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MANOR — A Manor- based ranch serving Bastrop County with “the power of the horse” is hosting its annual gala this weekend, raising funds to provide free-ofcharge therapeutic services for veterans, first responders and individuals with disabilities.
Local nonprofit Healing with Horses Ranch is a learning and therapy center that promotes increased independence and resilience with its stable of 19 horses and one friendly donkey.
“I can personally attest to the power of therapeutic riding because I have seen the effects on clients’ confidence, communication and resiliency first-hand,” Development Director Rebekah Fookes said. “I witnessed one of my students, a pre-teen, go from potential expulsion when they first started lessons to having no behavior issues in the present school year.”
The ranch has created a space for healthy relationships between horses and humans since 2012, combining adaptive riding, equine-assisted learning and psychotherapy services for people experiencing learning, behavioral, emotional and physical challenges.
The lessons help students of all ages learn life skills in a safe, inclusive environment, according to representatives. Classes are led by certified mental health instructors.
“We want to change lives, not just touch lives,” Fookes added.
Healing with Horses brings this to county residents with a 40 to 70% discount based on household income, while offering free programs for veterans and first responders year-round. The group is able to achieve this through constant fundraising, pulling in over $500,000 in 2023 to help pay staff, maintain facilities and care for the horses.
The Heart of a Warrior Gala May 25 is one of the ranch’s biggest events of the year, open to anyone interested in exploring the healing powers of its four-legged programs and gain the “benefits of being in nature with the horses.”
Funds from the event will go to subsidizing three separate veterans groups in the area this year.
“I am so proud of the achievements, substantial growth and a deepened commitment to our core mission of transforming lives through the power of the horse,” Fookes said.
The fundraiser will be at 10014 Farm to Market 973 from 6 to 9 p.m. More information is available at https:// www.healingwithhorsesranch.org.
