Our horses at Hearts & Horses are the true heroes of our program. To become one of our horses is a great honor, as we choose these most special friends to perform with the highest degree of patience, love, and ability. These horses provide the vehicles for our riders to grow, learn, rehabilitate, and simply enjoy life.

Donating a Horse

The ideal therapy horse is sound, has an unflappable temperament and unlimited heart. Our horses have come from many different backgrounds including show horses, polo, police work, school horses and family pets.

To inquire about donating a horse please contact the Equine Manager at 970-663-4200 or equine@frii.com.

Each horse donated to Hearts & Horses must:

Be unflappable (nothing bothers them)
Have full and complete vision
Have a solid, strong back
Be forgiving of an inexperienced and unbalanced rider
Be between eight and twenty years of age
Be completely sound in all four limbs. It is
         essential that our horses have a free-moving stride
         at the walk, trot, and canter and is capable of
         smooth transitions
Be well trained under saddle to respond to all four aids: hands, feet, seat and voice
Be comfortable around a variety of people
Be comfortable at a tie rail

Any records or additional information that you may have, such as registration papers, health records, photos, and awards would be very helpful.

If Hearts & Horses initially approves a horse being offered for donation, the horse will be brought to Hearts & Horses for a trial period that may last up to eight weeks before officially being accepted into the program.

On behalf of all our riders, thank you for your interest in placing your horse at Hearts & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center. It is only through the generosity of people like you that our riders can achieve remarkable accomplishments and experience the joy of riding a horse.