Mentoring with Horses

08/23/2026

Here are a few more pics captured during presentation of the R-HUB Path to Freedom certificates of completion this afternoon. Enjoy!

08/23/2026

It was our pleasure to be able to recognize in person before their peers six of the nine men who completed our delivery of R-HUB's Path to Freedom program that concluded in early July! We also look forward to sharing completion certificates and collages with the other three when we can catch up with them, and thank God for all of the men and women who were able to participate in one or more of these Christ-centered equine assisted recovery sessions since late last summer. May their love for the Lord and for horses continue to be a blessing as they move forward in life, with all to the glory of God!! 🙏

Today we celebrated some of our guys who completed their mentoring sessions with the horses and earned their certificates! 🏆

This experience taught them patience, responsibility, trust, communication, and how to lead with confidence. We’re proud of the work they’ve put in and the men they are becoming.

Every step forward matters. Every lesson has purpose. And we give God all the glory for the transformation taking place! 🙏

Keep growing. Keep learning. Keep walking with Jesus. ✝️🐴

🙌

08/23/2026

At Mentoring with Horses we are currently in the midst of a season of change, including getting established at a new location. Even so, here is an early look at what we have in the works for next Spring 2027 and beyond. Until then, we are also taking a hiatus from sessions for additional rest, reflection, and restoration as we prepare for and look forward to what we are trusting in faith will be a blessed and exciting 2027!

06/21/2026

Cinnamon decided she needed a (well-deserved) break between the two Horse Encounters sessions we had on Friday. 😊

06/21/2026

HORSE ENCOUNTERS: On their first day of camp at The Oaks Retreat Center on Friday, a number of the young adults and youths with the Church of Jesus Christ took time out to experience some of the Heartstone horses, connecting through grooming, building relationships while navigating obstacles, and even participating in Faith-Trust rides. It was such a pleasure to meet and spend time with them, and we also appreciate our wonderful equine partners: Casey, Cinnamon, Gypsy, and Zoey, and our horse handler volunteers Rebecca, Sarah, Brad, and Joe. We thank God for all of you!! Enjoy the pics!

05/28/2026

NO ONE RECOVERS ALONE! This week our women participants continued their journey along R-HUB's Christ-centered, horse-assisted PATH TO FREEDOM, with a Biblical emphasis on the critical need for a safe and supportive community. As with the men earlier in the week (separate post), the inclusion of more of Pete Gatto’s testimony, supporting scriptures, group discussion and self-reflection questions help provide a strong foundation for future sessions. They spent some time observing their horses as a small herd, and took note experientially of how herd instinct and relational cues impact belonging, fear, and trust, not only by observing herd shifts in real time, but also seeing what kinds of impact bringing one’s own presence and energy into a herd of horses can have in their own community. The women were challenged to notice how horses behave in herds that reflects something we need as humans, and one way in which each of them is learning to be a “safe person” in someone else’s recovery herd. We thank God for each participant and what He is doing in and through each of them and the horses, by His grace and for His glory.

05/27/2026

NO ONE RECOVERS ALONE! This was week two of the journey along R-HUB's Christ-centered, horse-assisted PATH TO FREEDOM, with a Biblical emphasis on the critical need for a safe and supportive community. The inclusion of more of Pete Gatto’s testimony, supporting scriptures, group discussion and self-reflection questions help provide a strong foundation for future sessions. By spending some time observing the horses as a herd, the guys took note experientially of how herd instinct and relational cues impact belonging, fear, and trust, not only by observing herd shifts in real time, but also seeing what kinds of impact bringing one’s own presence and energy into a (small) herd of horses can have in their own community. The participants were challenged to notice how horses behave in herds that reflects something we need as humans, and one way in which each of them is learning to be a “safe person” in someone else’s recovery herd. We thank God for each participant and what He is doing in and through each of them and the horses, by His grace and for His glory. While we did not capture pics of the herd observations, the guys did get to spend some time trying out a new obstacle course in our outdoor arena. For full context, we have even included a video of Todd as he walks through (learning) the course with his equine partner Casey. Enjoy!

05/27/2026

HEART (Autism & Horses): Here are some pics from a recent session with some of our kiddos, including short videos of Luka (solo) and Lilia (with help from Ms. Sarah) walking Vega around an obstacle course the kiddos designed and built themselves. They had so much fun together!

05/21/2026

ONE DAY AT A TIME! This week we had the great pleasure of starting our second cycle of R-HUB's Path to Freedom with participants from Exodus 14 Ministries (EXO14). This is a Christ-centered Recovery program with Equine Encounters that is voluntary and supplemental to their core EXO14 recovery program, and this time around we are blessed to not only have men participating, but women also! The sessions were a blessing for all -- humans and horses! With the arena perimeter representing a 24-hour window, the space symbolizing "just for today", and the horses representing our journey while letting go of yesterday's regrets and tomorrow's worries and fears, the participants were encouraged to lay down personal burdens they are trying to control that are actually unmanageable. They had four opportunities (barrels) along the path, where they could pause with their horse (partner), quietly yet intentionally meet with the Lord, and place a token, rock, or multiple of them at the foot of a cross, symbolizing releasing the burden(s) at the feet of Jesus. We also encouraged them to involve their equine partners, reminding them that horses are excellent listeners and never snitch! We thank God for our participants -- some new and some returning -- and the privilege we have of both serving them and sharing in the love of horses together before the Lord!

05/16/2026

PURPOSE. This past week we were able to complete our first 13-sessions cycle of R-HUB's PATH TO FREEDOM program – YAY! Having been transformed by applying the Biblical principles in the Path to Freedom, each participant was encouraged to embrace his call to bring the message to those who are still suffering. For this they considered several Biblical truths, including how God uses the weak, calls us to join Him in reaching others, and that while God does not erase our past, He is able to redeem it! The very scars that once seemed to disqualify us need no longer be a source of shame, but rather a testimony of His mercy and grace! The men were led in a prayer declaring their freedom and purpose, and they completed their journey alongside their equine partners. In doing so, they reflected three points: 1) what it was like (before), 2) what happened (turning point), and 3) what it is like now (after / moving forward). They were also reminded of how their horse partner has been a safe and non-judging companion – a witness to their story.
We thank God for each of these men, our wonderful horses, the blessing R-HUB’s Path to Freedom program has been, and we trust that God will continue to work in their lives, to their joy and His glory!

NEXT WEEK: We are so pleased and praising God for the privilege to start a new cycle of Path to Freedom, welcoming NOT ONLY new and returning men, BUT ALSO six (6) women who have signed up. IN ADDITION, we will start our own follow-on BEYOND Path to Freedom program, open to the participants who complete the Path to Freedom program and desire to continue spending time with the horses. In this follow-on program, they will expand their knowledge, skills, and experience with additional mentorship, discipleship, and horsemanship! THANK YOU LORD JESUS!