for Hope would not respect her child pronouns because of "Christian beliefs." Of course, they are within their right to serve whomever they choose. However, it was a simply disheartening experience despite thier mission, as stated in their Strategic Plan, being:

"Horses for Hope promotes therapeutic
healing of the mind, body, and soul by
using horses as a dynamic, interactive
tool for individuals of all ages,
regardless of ability, including those
who are experiencing physical,
mental, or emotional challenges."

That being said, it may very well be a good fit for some individuals. For any caregivers of minors looking for a supportive, but more importantly, an inclusive program for your kids, consider the following organizations; that have been well known to be open-minded, affirming and inclusive of all of our neighbors in society:

-Helping Horse Therapeutic Program (Wendell)
-Shangri-Ia Farm and Sanctuary (Clayton)
-Triton Stables (Durham)
-Horse and Buddy (New Hill)
-Indigo Equine Wellness (Raleigh)

I hope this review is helpful for caregivers to make an informed decision based off of other's experiences regarding equestrian education for their minors.