Calvin Center Equestrian Program

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Hampton, GA
Calvin Center Equestrian Program

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Whether you are a beginner who wants to learn to ride, a therapeutic rider in need of a growth experi

10/16/2026

I had the pleasure to be a guest at last week’s meeting of our Horses and Warriors veterans group meeting. From the moment I arrived I was embraced as one of their own. They helped me carry storage bins, shared stories and ideas with me, and fed me some DELICIOUS goodies. What a special group and a sacred space.
I am also thrilled to say that Horses and Warriors was our LARGEST t-shirt sponsor, giving a combined gift of $2,375! Thank you Horses and Warriors, for the gift and for the welcome 🤗.

10/15/2026

If you have been to the barn in the last couple of weeks you may have seen some mess. This “mess” is thanks to a generous donation from one of you! We have received a plethora of wonderful blankets, bridles, harnesses, etc. that we are so grateful for! But since we are short on time AND space, it is taking up a minute to go through everything and find places for all of it. As we do so, we are trying to be smart about our storage so that things stay clean and are easy for all to find. I have purchased a bunch of new lidded bins in this effort, but we still need more! If you have any large bins (ideally 18 gallons+) you would like to donate, we would be thrilled to receive them! They just need to have lids and not have any cracks. Feel free to reach out to me if you would like to purchase new ones and would like guidance on the best options.

10/14/2026

Let’s talk HORSES
As I shared the other week, our programs ability to reach as many folks as possible is dependent on 5 different factors working together:
Horses
Instructors
Riders
Volunteers
Funding
So where are we when it comes to HORSES? As you may know, we currently own or lease 9 horses. This seems like a good number of horses, right? Well, yes and no. Just because we have 9 horses doesn’t mean we can ride 9 horses in every lesson, all day long.
First, there are HEALTH ISSUES. One of our horses, Charlie, is now in full-time retirement because of his health issues. Others may be out for a day or week or two because the team sees something happening that doesn’t look good and we always exercise caution in situations like that. And with an older herd like we have, these situations happen pretty often.
Second, there are WEIGHT LIMITS. Each of our horses has a weight limit when it comes to which individuals are able to ride them. While Brogan can carry most of our riders, Snow can only carry a handful.
Third, there are TIME LIMITS. We see our horses, not as tools of the sport, but as other members of the team. We keep track of and limit how many lessons each horse is allowed to do in a given day or week.
Fourth, there is HORSE/RIDER FIT. Not every horse is right for every rider and vice versa. There are some horses that are very patient. There are others that are more reactive to inputs from riders.
And finally, there is the fact that HORSES ARE LIVING BEINGS. Just like we sometimes have grouchy days or bad days, so do our horses. Sometimes an instructor will plan to use a horse and when they arrive at the barn that horse is just having a moment. And in those instances, the safest and kindest move for all is to move to a back up.
This is why we need a larger herd, even for lessons that max out at 4 riders. We are thrilled to have brought Bobby into the mix and look forward to using him soon. But we definitely could use another steady horse or two to have the backups we need. So if you know of someone who may have a horse that is no longer able to compete, but has plenty of life and usefulness in them feel free to reach out to us. We would be happy to have that conversation with you!

10/13/2026

Cy Wolverton, champion of Calvin Center, passed away on September 20, 2026. Cy was a longtime volunteer with the equestrian program, and also a member of the Board of Directors.
Cy was famous for his jolly, loving spirit and outgoing nature. He treated everyone with kind warmth and respect. No matter your station in life, an encounter with Cy left you feeling buoyed and valuable. Working with Cy around the horses was a great honor – it was like hanging out with Santa Claus! His joyful spirit was unmatched.
Cy was also a superior horseman, having raised Tennessee Walkers previously at his farm in Pennsylvania. He loved each horse, and they responded willingly to him.
He will be deeply missed by his family, who were so dear to him, and his countless friends.

Thank you Claudia Fink for sharing this beautiful tribute and pictures. If any of you would like to add your own memories, please do so. Rest in Peace Cy.

