My Nonprofit Reviews

Parker Cheplick is 15 years old, and is on the Autism Spectrum. He has been riding horses at Dream Catcher Stables since he was in 3rd grade. He is now in 9th grade. Dream Catcher Stables and Sanna Roling were a lifesaver. Parker was having a very difficult time in school at the beginning of his 3rd grade year and was having a lot of meltdowns and anxiety because of it. He was not wanting to go to school and crying every morning for the 1st time in his life. My husband and I were at our wits end and were losing sleep due to spending a lot of time at the school trying to figure out ways to help him because he was having meltdowns on a daily basis every afternoon. We honestly thought one of us was going to lose our jobs because of the constant phone calls and having to go the school and take Parker home after each meltdown. At that time, he was also not speaking in complete sentences and still didn’t comprehend everything that was said to him. That is when Sanna told us about her horseback riding program. Parker immediately loved riding horses and gained new confidence. Parker had something to look forward to each week and he began talking more. Sanna and her volunteers treated him as a person, not as someone with a disability.
Parker has gained so many positive qualities from Dream Catcher Stables that it is hard to remember them all. Some include the following: talking more, being more patient, improvement in his overall behavior, able to listen to instruction better, being part of a team, having more confidence, better eye hand coordination, better balance, (e.g. he learned how to ride a bike and ski as a result of balancing on the horses), meeting new friends, feeling special, and participating in a rodeo. He rarely has meltdowns due to overstimulation anymore since joining Dream Catcher Stables.
I have to admit that when Parker started at Dream Catcher Stables, Sanna kept talking about how Parker would be in the The Top Hands Rodeo and I didn’t believe that Parker would actually be able to tolerate or participate in the rodeo, but she had faith in him and he won several trophies that year. He talks about the rodeo throughout the year and cherishes his trophies. Currently, he has participated in 5 rodeos and he is looking forward to the next one.
Dream Catcher Stables has been a blessing not only for Parker, but for our whole family so we are eternally grateful that we found this wonderful organization. We are able to attend 3 rodeos and other events together and have met many wonderful and caring people.
Sanna Roling has an even bigger vision for her athletes, horses, and volunteers so I am hoping that this small synopsis of what she has done for us will help achieve her achieve that goal.

Denise Cheplick

My son Parker is on the Autism Spectrum. We came to Dream Catcher Stables Inc about 3 years ago after Sanna Roling heard about Parker's school situation. He was having a very difficult time in school with anxiety and meltdowns and was actually scared to go to school. My husband and myself found ourselves at the school on a daily and/or weekly basis. I t became difficult to do our jobs due to the anxiety and anticipation of phone calls. Parker's self help skills had also regressed at this point. Our family was struggling at this point. Mrs. Roling immediately invited Parker to come to Dream Catcher Stables Inc. Upon Parker's arrival to Dream Catcher Stables Inc, he immediately felt at home and was treated with respect and kindness. This is truly a place where our family doesn't have to apologize for his behavior and acceptance. His confidence and self esteem are continuing to grow. He has become more verbal as well as his balance has improved. He is now able to ride a bicycle without training wheels and is able to focus and not crash into things thanks to the skills Mrs. Roling and her volunteers have taught him. He looks forward to coming every week. Mrs. Roling also believed in him and gave him an opportunity to participate and in the Top Hands Rodeo two years in a row. He is very proud of his trophies and the memories that he has from each rodeo. We have also witnessed the care and individual attention that is given to every rider. Mrs. Roling doesn't turn any rider away even if they don't have any means to pay. She has tried very hard to raise money to buy some permanent land. However, it is very difficult in today's economy. My hope and wish for her is that she is able to buy the land so that she can make a difference in many more lives for years to come.

My son has Autism and was having a lot of problems in school. When Sanna Roling, the President, of Dream Catcher's Stables Inc., heard about our sons problems, she informed my husband and I about her program. We are very grateful for her, her vision of Dream Catcher Stables, and the volunteers that come out each week to assist the riders. She services individuals both children and adults with physical and mental disabilities and truly cares about each rider and their families. She doesn't turn anyone away and is very professional. We are so glad that we heard about this program. She puts 100% of the donations into her program and isn't looking for a profit like so many other therapy programs. Our son looks forward to riding the horses and seeing Mrs. Roling. He is learning a lot from being in her program.