Spurs of Hope, Inc

Spurs of Hope serves children & youth in the Department of Family & Children Services (DFCS), The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), The Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), and those ‘at risk’ in the schools and community.

Many of the children and youth who are in state custody and ‘at risk’ in the schools and community do not respond well to traditional therapy or mentoring. The difficulty of working with this population has created an increased need for more effective interventions. Horses are large and powerful and have the potential of allowing kids to overcome fear and develop confidence that can be translated into their everyday lives. They are unbiased and non-judgmental and only respond to the child’s intent and behavior.

Horses react to human behavior much the same way that another person will. They have historically been trained with harsh methods that cause them to submit out of fear. But through the methods of natural horsemanship, horses are taught to submit because trust has been created between the human and the horse. Spurs of Hope offers two programs using these amazing animals to assist in giving hope and healing to hurting kids:

“Walk On” is a 90-minute session that begins with the child meeting with a trained equine specialist and becoming familiar with the horse. The educational component includes learning equine basics such as safety, handling, communication and how to maintain a horse. In the round pen, we work with the child and their horse to show them how to lay the proper foundation for a trusting relationship. Respect, boundaries, body language, and leadership are a few things practiced in this human-horse interaction. The program duration is flexible to accommodate individual needs and is driven by the referral source’s determination of need.

“Changing Leads” is our mental health program where a child receives services from a licensed mental health professional by using a model that consists of a therapist, child, equine, and an equine specialist. These sessions are done from the ground and use traditional therapeutic interventions with a more innovative component that involves relationships and activities with horses.