Frequently Asked Questions

Hearts & Horses does not take insurance at this time. We do have a limited number of partial scholarships available to those who have demonstrated need. You can learn more about our scholarship policies here.

The get started, explore the different programs on our Equine-Assisted Services page, then fill out the “Participant Intake Form” beneath the program you are interested in to get on our waitlist. Waitlist times vary depending on programming.

A horse’s movement closely resembles the normal gait of a human and can be used to produce specific physical changes in the rider, including muscle tone, posture, balance, and increased strength. Movement exploration while on the horse can help improve overall body awareness, sensory input, and establish rhythm. Educational goals can enhance the rider’s cognitive function. Letter recognition, sequencing, social situations, and challenging activities are just a few ways that riders learn new skills.

Horses are also social creatures exhibiting great beauty, power, and grace. The horse has the ability to mirror what humans are experiencing and feeling. Their accepting nature and their ability to give immediate objective non-verbal feedback combine to create an ideal experiential learning environment.

To schedule a tour of the Hearts & Horses ranch, please call our office at (970) 663-4200 or schedule online. You can visit Monday through Friday while a staff member is on property.

We are located at 163 N. County Road 29, Loveland CO 80537.

To become one of our four-legged therapists is a great honor, as these equine athletes are chosen with extreme care. The ideal therapy horse is sound, has an unflappable temperament and unlimited heart. Hearts & Horses occasionally accepts equines as a donation or through a purchase agreement to our program. More frequently, however, equines are leased on a long-term commitment to Hearts & Horses.

Our equines have come from many different backgrounds including the show arena, ranch work, and trail riding. If you have an equine you’d like Hearts & Horses to consider for our program, please see our criteria on our Lease & Donation page.

Hearts & Horses does not have the ability to provide these services at this time. If you are interested in this, we can help refer you to other individuals in Northern CO that do offer these services.

We do offer equine-assisted social-emotional learning in our Changing Leads program and Veterans program.

Hearts & Horses serves a variety of ages and abilities.

• Therapeutic Riding serves ages 4 years and older.
• Therapy Services serves ages 2 years and older.
• Changing Leads serves ages 5 to 18 years old.
• Riding in the Moment™ serves seniors facing the challenges of aging, memory loss, and cognitive impairments.
• Hearts & Horses for Heroes serves Veterans and active duty members of all ages.

All volunteers must fill out our intake paperwork and attend an orientation before being able to volunteer in any capacity at Hearts & Horses. For more information, visit our Volunteer page.

Equine-Assisted Learning is experiential learning utilizing horses to encourage personal exploration of feelings and behaviors, which can assist in the development of trust, respect, empathy, self-respect, confidence, accountability and conflict resolution.

Hearts & Horses’ Therapeutic Riding program focuses on teaching riding skills to participants as young as 4 years of age with physical, cognitive and/or emotional disabilities. Our PATH Intl.-certified therapeutic riding instructors work with the riders in a group setting to participate in a recognized sport and to develop independent skills that carry over to their everyday lives. Once they are mounted, many of our riders experience a freedom of motion and ability that they do not or cannot enjoy in other aspects of their lives. Therapeutic Riding can also involve unmounted groundwork.

Therapy Services are a one-on-one direct medical treatment provided by a licensed physical therapist or occupational therapist and can start as young as age two. It is used primarily for participants who have movement dysfunctions. Movement of the horse is the key in therapy sessions and students can benefit from improvement in posture, balance, sensory processing and functional mobility.

To learn more about the difference between Therapy Services and Therapeutic Riding, please review the chart on our Equine-Assisted Services page.

Hearts & Horses offers an array of equine-assisted programs that are designed to empower participants, promote self-sufficiency, and encourage growth both inside and outside of the riding arena. For many of our clients, equine-assisted activities and therapies are among the only interventions that work. Individuals participate in one of the following programs at Hearts & Horses:

• Therapeutic Riding
• Therapy Services/Hippotherapy
• Hearts & Horses for Heroes
• Changing Leads
• Riding in the Moment™

You can learn about all of our different programming on our Equine-Assisted Services page.

Yes, we accept tack donations. If we cannot use your donation for our programming, items will be sold in our Tack Shoppe. We use the proceeds from the sale to purchase specialized tack and equipment as needed.

Hearts & Horses Tack Shoppe has everything from brushes and hoof picks to saddles, saddle pads, bits and bridles. We typically accept tack donations Friday from 10am – 4pm and Saturdays from 10am – 2pm.

For more information, please visit the Tack Shoppe page.

We have a limited number of partial scholarships available to those who have demonstrated need. You can learn more about our scholarship policies here.

All classes take place on a weekly basis, from Monday through Saturday. Classes on Monday through Friday typically take place between 9 and 5:30 and classes on Saturdays take place between 9 and 1. We have three different semesters (Spring, Summer, and Fall), each of varying length. For this year’s semesters, please visit our calendar.