Saddle Up for Hope

08/30/2026

💙 National Grief Awareness Day

Grief is mental health.

And for a child, grief doesn’t always come from death.

It can come from foster care. Adoption. Divorce. Family separation. Trauma. Moving homes. Losing stability. Losing the life they thought they were going to have.

Some kids are carrying layers of grief most people never see.

At Saddle Up for Hope, we give youth another layer of support through horses, mentorship, connection, confidence, and belonging.

If you know a child who is struggling with grief, loss, trauma, or a major life transition, we invite you to apply for our riding lesson program.

🐴 Learn more or apply:
www.saddleupforhope.org

Sometimes healing starts with having somewhere to belong.

Saddle Up for Hope | Horsepower for the Heart

08/29/2026

🎃🧡 What a special night at Burt's Pumpkin Farm!

A few members of our Saddle Up for Hope Board were thrilled to attend the Friends & Family preview and Giant Pumpkin Reveal & Ribbon Cutting at Burt’s Pumpkin Farm.

We enjoyed dinner, saw so many familiar faces from our community, and of course had to take a hayride through the giant pumpkin ourselves! 😂🎃

But more than anything, we loved getting to celebrate the Burt family.

People travel from near and far to experience Burt’s Pumpkin Farm, but what we admire most about this family goes far beyond what they have built. Through the way they serve others, welcome families, and openly live out their faith, they have an incredible opportunity to plant seeds of God’s love in the lives of so many people who walk through their gates.

That kind of influence inspires us. 🧡

It reminds us that no matter what God gives you to build, a farm, a nonprofit, a business, or even the largest pumpkin you’ve ever seen… 😂🎃 the greatest impact may be in the seeds you plant in people along the way.

Congratulations to the Burt family and everyone who worked so hard to bring the Giant Pumpkin to life. We’re grateful we got to share in such a memorable night, and we can’t wait to watch families enjoy it this fall! 🎃

08/22/2026

This might seem small to some people… but to us, it’s huge. 🥹💙

Saddle Up for Hope officially has our own event tent and more things to go along with it are on the way too!

There’s something really special about watching the little pieces of a dream start becoming real, one at a time.

Every event. Every partnership. Every child we serve. Every person who stops by and asks, “What is Saddle Up for Hope?”

It all matters.

We’re also incredibly grateful that we were able to purchase this tent at cost. It wasn’t free, but that generosity made it much more affordable for our nonprofit and helped us stretch our dollars further toward the kids and programs we serve.

We don’t take any of it for granted.

To some, it may just look like a tent.

To us, it represents growth. It represents showing up. It represents having a place in the community where people can find us, learn about our mission, and hopefully become part of it.

We’re here.
We’re growing.
And we’re going to keep showing up for kids who need us.

One step at a time. One child at a time. One community at a time. 💙🐴

saddleupforhope.org

08/21/2026

We’re thrilled to share this news!! Dawson Co. is officially a Foster Friendly community! 🙌❤️

We have exciting news to share for Dawson County! 🎉
Last night, the Dawson County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 to officially declare Dawson County Foster Friendly. This unanimous decision, made during the Board of Commissioners Voting Session, marks a meaningful step toward supporting foster families and children in our community.
Thank you to our commissioners and everyone who champions the needs of foster families. Together, we’re building a stronger, more supportive Dawson County! 💙🏡

08/20/2026

A little local paper moment for Saddle Up for Hope’s very own Keelan Jenkins with 706 Horsemanship.

Thanks, Dawson County News for catching this sweet moment at The Dawson County Family Connection Family Fair! 🐴💙☀️

08/13/2026

Saddle Up for Hope bridges the gap between foster, adopted, and at-risk youth and life-changing equine experiences that provide mentorship, connection, and meaningful mental health support.

Want to get involved? Maybe your company matches charitable donations, your business is looking for a meaningful community partnership, or you simply want to support a child who needs an opportunity like this.

We’d love to connect.

Send us a DM or visit www.SaddleUpforHope.org to learn more.

08/04/2026

📚🍎 Welcome Back, Dawson County! 🍎📚

As the first day of school comes to an end, we hope it was filled with new friendships, smiling faces, exciting opportunities, and moments that made each student feel seen and valued.

We also know that for some children, today may have been difficult. New schools, new teachers, anxiety, uncertainty, or challenges at home can make the first day feel overwhelming.

To every student…

We hope you know that you are capable.
You are loved.
You are valuable.
And you are never alone.

At Saddle Up for Hope, we are praying over every child, every family, every teacher, every administrator, every bus driver, every counselor, and every member of the school staff as this new year begins. We pray for protection, wisdom, kindness, courage, and hope to fill every classroom and every hallway throughout Dawson County.

To our incredible teachers and school staff—thank you. Never underestimate the impact you have on a young person’s life. A kind word, a listening ear, or simply believing in a child can change their future in ways you may never fully realize.

If you know of a student who could benefit from encouragement, connection, confidence, or simply a place where they feel like they belong, we would love to be a resource. Saddle Up for Hope exists to walk alongside youth and families through the challenges life brings, reminding them they are seen, valued, and deeply loved.

💙 If we can support a student or family this school year, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d be honored to help.

Here’s to a wonderful school year filled with growth, resilience, and hope.

🐴 With love,
The Saddle Up for Hope Family

08/03/2026

💛 August will always be special to us.💛

This month marks one year since Saddle Up for Hope officially became a nonprofit. Looking at these pictures, it’s hard to believe everything that’s happened in just twelve short months.

If we’re honest… this year has been beautiful, heartbreaking, exciting, exhausting, humbling, and incredibly rewarding, all at the same time.

We’ve celebrated wins we never imagined.
We’ve faced challenges we never expected.
We’ve laughed together, cried together, and learned that building something that truly matters isn’t always easy.

But through every high and every low, one thing has never changed…

The reason we started.

Every single youth that we serve reminds us why this mission truly matters.

Throughout August, we’re going to look back on the moments that shaped our first year, celebrate the people and businesses who have believed in us, prayed for us, donated, sponsored, and also share where we believe God is leading Saddle Up for Hope in year TWO.

Whether you’ve been here since day one or you just found us today…

Thank you. Thank you for believing in this mission. Thank you for being here and supporting the youth that will be leading our communities in the future.

Here’s to Year ONE……and to whatever God has planned for Year TWO. 💛🐴

www.saddleupforhope.org

07/28/2026

It’s almost midnight and today has been nothing but grants, emails, planning, and working on new projects and collaborations for Saddle Up for Hope.

Not every day is exciting enough for pictures, but a whole lot is happening behind the scenes.🙌

We’re working hard to create more opportunities for kids and families, and I’m really excited about what’s coming next. 💙🐴