The Whole Horse Place

The Whole Horse Place The Whole Horse Place is an all volunteer, nonprofit organization. We offer something for everyone!

The Whole Horse Place's mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of old horses and humans of all ages by fostering bonds through comprehensive horse care and education. Our objective: We partner senior horses with children and adults of all abilities, foster children, and the broader community. We rescue senior horses and give them new purpose in teaching humans responsibility, confidence, self respect, resiliency, and emotional honesty.

We have some exciting news to share!The Whole Horse Place has been awarded a 2026 Community Grant from the Bainbridge Co...
06/19/2026

We have some exciting news to share!

The Whole Horse Place has been awarded a 2026 Community Grant from the Bainbridge Community Foundation.

We are incredibly grateful to the Bainbridge Community Foundation, its donors, volunteers, and Board of Trustees for continuing to support Bainbridge Island residents through programs like ours.

This funding helps make it possible for Bainbridge youth, families, veterans, and adults to spend time with our horses, participate in Ranch Hands and Stable Paths, and enjoy everything these old horses have to offer.

If you're on Bainbridge Island and have been thinking about coming out to meet the horses, we'd love to hear from you. Whether you're interested in learning horsemanship, joining a program, volunteering, or just spending some quality horse time, there is a place for you here.

Thank you, Bainbridge Community Foundation, for believing in our horses, our programs, and the people we serve. We are honored by your support and look forward to welcoming even more Bainbridge residents to the barn this year. šŸ“ā¤ļø

Today's Ranch Hands lesson focused on one obstacle: the bridge.But before anyone got there, there was work to do. Stalls...
06/19/2026

Today's Ranch Hands lesson focused on one obstacle: the bridge.

But before anyone got there, there was work to do. Stalls were cleaned, hay was brought up, Saki got her hoof medicine, Lefty got his eye medication, and the horses were brought in, brushed, and saddled.

Once the horses were ready, we started with groundwork. The goal wasn't simply to get the horse across the bridge. The goal was to be able to send the horse across the bridge without leading them. That requires communication, confidence, and trust from both horse and human.

After everyone was successful on the ground, they climbed aboard and rode the bridge. It was fun to watch the kids build on what they had already taught their horses and see those lessons carry over into riding.

One of the things I love about horses is that they don't care how old you are. They care whether you can communicate clearly, be consistent, and be a good partner.

Today, our Ranch Hands got a little better at all three. šŸ“ā¤ļø

Today we said goodbye to Bart.Bart's story was one of resilience and second chances.Many years ago, he was one of severa...
06/16/2026

Today we said goodbye to Bart.

Bart's story was one of resilience and second chances.

Many years ago, he was one of several horses left behind when the children who loved them grew up and moved away. The horses were eventually turned out with cattle and left to fend for themselves. By the time help arrived, they were starving. Their teeth were worn from stripping scotch broom just to survive.

Bart was in the worst condition of them all.

Estimated to be in his 30s, frail and near death, it was thought he might not make it. But someone gave him one more chance.

And Bart took it.

He recovered. He found his way to Gayle and her family, where he became a beloved trail horse, babysitter, riding instructor, and friend. He carried grandchildren, won countless imaginary horse shows, accepted endless belly scratches, and loved his life.

When Gayle moved away and needed a safe place for Bart to spend his final years, she trusted us with him.

One of my favorite things about Bart was that he never forgot her.

When we rode the trails Gayle used to ride with him, every time we reached the big white rock where they would stop and picnic, Bart would try to turn down the trail leading to where she used to park the horse trailer. Years later, he still remembered.

Over time, age began to catch up with him. His heart was failing, and the things he once enjoyed became harder and harder.

Bart had reached the point where being a horse was becoming difficult. The things he once enjoyed were no longer enjoyable. He was tired. And because we loved him, we listened.

That's very different from giving up on him.

Today, surrounded by people who loved him, we kept the final promise we make to every sanctuary horse.

We don't just rescue them.

We stay for the hard part too.

Thank you, Bart, for every child you carried, every lesson you taught, every trail you walked, and every life you touched along the way.

Run free, old friend. You earned it.

Yesterday we had the honor of picking up a $5,000 grant award from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians for our Stable Paths pr...
06/11/2026

Yesterday we had the honor of picking up a $5,000 grant award from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians for our Stable Paths program.

Every grant we receive represents trust. Trust that the work matters. Trust that the horses will be cared for. Trust that young people will have a safe place to learn, grow, and connect.

This funding will help provide horse care, meals, and snacks so youth can participate in Stable Paths at no cost to their families.

Behind every grant award are countless moments that never make it into a report: a young person finding their confidence, a difficult conversation with a trusted mentor, a shared meal, a horse standing quietly while someone works through a hard day.

We are deeply grateful to the Puyallup Tribe of Indians for making those moments possible.

Thank you for your support, your partnership, and your commitment to the youth and families in our community.

Dana always says, "Make a correction, then ride a finished horse."I've been thinking about that while cleaning stalls to...
06/10/2026

Dana always says, "Make a correction, then ride a finished horse."

I've been thinking about that while cleaning stalls today.

When a horse makes a mistake, we correct it. Then we move on. We don't spend the next hour reminding the horse what it did wrong. We don't keep pulling on the reins because of a mistake that happened ten minutes ago. We don't keep punishing after the lesson has been learned.

In fact, we know better.

Once the correction is made, we ride the horse in front of us, not the mistake behind us.

So why is it so hard to do that with ourselves?

