KD Sunday Spotlight: Horses With Hope's equine interactions help people from all walks of life
BETHEL PARK, Pa. (KDKA) - In this week's KD Sunday Spotlight, we highlight one organization focused on the power of equine interactions. It's transforming lives from the people in the special needs community to the veteran population.
Off of Brush Run Road in Bethel Park, you'll meet 12 horses and the owner of Horses With Hope, Anne Davis. For 18 years she's run this non-profit.
It uses horses as a non-traditional therapy, to help people physically, mentally, and emotionally.
"When I saw therapeutic riding, what it was all about, that's when I knew God had a plan for my life," Davis said.
She left her work in the airline industry for a mission to make a difference.
"We have numerous stories where kids that are like 5 years old that haven't been walking and doing traditional therapy and then they learn about therapeutic riding, and they start riding and within the 6th riding lesson they start walking," she said.
Davis said horses physically strengthen you while riding.
"For every stride of the horse, you have a full rotation of your hips and with that it makes your torso sit more upright," Davis explained. "When your torso is straight then the airway, it helps with digestion, speech, and breathing."
She calls it a transformative experience because horses put people at ease too.
"It's very beneficial for our riders of course," she said. "We work mainly with intellectual disabilities, and we've expanded into mental health work as well. So, we've started working with veterans and we do some group groundwork for equine-assisted learning."
This all started with her daughter Jamie Lynn Davis, who's living her best life, with Down's Syndrome. She lights up around these horses.
"I love horses and I love people," said Jamie Lynn.
Her growth with horses here helps her with all facets of life.
"Oh, boy, it's really made a big difference in her life too, I think," Anne said. "She has enjoyed riding horses when she was younger. These last couple years she's actually expanded her knowledge into learning how to do scheduling and calling the horses in and saddling them up and getting ready for the lessons."
Fifty people who are all volunteers dedicate their time here and that includes Becky Chiocca, she told us she's spent years helping on this horse farm.
"I leave here and I'm happy, everybody does." She said. "It's a godsend. Everybody here is absolutely wonderful. Couldn't ask for better volunteers."
There are even 300 people on an email list for volunteers when needed, but there's a greater need to expand. Right now, they see 100 individuals each week when school is in session, with even more people wanting this equine therapy.
"With that, it has grown our waitlist to 80," Anne said. "So that's another whole center."
A whole new center's the dream. It's all part of an expanding mission to help build confidence and empower anyone and everyone.
"When you look at the families and the people and the lives that it's making a difference with, that's what it means," she said. That's what it's all about."
The budget for running this non-profit right now is about $300,000 each year. Funding mainly comes to them through grants, partnerships, and fundraising.
Horses With Hope shares its equine therapy in Bethel Park and at the Gilfillan farm in Upper Saint Clair for now, but there's always room to add more instructors and volunteers.
You can learn more about Horses With Hope and their mission on their website at this link.
If you would like to see an organization highlighted in KDKA's Sunday Spotlight segment, send Megan Shinn an email at mshinn@kdka.com!
