Horse Sense Education and Advocacy

06/03/2026

🌈📚 HORSE TALES🐴💛

Join us for a special FREE Horse Tales event hosted by Horse Sense Education & Advocacy Nonprofit THIS Saturday, June 6th, from 10 AM – 12 PM in Covered Bridge Equestrian Center!

This month’s Horse Tales is all about kindness, community, and celebrating the joy of being exactly who you are. Bring your favorite book (or a few!) and spend a peaceful morning reading out loud to our horses, who absolutely love the calm connection and companionship.
✨ All ages welcome
✨ All readers welcome
✨ All stories welcome

We’ll have chairs, vegan cookies, lemonade, and a safe, supportive space to relax, connect, and enjoy the ranch together.

At Horse Sense Education & Advocacy Nonprofit, we believe horses have a beautiful way of bringing people together with compassion, acceptance, and connection. We are proud to support and celebrate our entire horse community this Pride Month and always. 🌈

Optional donation idea:
🪵 The horses always appreciate shavings for comfy stalls! 11–14 cu shavings bales can be purchased at Scotts Valley Feed.

📍 RSVP using the QR code on the flyer below!

05/27/2026

Help Us Finish Strong with our Horses for Mental Health Fundraiser

Hi friends and supporters,

As we come to the close of May and Mental Health Awareness Month, we find ourselves in the final stretch of our fundraising campaign with Horses for Mental Health.

This work is incredibly close to our hearts. At Horse Sense Education & Advocacy Nonprofit, we witness every day how powerful it is when people are given a safe space to slow down, connect, and heal alongside horses. Through these experiences, individuals build confidence, emotional regulation, resilience, and trust—often in ways that words alone cannot reach.

Every dollar raised goes directly to our nonprofit, supporting our programs, our horses, and the individuals who walk through our gates looking for something steady to hold onto.

Meet Our Ambassadors:

Cara Sloman, Cara’s lifelong connection to horses led her to Horse Sense Education & Advocacy Nonprofit, where she now serves on the board. She believes deeply in the healing bond between horses and humans and supports creating safe, transformative experiences for both.

Kristin Praly is the founder of Horse Sense Education & Advocacy Nonprofit and Diamond Heart Ranchette, where she creates trauma-informed spaces for healing through horses. She is dedicated to supporting both horses and people through connection, care, and transformative experiences.

Rachel and Tyler have been involved with Horse Sense Education & Advocacy Nonprofit since high school and have witnessed firsthand the powerful impact horses have on children. They are passionate about supporting equine-assisted learning and the healing connection between horses and people.

Through the Texas branch of Horse Sense Education & Advocacy Nonprofit, Katelyn Praly is helping build safe, welcoming spaces where horses and people can heal and grow together. She is passionate about expanding access to equine-assisted experiences that support learning, confidence, and connection.

Genevieve serves as the Volunteer Coordinator for Horse Sense Education & Advocacy Nonprofit and works closely with MyDun, our first community-funded rescue horse. She is passionate about creating meaningful connections between people and horses through compassionate, trust-based care and community involvement.

Your support makes a real difference. Scan the QR code below to donate to Horse Sense Education & Advocacy Nonprofit through the Horses for Mental Health Fundraising Campaign and help us continue this healing work with horses and people.

or visit: https://horsesformentalhealth.org/campaigns/horse-sense-education-and-advocacy/

Thank you for supporting Horse Sense Education & Advocacy Nonprofit and our Horses for Mental Health campaign. Your generosity helps us continue providing safe spaces for healing, growth, and connection through horses.

Every donation directly supports the care of our horses, our programs, and the individuals and families we serve. We are deeply grateful for your support and for being part of this mission with us.

-- The Horse Sense Education and Advocacy Nonprofit Team

05/23/2026

Our May Newsletter is here!

This month at Horse Sense has been full of gratitude, connection, and a lot of exciting momentum as we head into summer. We’re so thankful for every family, student, volunteer, and supporter who continues to be part of this work with us.

Inside this month’s update, we’re sharing some meaningful highlights — including receiving the Be the Difference Award, a look back at our Horses for Mental Health fundraiser, and what’s coming up next for us in the community, including Horse Tales on June 6th and several local events we’ll be attending this month.

We’re also sharing a few horse updates, a reminder to stay prepared for the summer heat at lessons, and our new Community Questions Corner, where we invite you to send in questions to be featured in upcoming newsletters and on Facebook.

You can read the full newsletter here:

As we head into the warmer months, we have so many exciting things happening at Horse Sense Education and Advocacy. From community events to summer programs, we are grateful for every family, volunteer, supporter, and st...

05/16/2026

Hi everyone!

NONPROFIT SIDE OF THINGS: We’d love to invite you to our upcoming community fundraiser benefiting HorseSense Education & Advocacy Nonprofit!

☕ Cup of Joe & Fun: A Game Day Fundraiser
📍 Mountain Roasting Company
6263 Graham Hill Rd, Felton, CA 95018
📅 Sunday, May 17, 2026
⏰ 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Come spend the afternoon with us, enjoying:
🎲 Board games, card games, and guessing challenges for all ages
☕ Specialty drinks and baked goods
🎁 Silent auction, raffles, local goodies, and gift certificates

Donations of $5–$10 help support HorseSense Education & Advocacy’s trauma-aware equine-assisted programs serving youth and families in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

We’re so grateful to be partnering with Mountain Roasting Company and to all of the generous local businesses and artists donating to our silent auction and raffle.