We say something we wish we hadn't said. We make a bad decision. We hurt someone's feelings. We forget something important. We fall short of who we wanted to be.

Maybe we apologize. Maybe we make amends. Maybe we learn the lesson.

But then we keep riding the mistake.

We replay it in our minds. We criticize ourselves. We drag it around for days, months, sometimes years.

What if we treated ourselves the way we treat a good horse?

Make the correction.

Learn the lesson.

Do the next right thing.

Then ride a finished horse.

Not because we're perfect. Because we're willing to believe the lesson was enough.

Today's Ranch Hands was a lot of fun.Last weekend, some of us from the barn attended a Lifemanship horse clinic and came...
06/04/2026

Today's Ranch Hands was a lot of fun.

Last weekend, some of us from the barn attended a Lifemanship horse clinic and came home with a few ideas we wanted to try with our own kids. One of them was a simple groundwork exercise designed to help participants become more aware of their communication, intention, and connection before moving on to a more challenging obstacle course.

Simple did not mean easy.

Neither Leah nor I had actually done the exercise ourselves before. We had only watched it, so today we were figuring it out right alongside the kids. There was plenty of laughter, problem solving, and more than a few moments where we realized it was harder than it looked.

I also had one of those moments where something you've seen before suddenly clicks in a new way. Dana has been one of our biggest mentors, helping us become better and teaching us the importance of groundwork. This exercise gave Leah and me another way to experience those same principles. We spent most of the morning fumbling through it, laughing, making mistakes, and figuring it out right alongside the kids. At several points I thought, "Dana would probably be slapping her forehead right now," but by the end, it all started coming together.

What made it so interesting was watching how much easier the obstacle course (Ok, we had ONE obstacle, but hey, it works) became once the groundwork piece was in place. The horses were more connected, the kids were more thoughtful, and everyone started paying closer attention to the little things that make communication work.

One thing we are always exploring at The Whole Horse Place is how horsemanship lessons connect to life lessons. The exercise wasn't really about completing the obstacle course. It was about awareness, teamwork, communication, and learning that connection often works better than force.

The kids had a blast.

And honestly, so did we.

05/17/2026

A kiddo here yesterday made this video of she and Brice. I am so glad these horse are so loved.

Yesterday in Stable Paths started the way many of our Saturdays do: stalls, feeding, grooming, and taking care of the ho...
05/10/2026

Yesterday in Stable Paths started the way many of our Saturdays do: stalls, feeding, grooming, and taking care of the horses. But by lunch, the conversation had shifted into something deeper.

We talked about trauma. About how most people, in one way or another, carry things others cannot see. We talked about reactions, overreactions, and how sometimes what feels personalā€¦ may have very little to do with us at all.

One of our horses helped bring that lesson to life.

This horse came here guarded, unsure, and slow to trust. Over the past year, through patience, consistency, and steady leadership, weā€™ve watched that horse begin to believe that people can feel safe again. It became a powerful reminder that healing; whether in horses or people; takes time, and trust is earned.

Some of the youth reflections from the day:

ā€œRealizing the signs you are getting upset before you get angry.ā€

ā€œOther peopleā€™s feelings are none of my business unless they bring it to me. Otherwise, what they think of me is none of my business.ā€

ā€œNot everyone will like me because we are different. Donā€™t take it personally.ā€

ā€œEnergy matters. Horses feel it, and people do too.ā€

ā€œConnecting with others and the horses makes me learn to have more friends and know I have people I can turn to for help.ā€

After lunch, we took those lessons into the arena through groundwork, pole games, and riding for those who were ready.

Sometimes horses help us understand people. Sometimes they help us understand ourselves.

Yesterday was just a really good barn day with Ranch Hands.I recently picked up the book Stay in the Saddle by Callie Ki...
05/08/2026

Yesterday was just a really good barn day with Ranch Hands.

I recently picked up the book Stay in the Saddle by Callie King, and weā€™ve started working some of the skill-building exercises into Ranch Hands.

This weekā€™s focus was simple: shorten the reins.

Iā€™ve been saying it forever... shorten your reins, give yourself more control. And yesterday, it finally clicked. Not just for one rider... for everybody.

We started with chores, got the horses ready, practiced the skill on the ground, then took it into the saddle and finished with games that made the kids actually use what they learned.

What I loved most was how easy the whole day felt. More than one kid commented on how peaceful and chill it was. The horses were relaxed, the kids were smiling, my volunteers were amazing, and everyone seemed to just enjoy being here.

No huge breakthrough. No big story.

Just horses, kids, learning... and one of those days that reminds me how lucky I am to do this. šŸ“

A family stopped by today to pick up a chair we were giving away, and of course the kids wanted to meet the horses.So we...
05/01/2026

A family stopped by today to pick up a chair we were giving away, and of course the kids wanted to meet the horses.

So we introduced them to Paris.

A few weeks ago, Paris probably wouldnā€™t have had much interest in this. She was sore, cranky, and honestly just didnā€™t feel good. We were still figuring out what was going on with her.

Today was different.

She stood there soaking up every bit of love and attention these little ones had to give, and gave it right back.

Sometimes healing shows up in big ways. Sometimes it looks like a horse who finally feels good enough to lower her head, soften her eyes, and let kids wrap their arms around her.

Today was one of those days. ā¤ļø

Address

4764 SW Old Forest Way
Port Orchard, WA
98367

Opening Hours

Monday 2pm - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm
Friday 12:30pm - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+13608950940

Website

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