CHATS

CHATS is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit horse therapy center located in Yorktown, Virginia. We provide servi My name is Dr. Megan B. It was devastating to say the least.

McGavern, DO, MS, FACP....but more importantly, I am Cole's mother. Let me start out by saying it's been a long road!! At times so difficult, frustrating and isolating, I have not known how I was going to survive another minute....but then there have been days so beautiful, and breakthroughs so amazing, it has taken my breath away. Our son Cole was diagnosed with autism at age 4. A few days of sa

dness and disbelief then led to unending research and "warrior mode" on how I could heal my child. Along the way, I read a book titled "The Horse Boy", written by Rupert Isaacson. It changed our lives forever. We took Cole out of public school, created a homeschooling Movement Method (MM) program in 2017 and a Horseboy Method (HBM) program in 2018. In 2019, my husband and I bought almost 18 acres in Yorktown, to create what I have called a "Horse Boy masterpiece". We transitioned to the land in April 2020 with Majana and Diego. Our third Horse Boy horse, Neron, arrived from Germany in May of 2021 after 18 months of intense training. My son is not "neurotypical" by any means at this point, but we have gone from 10 words in a day to 300 plus words in an hour on the horse. We have gone from driving him to a feeding clinic in Richmond for 2 years, to him being above 90th percentile in weight. We have gone from not being able to go to the beach because he couldn't bear to step on sand, to it is now one of his most beloved places. We have gone from lugging a bike to OT for years trying to get him to be able to ride to he now can ride a bike scooter, and hover board all by himself!! We are grateful to have been able to do such a far-fetched thing and hope to be able to share this with those in the community who are going through similar struggles. Here's to strength, hope, community, peace and faith! CHATS does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color,
national origin, disability, or age in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment.

07/23/2024

HB Camp Day #2!!
Sunshine, blue skies, happy faces! Another wonderful day of summer camp here at CHATS .

💙Jackson!! We miss you and hope to see you tomorrow!!💙

07/23/2024

Feeling accomplished and proud!! We had our follow up meeting today with Cole's homeschool evaluator who reviews his portfolio each year.
He is doing GREAT and has massively excelled AGAIN this 2023-2024 school year despite all the major medical trauma that my sweet Cole has gone through with his pancreas.
SO proud to be a homeschooling mother.
SO proud to be using Movement Method which has allowed my previous nonverbal, failure to thrive son flourish academically, mentally and physically.
A special thank you to some core people integral to his success:
1)Brian Deal - you have gone above and beyond changing Cole's life. The evaluator was amazed with all you have accomplished with Cole and stated "You have found your niche in life-outstanding progress."
2)Cassie Jensen - you have supported his homeschooling from the very start, using your creativity and many hours spent as a labor of love to make his curriculum as individualized as possible. I can't thank you enough!
3)And to my CHATS staff who have joined myself and Brian every day of the week to implement his schooling in nature and with the horse - THANK YOU!

Cheers to academic year 2024-25. God continue to bless Cole, our program and all the families lives we touch on a daily basis. Give us renewed hope every day. Amen.

07/23/2024

July Horse Boy Camp Day #1 in the books! We had a rainy start but thankfully, it subsided within about 30 min of our morning.
We are grateful to all our volunteers and staff for helping our campers have a magical horsey day!💙🐎💙🐎

07/21/2024

We want to sincerely thank Nic of No Regrets Landscaping for the countless hours he put in this weekend resurfacing the ground near the new zipline/treehouse platform in our outdoor classroom just in time for July HB summer camp. Nic, I/we, really can't thank you enough for your dedication to our mission at CHATS .

- No Regrets Landscaping, Yorktown, VA

07/19/2024

ALOHA!
Join us August 3rd for our Luau Sensory Saturday!
We are very excited to be partnering with The Meadows Original Frozen Custard - Williamsburg, VA for this event. They are graciously providing frozen custard to our families and volunteers at this event!
Email us at [email protected] to sign up by August 1st.
*This event is exclusive to special needs children and their families*

07/19/2024

Our ponies this morning 💙
Neron and Majana grooming one another💙

07/19/2024

This is a video of Cole doing schooling earlier this week. Cole had just answered a round of these questions prior to recording and had gotten them all correct. He was starting to get irritated at this point but caught his smartness on video!

07/18/2024

We have been enjoying our summer playdates, although the heat index has been a doozy!!

We are excited to announce that we received a grant from York County Volunteer Association again this year! They have been a big supporter and we can't thank them enough!

We will be able to provide 10 children with 6 sponsored playdates each, starting in September thanks to YCVA! If you live in York County or Poquoson, and are interested, please email us at [email protected] for further information.

T-4 days until our July Horse Boy 2024 summer camp! Enjoy some photos from our playdates the past few weeks!

07/15/2024

🐎Welcome Layla!! We are happy to have you with us the next 6 weeks.
🐎Our very own, Linda Roos, who just retired from being a special education teacher for over 30 years and been a tribe member with CHATS for the past 3 years, started volunteering with the Community Knights, Inc. as a site trainer for the students.
🐎Layla loves horses and being outdoors.What a perfect match for she and Linda to be together learning valuable job skills at CHATS!

Linda rocks!

07/14/2024

Never thought I would get so excited about the apple trees we planted for Earth Day giving us big juicy apples at CHATS !!

He said it was very yummy lol!

07/08/2024

We had a great first day with Mackenzie, our student from Community Knights, Inc. !!
She will be with us over the next 6 weeks learning so many valuable job skills in an environment that supports her.