Bring a friend, grab a drink, play some games, and help support an incredible cause. We hope to see you there! 💛On

05/14/2026

To all trainers who feel pressured to follow the crowd—
who say “It’s industry standard” or “We have to do it this way to make money”—
I offer this with respect for everyone’s circumstances, and also with absolute clarity:

You are the industry.
If the standard is harming horses, then it is you—the professionals on the ground—who have the power and responsibility to change it. We have finally gotten to the point where professionals unapologetically hold owners accountable. Now it's time to look inward.

From a biomechanical and developmental standpoint, the facts are not ambiguous:

Sacral Fusion & Early Training
Before the sacrum fully fuses, the structure is inherently less stable. Young horses often show SI‑region sensitivity during growth phases or early training because the sacrum is still developing.

Racehorse Data (Journal of Equine Science & Biomechanics)
Age — Speed Trend

2 years: Rapid improvement, but still immature

3 years: Fast, but still developing

Early 4 years: Peak speed

4–5 years: Peak performance window

5+ years: Plateau

After fusion, the sacrum becomes a single rigid unit capable of transferring force through the SI joint and pelvis far more efficiently.
Let that sink in.

The Reality
Sacral fusion is not complete until around age 4–6.
If we, true Horsemen and Women, truly care about long‑term soundness, longevity, and welfare, then starting horses earlier than their bodies can safely support should NEVER be “industry standard."

Horses who are labeled “too far gone” at age 5 or 6…
Horses who are discarded, written off, or sent to slaughter because they “didn’t hold up”…
Many of them could have lived full, healthy, productive lives if humans had simply waited for their skeletons to finish developing.

This is not a radical idea.
It is basic anatomy.

And it is within our power—your power—to shift the standard toward practices that honor the horse’s body, not the industry’s impatience.

As Always, Thank you to Maureen RogersEquine CranioSacral Workshops for being the pioneer and for always standing up for the horse in the equine industry. She builds better practitioners because she holds them accountable for their knowledge. It makes you better.

Many thanks always to Harry - I still have those boots- well worth the oil-
Harry Whitney - Horsemanship https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100034751752559
Another Pioneer every horseperson should experience. Many of the top trainers out there have studied under Harry. His hoofprint is spread wide in the industry whether people know it or not.

Ronnie Moyer - spreading the Biblical word through horsemanship- and puts up with me in particular ;) Seek him out. If you get to meet Becky then you're double lucky.
https://www.facebook.com/ronnie.moyer.3

Harry Whitney stays busy with horsemanship clinics throughout the United States. Keep up with where he is, and where he will be.

05/05/2026

SO looking forward to the Redwood Mountain Faire SATURDAY MAY 30th and SUNDAY MAY 31st!
GET TICKETS: and see in comments for music lineup
HTTPs://redwoodmountainfaire.ticketspice.com/redwood-mountain-faire
It’s always such a joyful, family‑oriented celebration — great music, local artists, community spirit, and that unmistakable San Lorenzo Valley magic. Even better, HSNP is one of the beneficiaries, helping us continue our mission of Healing Horses and Helping Humans™ through education, connection, and compassionate care.

A weekend of music and mountains that also supports the herd and the humans who love them — that’s something to celebrate.

05/02/2026

On Monday you walked into the clinic carrying the weight of “I have to do it right” on your shoulders, every cue feeling like a test and every moment in the saddle shaped by pressure rather than presence. But by Wednesday, something inside you finally let go—not because you tried harder, but because you were simply too tired to keep gripping so tightly. In that tiredness, your communication softened, your breath deepened, and the horse felt the shift immediately. What began as a week of performing turned into a quiet, honest conversation: your seat following instead of forcing, your hands inviting instead of correcting, your mind listening instead of judging. The horse answered with softness of his own, meeting you in that space where effort falls away and connection rises. Wednesday became the day you weren’t riding to prove anything—you were just riding, just being, just sharing a moment with a horse who had been waiting for you to arrive in that way. It was the ride where partnership replaced perfection, where presence replaced pressure, and where you remembered what your best life in the saddle truly feels like.

05/01/2026

🌸 Happening TOMORROW at Horse Sense Nonprofit! 🌸

Join us as we make Mother’s Day cards for someone who has been a loving, guiding mother figure in your life. Bring your favorite books, settle in with the horses, and enjoy a peaceful time creating, reading, and just being together.

The horses love being read to, and it’s such a special way to connect—with them and with each other.
✨ We’ll have chairs, vegan cookies, and lemonade ready for you
✨ Feel free to bring something yummy to enjoy while you’re here
✨ Adults and kids are all welcome
🗓 TOMORROW — May 2
⏰ 10 AM – 12 PM
📍 in Covered Bridge Equestrian Center
🤍
This is a free community event hosted by Horse Sense Education Nonprofit

We would love to see you there 💛

01/10/2026

Riders: Know the difference-and why it matters (see great diagram in comments- both diagram credit to owners)

01/04/2026

It's Time to Shine in the Rain-
Out here in the mountains, this little flood gauge isn’t just scenery—it’s a signal. It tells us whether today is a peaceful day at the barn… or the moment we need to be ready to move.
While many folks can ride out a storm indoors with a fire and a good book, our reality is different. In these woods, preparedness is part of responsible horsemanship. That means practicing trailer loading long before the weather turns, so our horses stay calm, confident, and safe when it matters most.
Every community has a few who haven’t had the chance to train, who don’t have a trailer, or who must rely on others in emergencies. And it doesn’t take a flood to reveal the gap—sometimes it’s as simple as a horse show where a horse won’t load to go home.
Teaching a horse to load isn’t just a skill.
It’s safety.
It’s stewardship.
It’s part of caring for our partners in every season.
Let’s keep our horses—and our community—ready for whatever the mountains bring. 🌧️🐴 Rain or shine, your horse needs to load.
To help your horse load calmly: Schedule for a sunny day email [email protected]