CCF Grant Supports EquiHope Scholarships
BLAKE BLANCHARD has come a long way on horseback.
Not in the literal sense – in the year that she’s been doing equine therapy, the 8-year-old has rode circles around the arena at EquiHope, a nonprofit in Pilot Point that offers equine therapy.
But physically, emotionally and mentally, she’s made leaps and bounds. Blake learned to use voice commands and how to use the reins to direct the horse where it needs to go – a major accomplishment for a young girl who was speech delayed with autism, her grandmother, Missy Hamill said.
“Whenever we first started, Blake couldn’t speak and had very limited core strength,” Missy said. “She would have meltdowns because she couldn’t talk. With the horses, she feels heard. They can feel Blake and know what to do based on her commands.”
Blake takes advantage of a rider scholarship at EquiHope that covers the cost of her weekly therapy sessions.
The nonprofit will be able to help more riders like Blake thanks to a 2024 grant from the CoServ Charitable Foundation (CCF) issued last year.
“Horses are very expensive animals to care for and this allows us to make horses accessible to families who don’t have the financial opportunity,” said Jennifer Mathis, Program Director and co-founder of EquiHope.
EquiHope offers year-round camps and riding therapy, thanks to the covered arena that keeps them out of the heat and the rain. Each one-hour lesson includes 15 minutes of horse prep, 30 minutes of riding and instruction, and 15 minutes to brush the horse and lead it back to its stall.
Riders come to them with special needs, eating disorders, ADHD, cerebral palsy and more. Altogether, they have about 40 specially trained horses and have offered thousands of hours of therapy. They also offer carriage riding for children who can’t ride a horse. In the future, they plan to expand their programming to military veterans as well.
“We have riders that have learned to walk through equine therapy,” Jennifer said. “It’s a mystery but it’s science based. It’s this wonderful miracle that horses can provide. It is why I do what I do. I love these families and I want them to meet all the major milestones for their children that they need to be able to have a great life.”
What is Operation Roundup?
Operation Roundup (ORU) grants like this one are funded by Members and Customers who round their bill up to the nearest dollar. This adds up to about $6 a year per account. But when combined with everyone who participates, it allows the CoServ Charitable Foundation to award more than $1 million in grants each year.
ORU grants are awarded to nonprofits within CoServ’s service area so it’s literally neighbors helping neighbors. Thank you for your generosity.