10/12/2026

SAVE THE DATE!!!
Once again, this year, we are going to be hosting a Christmas Open House at the barn, but turned up MANY notches! If you have been wanting to come meet us and our horses or return to a place that has meant something to you over the years, this will be a great opportunity to do so. And guests are ENCOURAGED. We want to show the community who we are and why we do what we do. Be sure to follow this page to learn some of the opportunities you will have at this drop in gathering and also to learn some of the ways you can help us make it a great success!

10/09/2026

The goal with our program is always to serve as many people as possible in a way that ensures safety, inspires fun, and is done with care and compassion. There are 5 main factors that go into our ability to reach that goal:
1) Horses
2) Riders
3) Volunteers
4) Instructors
5) Funding
There has always been 1 of these factors that is no problem and 1 that is pretty much always a problem. Can you guess what they are?….
If you said that having enough interested riders was never a problem, you would be CORRECT! No matter how much we grow we almost always have a waiting list.
And if you guessed that funding was pretty much always a problem, you would also be correct. Horses are fabulous AND expensive animals. It costs a whole lot in food and manpower to make a single lesson happen. And since we are committed to keeping things as affordable as possible, there is constantly a need to raise funds.
Now these other three factors tend to fluctuate over time. When I first came we were pretty good with horses and we had a decent amount of instructors, but we were limited in growing because we didn’t have the volunteers.
Right now, things have flipped a bit, to the point that we have volunteers ready to go with no lessons that need them. We are up and down from day to day when it comes to usable horses. But we did just gain and new horse and have some leads for others!
Our biggest need right now is for instructors. Since we do not currently have an equestrian director, and our two instructors are both part-time and limited in how many lessons they can offer.
SO, if you know of any PATH-certified instructors who are looking for work, OR previously PATh-certified instructors who would be interested in hearing how the recertification process has gotten a bit easier please let me know. We would love to get those riders off the wait list and those volunteers in the arena!

10/07/2026

One of our incredible GOLD LEVEL donations was made anonymously. What they wanted written in place of a logo on our shirts was “in memory of Redford.” This is the impact our horses have. They become our friends. They become our loved ones that impact us in mighty ways. So to honor this gift, if you have memories or pictures of our sweet Red, post them in the comments as a way to remember our friend and honor the gift made in his name.

10/05/2026

A big thank you to Southern Charm Feed Store and Triple Crown Grain for teaming up as co-sponsors for our t-shirt sponsorship drive. Every week we get our excellent Triple Crown grain from Southern Charm and we couldn’t be happier with the quality of the feed or the service. Thank you both for your support of our horses and our program!

10/02/2026

MY CALVIN STORY: MACKENZIE
My name is Mackenzie and I’m the barn manager here at the Calvin Center. When I tell you I absolutely love my job, that’s an understatement!
I have been riding horses since I was three years old and since then, horses have been an incredibly important part of my life. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve dreamed of being “the one who took care of all the horses.” I also had dreamed of owning my own horse and I’m now coming up on a year as Horse Mama To my boy Ace. 🥹
I didn’t know about the Calvin Center until I started looking for a new job— something different; something I could make a career out of. And that’s when I came across it.
The longer I’ve been here, the more grateful I am for this place and the incredible impact it has on everyone here. I can’t thank the Lord enough for leading me right where I was supposed to be!

09/30/2026

Our T-Shirt Sponsorship Drive is almost over and we have most definitely made some progress! Our total donations are currently around $11,200! This will go a long way towards getting our horses the hay and blankets they need. Thank you, thank you!
My friend, and fellow committee member Jeff, is always challenging me not to limit God. So I am going to channel my inner Jeff and ask YOU and ask GOD to keep going! $20,000 feels like a Goliath sized goal, especially in the final week of this drive. But we at the Calvin Center have a David-sized faith!
If you own a business, please consider becoming one of our sponsors at the $250, $500 or $1000 level.
If you are an individual that just loves what we are doing and wants to make sure we continue to serve riders, veterans and their families for years to come, I would humbly ask you if you might consider giving as you are able.
All donations are tax-deductible and go directly to our program and our horses.
Give today at https://givebutter.com/EQ_shirtsponsor!

Address

13550 Woolsey Road
Hampton, GA
30228

Telephone

+17709464276

Website

http://calvincenter.org/atlanta-horseback-riding/

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