Promise Ranch Therapies & Recreation

A nonprofit organization

$22,941 raised by 58 donors

100% complete

$20,000 Goal

In summer 2021 we moved to our new location in Castle Rock. With the help of our community, we were able to raise the money for the down payment to purchase our own home.

THIS YEAR, the Ranch is in need of major electrical updates!

We urgently need to:

  • Replace several old outdated breaker panels and run power supplies to our far north pastures for winter water.
  • Correct old faulty wire which prevents some areas from use currently.
  • Prepare for the buildings for future upgrades.

CAN YOU HELP? ANYTHING IS APPRECIATED!

During Colorado Gives Day, between now and December 6, 2022, we are working to raise $20,000. We can only do it with your help! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. Join other Coloradans by Giving Where You Live.


Testimonials

10-year-old Cora said: "I like (coming to Promise Ranch) because of the horses and the teachers, and how the teachers help you through stuff and how they talk to you and make you feel calm and get through your feelings. I like it because I get to play games and if I don't want to talk to my parents I can talk to one of my teachers here and feel comfortable and get help with something I am struggling with. I like that the horses can also help you stay calm sometimes. If you like horses it might be good to come here. I've learned about the horses, how to tell how they feel sometimes, when they are feeling something you can tell mostly by their ears, and their facial expressions."

Promise Ranch's Occupational Therapist Danielle Braman reported: "Noah's journey at the Ranch has made me so proud to be his occupational therapist! When Noah arrived for his first hippotherapy session, he was terrified of all the animals, especially the horses. He actually threw a handful of stones right at the horse! However, through patience, hard work and building trust in me and the horses, Noah began riding this fall. Now, Noah looks forward to coming to weekly therapy at the ranch. He jumps right on Lucky with no hesitations. He is a special rider. Being able to watch the beautiful bond that can happen between a boy and a horse brings me so much joy and reaffirms exactly why I love my job as an occupational therapist at Promise Ranch!"


Daniel's grandparents told us: "Daniel is our 12 year old with Down Syndrome. We came to Promise Ranch with high hopes of Daniel increasing his large motor activity, and he has benefitted so far beyond our initial hopes. He loves horses and was hesitant at first, but the staff was encouraging and patient and now he can't wait to be at the ranch and to see the horses. We have seen great strides in many areas. While his balance is greatly improved in class, we see how that has helped him in general with running, playing, stairs, and much more. We also see the improvement in his core strength which has helped his posture and general activities. He has even improved his speech as he has learned to communicate effectively with the horse and therapist. Finally, he has built tremendous confidence on the horse, which is displayed in other settings.
We are grateful to Promise Ranch and their tremendous programs!"

Carson S. said: "I like coming to Promise Ranch because the people are so nice. They play fun games and it doesn't even seem like work. I get stronger and get to practice conversation. I like horseback riding!"

Sarah's parents told us: "Sarah LOVES going to Promise. She gets up on Saturday and puts on all of her horse gear so she can go ride her horse, Lucky. She was up so early to go there this weekend that we had trouble getting her to understand that we still had to wait 2.5 hours before we could leave! With her blue sweatshirt on, you can't see the horse shirt that she's wearing, and her pink boots are covering her horse socks. She was so happy that her new horse riding gloves came this week. We've tried several other hippotherapy options and they weren't on the same level as Promise. I'm so happy we tried one more before giving up."

Mission

Our mission is to Enhance our Community Through Connection and Inclusion.

Promise Ranch provides Equine-Assisted Services for children and adults with developmental, physical, social or emotional healing needs.

We offer Adaptive Riding, Horse-Mounted Therapies, Horsemanship for Veterans, and Ranch-based Occupational, Speech, Physical, Music and Mental Health Therapies, as well as Supported Employment.

At Promise Ranch, lives are changed through working with horses - whether our clients are in a saddle or working on the ground, riding or grooming, or experiencing how horses respond to the facial expressions and moods of people around them.

The benefits of improved social, cognitive, physical or emotional growth don't just stay at the barn; those benefits go out the door with our clients and into their everyday lives.

A teen learns valuable skills in empathy and assertiveness through equine-assisted counseling: Horses are herd animals and look for a leader, so teens must stand out and become leaders.

A person who uses a wheelchair is able to experience, on horseback, the same neuromuscular sensation felt during walking. No machine can provide what a horse's movement can: movement most similar to the human gait.

A previously nonverbal child says, "Walk on," to ask her horse to move. Horses are inspiring, and they can motivate humans to feel, do and say powerful things!

Background Statement

Founded in 2010 as Promise Ranch Therapeutic Riding, the organization originally had the purpose of providing equine-assisted activities for children and adults with disabilities. Because the gait of the horse mimics the natural gait of the human walk, horse-mounted therapies are effective for treating neurological and developmental conditions.

Through the years, the broader social-emotional-cognitive benefits of equine-assisted therapies have been validated and the demand for these services has increased. In response to community demand, Promise Ranch began offering multi-disciplinary services in 2020. In February 2021, the organization changed its name to Promise Ranch Therapies & Recreation, a name which more accurately reflects our expanded programming and plans to further grow.

We serve over 100 participants each week, and we partner with 10 wonderful therapy horses who help to make our program possible.

Not only does Promise Ranch promote the social, emotional and physical well-being of participants, the organization also fulfills a desire for community members to give back through our volunteer program. We have over 150 active volunteers, donating over 400 hours monthly, helping with horses in therapy sessions, barn chores, or facility improvements.

Since 2010, PRTR has grown significantly. This year, moved from a leased facility to our very own Ranch in Castle Rock!

Fast facts and where your donation goes:

80% of our clientele has an intellectual or developmental disability

20% of our clientele comes to the Ranch to work on mental wellness and emotional healing

We provide sliding scale fees and scholarships to those unable to afford the cost of therapy.

$150 will provide one therapy session for one client

The yearly cost to care for just one therapy horse is $6,900

$3,000 provides monthly hay for our herd

$125 provides one bale of hay - one day's worth!

$145 provides monthly grain for one horse

$267 provides monthly shoes for Tate or Poncho

$50 pays for a hoof trim for Ryker or Velvet

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Promise Ranch Therapies & Recreation

other names

Promise Ranch Therapies & Recreation, PRTR, Promise Ranch Therapeutic Riding

Year Established

2008

Tax id (EIN)

26-2431767

Category

Human Services

Address

873 Lake Gulch Road
Castle Rock, CO 80104

Mailing

P.O. Box 73
Castle Rock, CO 80104

Service areas

Douglas County, CO, US

Phone

303-817-6531

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