Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Moore.
Hi Liz, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As many other things, our program sprouted out of the time during Covid. I was boarding a horse at a friend’s farm and like so many people, the need to be outside was a top priority. As a mother of two children, i was concerned for their physical, mental, and emotional health and I began to see other children at this farm……yearning to be outside in fresh air and to be around other people.
My friend who owned this farm, had several retired lesson horses. They were well cared for but needed some human attention….just like the children. I began pairing up these retired horses with the children out there that wanted to be around horses but not necessarily ride them. I lead them through grooming, caring for, and leading the horses.
I began to see a shift in the children and their parents. The change was a calming, peaceful, engaging time between the children and parents and the horses. Intrigued, I began to research the effects of Equine Facilitated Learning.
( Equine Therapy)
From there, I went to another farm that offered Equine Therapy and Training…..I was hooked!
This was 3 years ago, now we have our non profit, Stirrup Hope and serve adults and children on our family farm. Our participants enjoy all aspects of our 68 acre farm. We have 3 miniature donkeys, 6 ducks, 4 cats, and 2 horses a Sensory Trail, a Nature Trail, and a swing “park.” We are currently serving an average of 35 people per week. We provided a place for people to come and enjoy being in the fresh air, a place to walk and enjoy the quiet farm, sit by a warm fire, and enjoy the healing presence of our equines.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We have been blessed in many was along this journey! We have support from other local non profits, our local public school district, and many individual supporters and volunteers.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a former teacher of children with special needs, we spend alot of time with folks with ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, and depression.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Stirrup Hope is growing at a healthy pace, we have several goals to obtain over the next several years. We will grow our number of people we serve and we will increase our herd of therapy equines.
Pricing:
- $25.00 one time fee
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Stirruphope.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StirrupHope
