Horses with Hope: Discovery, Growth and Learning Programs

09/02/2026

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT! 🐴❤️ Meet Jaclyn, pictured here with CJ!

Our volunteers come from all walks of life and bring unique talents and experiences to Horses with Hope. Whether students, working professionals, retirees - or even judges! - each plays an important role in making our programs possible.

Jaclyn, a judge for the PA Department of Labor & Industry, learned about Horses with Hope through her friend and fellow volunteer, Joanne. She loves watching our riders grow in their skills and independence from week to week, as well as spending time with the horses and getting to know all of their little (and big!) personalities.

Jaclyn describes volunteering as a “bright spot” in her week where she can feel that she’s made a difference and an impact. Outside of HWH, she enjoys traveling, live music and learning French!

We are so grateful for Jaclyn and all she brings to Horses with Hope. Merci, Jaclyn!

09/01/2026

💙 Save the Date! is September 10!

Horses with Hope is excited to be part of this community-wide day of giving. Your support helps us continue creating meaningful opportunities through the unique connection between horses and people. 🐴

SAVE THE DATE and help us make a BIG impact!

https://www.wccfgives.org/organizations/horses-with-hope

08/31/2026

HERD CARE UPDATE: Another way that horses need to be cared for is taking care of their teeth. As horses grind grass and hay, their teeth become worn down in some areas. This can produce sharp points on some of their teeth. These points sometimes cut their tongues and the inside of their lips and that is painful! Each spring, our Equine Dentist visits and if necessary, files the rough edges and makes the teeth smooth again. He also addresses any other issues the horses may have such as a loose tooth that needs attention. The horses appreciate this and it helps them to stay healthy! Just one more way that the HWH herd is cared for! LIKE, SHARE and DONATE!

08/28/2026

FRIDAY FUN FACT! Are you aware that horses heart beats sync after they have been in a herd for some time together? It's one of the ways they're designed to keep them safe out in nature. For example, if a group of horses is down at the watering hole and one of them is up on the hill eating some grass, and suddenly a predator such as a mountain lion approaches the one that's by himself up on the hill. His heart will begin to race in fear and alarm. Within moments, the rest of the herd, whose hearts are synchronized with his, will also have a rapid heartbeat. This signals to them there's danger nearby even though they haven't seen or been made aware yet of the cougar's presence. By the time the first horse up on the hill joins the rest of the herd, they are aware and ready to run or protect themselves from the intruder. The crazy thing is they also can sense our heartbeats. So if we are nervous or anxious when we are around them, they will feel it. Some horses are very gentle and respond in a comforting way when they realize that we are sad, upset or fearful. This helps our heartbeat return to normal. Horses are very special and they are created to mirror our emotions. We are so blessed when we get to spend time with them.

08/28/2026

We were so excited to see Horses with Hope featured on CBS Pittsburgh! Thank you to CBS Pittsburgh for sharing the heart of what we do, and to UPMC for connecting us and helping to make this story possible.

We’re especially grateful to Molly and her family for sharing their story and to our amazing volunteers who make moments like these possible every day. ❤️

Watch the full story: https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/horses-with-hope-bethel-park/

On a summer day in Bethel Park, the kind nature of horses meets the nurturing effect they have on children with special needs.

08/26/2026

What is a Volunteer? A volunteer is someone who shows up, sacrifices their time to give to others, and works hard to make our program move forward. Someone who laughs, teaches, encourages, gives hugs, wipes tears and runny noses, shows great patience, cares for the horses, and walks.. a lot of miles in each session. A volunteer cares...more than we can imagine. And they are what makes our program successful and special. They truly are the heart and soul of all that we do. Take time to thank our volunteers today and consider joining us. We are always looking for more volunteers to add to the team. It's a wonderful way to serve others, and it's a lot of fun! LIKE SHARE AND DONATE!

08/25/2026

RIDER SPOTLIGHT! Today we introduce to you Katie! This young lady has been riding for about ten years. Her favorite horse is Bob, who she is pictured with here. Rings and cones is her favorite activity during lessons.

She maintains good balance and uses both her reins and legs to guide and communicate with her horse as she rides.

Outside of lessons, Kate enjoys swimming and being near the water. She also loves to listen to music. We are grateful for her and look forward to watching her continue to learn and grow as she rides and spends time with the horses. She is a special young lady! LIKE, SHARE and DONATE!

08/24/2026

HERD UPDATE! Hello, this is Rex again bringing you some more information about the care we receive at Horses with Hope: Discovery, Growth and Learning Programs . Let's talk about turn out. Horses being turned out into a pasture where they can roam freely is so very important. My herd mates and I look so forward to this part of our day. We are happy to engage and serve in the lessons and we enjoy time with the volunteers as well, but at the end of the day when we get to just relax and roam around and graze for grass or hay, we are so happy! Turn out also allows us to socialize. As you know, we are created to live in a herd and we really enjoy interacting with one another. And finally being out in the field allows us a good roll sometimes! Rolling in the mud helps us to cool off, it keeps the flies away and it just plain feels good! We are so grateful for the beautiful farm that we live on and that our HWH caregivers make sure we get outside as often as possible. Remember, your support helps provide the care we receive. So LIKE SHARE AND DONATE!

08/21/2026

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT! This amazing young woman pictured here with some of our riding students is Allie! She serves as often as her schedule allows as a horse leader and a sidewalker during our therapeutic lessons and she also helped make our summer camp this past July a huge success! Her love for the children and the horses is obvious, and her dedication to make things fun and interesting has been such a blessing. We are so grateful for all she does to help our program and we enjoy her friendship so much! LIKE, SHARE and DONATE!

08/20/2026

Sometimes a child's first words are spoken while they are riding a horse - Temple Grandin