My children have been through traumatic events in their young lives that have been more to bad luck/chance than anything. I have had many of them in traditional therapy for years with different counselors but I realized that these therapies focused on how they were feeling and how other people made them feel. LEAD with horses changed the focus. I had all 4 of my children in a private session so that they could learn how to better get along with each other. In just one week I noticed less fighting. I am not saying that LeadLEAD with horses will work miracles with everyone, but I truly felt they were a tremendous help to my family. They take a team approach. How do your actions affect the horse and/or each other? Why do you think a horse/or your sibling is acting up? When a horse is running towards you, you are responsible for moving. I feel like the child is required to take more responsibility for how they respond to their feelings and to situations that they are in than any other form of therapy they have been in. All four of my children are different. One of them loves it so much that she wants to be able to volunteer to help in any way they need. I feel the horses gave my kids a way to talk about emotions and behavior (good or bad) without making it so personal that one is melting down while the rest agree on their problem. I would highly recommend their program for anyone who has a child who struggles with any emotional/behavioral problem. It has made a huge difference in my children but has also given me, as a parent, a different way to teach my children as well.
LEAD has been a positive experience for our 10 year old. The volunteers and staff work with the animals to cultivate a community of learning, friendship, and personal growth. Lessons are well planned for the age group and consistently support our child's needs as they practice self respect, team work, acceptance and understanding, and empathy.
The time spent at LEAD has been invaluable. I strongly recommend families enroll whenever there's an opening.
On behalf of our family, we would like to thank you for taking a personal interest in our children, and allowing them to participate in this wonderful program on scholarship! Several years ago, our son Giani participated in the program after having experienced a traumatic event. During his time in the program, he learned valuable social-emotional skills, and gathered a sense of peace being in the presence of these beautiful, majestic animals. Since then, our younger son Darius, needing additional support with self-regulation and desiring to learn about large animals, has also had the opportunity to take part in the program. Each week, he looks forward to attending, and has expanded his social-emotional repertoire, learning new breathing exercises and coping skills that he is now using at home and elsewhere. Thank you so very much for providing children with the opportunity to participate in such a valuable program!
Dear LEAD with Horses,
Our family wanted to take this time to express how grateful we are for your scholarship program. Your program has allowed our daughter to learn about the relationship between horses and humans, their emotions and techniques, as well as, responsibility, self-esteem and her own emotions. Every week she can't wait to attend class and work with the horses and interact with the other kids. During these ever changing times, this program has given our daughter a safe place to learn and be herself. The staff is amazing! They are so welcoming, helpful, and understanding. I can't say enough on how much I love this place. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to be apart of such a great program. Thank you for all that you do! We truly appreciate your hard work and dedication to these children.
Thank you,
Paul, Shara and Dallas
my daughter and I have had a great experience with LEAD with Horses. My daughter loves going there, and she is always telling me everything she did. She even practices what she learns there. She will even try to teach me techniques. The staff is amazing, Jeane Spada-Allgood is great, she is excellent with communicating to me about what my child learned in class and she is great to tell me if there is something amiss. She even called me on the first day of class and asked why hadn't we come, and I told her that I completely forgot. She was very gracious and understanding. I look forward to future opportunities to work with this organization again.
My kids and I love this program. My son and daughter got the chance to be apart of the lead with horses program together, there bond has strengthen along with working on their patients and communication . They love being around the horses and working with them. Is a life changing experience. We are so thankful and definitely recommend lead with horses
My daughter needed a different experience that summer can normally offer. Luckily, I found LEAD Horses program. It helped her ground down. I can see the difference. The horses gives a different energy to our youths. The environment to me is so exquisite and peaceful. I don’t think anyone realize that there are options like these for our children. It grace trying to help each child one at a time in the process of conscious engagement. Awareness is powerful.
Thank you so much LEAD horses.
Epifania and Dominique CabangonTongol
My 6 and a half year old son has attended multiple courses at LEAD with Horses. The most recent of which he received a partial scholarship for. I am so thankful for both Jeane for having this vision, as well as all of the incredible equine friends that call LEAD their home; all of whom seem to know exactly what each individual child in the program needs. My son really looks forward to going and seeing his favorite horses, Bear-Bear, and Alex, and talks about them frequently. LEAD's group structure has helped with self-regulation, being aware of personal space, patience, problem solving and emotional regulation, as well as cooperation and understanding through the group activities. The horses (and Hoku the Donkey too!) have helped install compassion and respect, as well as a sense of responsibility and accomplishment. I just can't say enough positive things about them- We are so grateful for all that is LEAD with horses!
Dear LEAD with Horses,
I am writing to you to express my thanks for the generous scholarship your program granted my son Ahlijah. Through this scholarship, he can attend therapy at LEAD weekly for 3 seasons, the continuity of ongoing therapy is crucial to Ahlijah’s personal growth. He has been building on his skills for taking responsibility as well as working on his self-esteem. It is wonderful to watch him continue to grow and learn skills that he can apply in everyday life.
Again, please accept my heartfelt thanks for the wonderful opportunity that your scholarship has given my son.
Thank you,
Jayme Drumm
I am so grateful for Lead with Horses. I was awarded a scholarship for my 3 children, and as a single mom, that is a big deal for me. My kids have been through a lot and this is something they look forward to and enjoy. Most places I take them to, they are afraid and don’t want to go back because they have had a hard time adjusting and making friends, but they love going to Lead with Horses! So even though they are too young to express what it’s doing for them emotionally, I can see the progress and their social fear falling away. Thank you Lead with Horses for investing in our future generation!
LEAD with Horses came into my life while volunteering with another community based equine program with my miniature donkey, Rosie. Rosie came into my life when my husband was suffering a life-threating battle with MRSA. His constant care while being the only person in our house that could work and insure medical coverage lead to life stresses I had only been able to imagine. My weekly training sessions and daily exercises with Rosie became my safe haven, and place where I could explore my feelings and see them reflected in Rosie's behavior and feeback. While I was training her simple skills, she was helping me develop confidence, non-verbal communication skills, and how much further I progressed with positive thoughts and interactions vs negative. I learned how important equine companions can be in emotional and behavioral development, even at the age of 50 when you think you've seen it all. When I discovered LEAD, and the work they do using equine assisted learning and therapy, I knew immediately I wanted to be involved in growing this type of therapy and support for our local youth; especially those at risk in and in high stress situations. Benefiting first hand with equine assisted learning myself, I can directly relate to the experiences of the youth, and the importance in their overall emotional, physical and behavioral health. It is for this reason I joined the board of this amazing organization.
The educators at LEAD have dedicated all the funds from donations directly to the programs, often forgoing pay themselves. This is a true non-profit that puts all the money into the programs. If you are looking for a great cause to support, I strongly recommend LEAD with Horses.
LEAD is amazing! I was introduced to them when my oldest daughter took a class that they offered for homeschooled children, at a Co-op my girls attended. I was so impressed, that I signed both of my daughters up for another course at their beautiful facility. My girls can't stop talking about the class each week...what challenge they were presented with and how they eventually overcame it. I have seen their excitement and confidence grow. I hope to continue with LEAD for as long as possible! This is a wonderful program!