Please contact Jan Grise to register for Session 2. 

Please read our COVID Guidelines. Click here.

2021 Therapeutic, Veteran, Silver Saddle Riding Sessions

Session 1: March 29 – May 7 (Some makeups scheduled for week of May 10. Contact your Instructor for more info.)

Session 2: June 1 – July 9

Session 3: August 2 – September 13

Session 4: October 4 – November 12

Legacy Celebration

Monday, April 19 

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The Heart goes on …

The LEGACY of Horses with Heart is built by, on, and around our family.  Sadly, our Horses with Heart family has suffered losses this past winter.  We lost our effervescent volunteer, Ethel Peterson, our veteran, Gerry Kemp (who has joined his favorite horse Scoop), and loved ones of our Horses with Heart family Ray Peterson (husband of Ethel) and Gene LeVell (father of Executive Director Angelique). 

Horses with Heart thanks you for coming to celebrate their legacies and lives last Monday, April 19.  We planted a rose garden and remembered these loved ones.  Donations are still appreciated to offset the cost of materials and roses. There is a donation box on the Baker’s Rack (on the left) as you enter the main Horses with Heart office.

Pictures of this event will be posted soon.

In Loving Memory of Ethel Peterson

September 22, 1935 - February 3, 2021

Ethel lost her battle with COVID on Wednesday morning. Just the day before, she told her husband, Ray, also sick with COVID, “We’re going to beat this thing”. As the news of her passing started circulating among Horses with Heart friends and family, there was a common thread within each loving comment. Ethel was one special lady! She was known for her friendliness, her beautiful smile, and most of all, her hugs. She never met a person she didn’t love.

Ethel had a long history with Horses with Heart. She started volunteering in March, 2004 bringing many talents and skills of horsemanship, organization and dedication. She became the Volunteer Coordinator shortly after, and what a fit that was! She welcomed each new volunteer with open arms and showered them with attention and her know-how. AND HUGS! Ethel was just as attentive with seasoned volunteers. Ethel was so good at this assignment, she was awarded “VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR” by Horses with Heart in 2008 and awarded NARHA (now PATH Intl.) Region 10 Volunteer of the Year in 2009 at the National Conference in Dallas, TX.

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Ethel didn’t stop there…She served on hundreds of Safety Support Teams over the years, helping riders to feel at ease and to learn new skills. Ethel loved each rider and made lasting impacts on their lives, not only in the horse world, but in their everyday lives. She also volunteered as a coach for Special Olympics. Behind the scenes, she was on the Volunteer Committee for many years and also served on the HwH Board of Directors for a time. She was always there for the grunt work too – cleaning, painting, doing office work…and the list goes on.

Riding was a passion of Ethel’s as well. She participated in our Silver Saddle classes for many years. Seeing Ethel on one of our horses was such a joy!

We, at Horses with Heart, cannot imagine life at HwH without Ethel. We take comfort in the fact that she is in heaven and is not in pain. We can take joy when we see reminders of her around the ranch. “Ethel, you are forever in our hearts and are greatly missed!”

A Tribute, in the form of messages and photos, to the memory of Ethel Peterson is being compiled by Karen Richert. Please email your remembrances and comments and any photos of Ethel to kricherthwh00@yahoo.com . Thank you.

Horses with Heart is the place where
"difficulties become possibilities."

Harnessing the proven benefits of therapeutic horsemanship, Horses with Heart (HwH) helps transform the lives of disabled children and adults — including U.S. military veterans, first responders, and seniors — as they gain confidence, dignity and independence by riding our trained horses under the direction of highly-credentialed staff. 

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Serving children with autism… teenagers with Cerebral Palsy… veterans with PTSD… and so many others, HwH has, since 1993, been the place where gentle horses take their riders beyond the confines of their conditions.

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HwH is the Premier Accredited Center in northern Arizona—a distinction earned from PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) International, the global authority in the field. Read more.

HwH needs your help so we can keep helping. Please tour around our site, or schedule a tour around our facility (right on South Highway 89 in Chino Valley), and see what the possibilities might be for you.

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MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Horses with Heart is to provide a safe, therapeutic equine experience provided by credentialed staff for people with disabilities that fosters their confidence and dignity while challenging each participant to develop independent skills at their own level of ability.

Horses with Heart is a proud member of these organizations: 

Email Us:

2705 South Hwy 89

Chino Valley, AZ 86323

Call Us:

928-533-9178