We are happy to have you with us Mackenzie!

In the picture, Mackenzie, is with her trainer, Meghan, learning how to use the BEMER blanket.

07/08/2024

ALOHA!

Join us August 3rd for our Luau Sensory Saturday!

We are very excited to be partnering with The Meadows Original Frozen Custard - Williamsburg, VA for this event. They are graciously providing frozen custard to our families and volunteers at this event!

Email us at [email protected] to sign up by August 1st.

*This event is exclusive to special needs children and their families*

07/05/2024

We are SO sorry to announce this, but we will be cancelling 4th of July Sensory Saturday event tomorrow for a multitude of reasons, one of which is the inclement weather that will affect our activities.
We will reimburse those who have paid for the event and look forward to our Luau Sensory Saturday in just a few weeks.

07/04/2024

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY FROM ALL OF US AT CHATS!

06/30/2024

Equestrian Chaos has been doing an excellent job getting our big guy, Highlander, trained and ready to serve our community!
Please continue to keep him in your daily prayers- to keep him safe, healthy and that he may become the most amazing therapy horse for our program.🙏💙🐎

06/29/2024

06/28/2024

🏆WE DID IT!🏆

What a blessing to have had the opportunity to serve these families and to share this experience with the youth of Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads !

There were a few tears on our last day today and memories created for a lifetime! The kids all got CHATS mail that included a letter from the horses, camp photos, and a HB Camp badge.

Cheers to autistic individuals, to community support, AND TO SUMMER CAMP!

😍Round 2 of camp next month😍

06/27/2024

Twas the night before the last day of camp, when all through the farm, the flags were still blowing and the play ponies still charmed...
🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙🐎💙

06/27/2024

🐎💙Horse Boy Camp Days #3 and #4 with Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads !
Yesterday was a hot one! We were grateful for the rain overnight.💙🐎

💙Bowling, water balloons, turtle rainbow scratchers fishing in the sensory pond, riding the bigger new zipline, making pine cone bird feeders, riding with Coconut in his cart, becoming brave enough to trot on Neron....oh the list goes on and on of the fun they are having!

💙Funny enough, our mini pony, Coconut, said he was done after about 45 minutes of working so the kids and staff turned into human ponies pulling the cart! Noah and William, 2 of our campers, were giving rides to others and speaking in British accents lololololol!

🐎💙All the parents said their kids are having a fantastic time and can't wait to come back each morning to CHATS!💙🐎

06/26/2024

🚗🌟 Calling All Drivers! 🌟🚗

We're on the lookout for both volunteer and paid drivers to help high school students with disabilities access skill-building internships through the READY Program.

To date students have worked over 5,153 hours, and have needed over 1,910 rides to be able to access this amazing opportunity! The need is great and multiple drivers are required to support these hardworking students.

Looking for a working gig? apply here - https://forms.gle/2XnEqnaCANBWNnh6A

Volunteers email [email protected]

06/25/2024

HB Camp Day #2!! With Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads
Slip and slide water play, rainbow water sprinkler, parrot hat fun, obstacle course, new zipline treehouse fun, red light green light racing on the horses, crafts and painting in the arena, bubble blowing on the horses and camp picture day - woooooop woooooooop!! Our campers will get their special pictures in frames on last day of camp💙

06/24/2024

Day 1 in the books!

06/23/2024

I am feeling full of joy as I think about HB 2024 Camp starting in the morning! I give thanks to God for all that he has blessed me with - the ability to do such a thing, the amazing tribe members that make CHATS what it is, and the steadfast horses that have healing powers.

Dear God, thank you for all of your blessings. Help us to have an amazing week of camp. Keep our horses, staff and campers safe. Let their parents be full of joy and peace when they see their child getting to experience something so beautiful. Please give them hope...for every day is an opportunity for new found HOPE. Amen

We have a BIG reveal that I saved for today!!
Our tribe have been prepping in so many ways, but the most time intensive project that is just about complete is a zipline platform/treehouse near our outdoor sensory classroom!! Brian Deal, Jen Brean and Nic of No Regrets Landscaping have spent countless hours building!! I am posting pictures as it was created and of course it is Cole approved!
Thank you so much! Excellent job Brian!

06/22/2024

CHATS would like to give a big shout out to Nic, the owner of No Regrets Landscaping, who has graciously given of his time, equipment, fuel, and expertise to help us with big projects on the land that would otherwise cost us thousands of dollars to accomplish. He has done this all of his own good will and says, "Don't worry about it. It's for a good cause."

On behalf of the children, our staff and our horses, we THANK YOU so much for your time and generosity Nic!!💙

06/21/2024

Training for camp this afternoon with our volunteers from Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads .

T-4 DAYS TIL HB CAMP!!

06/18/2024

We are really excited to announce our partnership with Community Knights, Inc. here on the Peninsula!!

We are so grateful you reached out to us and look forward to helping individuals with disabilities find job placements by working at CHATS and developing skill sets needed in a safe, judgement free, inclusive environment!!
Thank you Louise and Cassie!!

06/18/2024

Our ponies are enjoying the fans this afternoon!!

06/16/2024

T-7 DAYS UNTIL OUR HORSEBOY CAMPS OF SUMMER 2024 START!!! 🙌

Our coordinator, Cassie, who is SO creative, makes patches for the campers and staff each year. This is the HB CAMP 2024 patch!!!

Our staff have been working hard getting things ready over the past weeks and can't wait for camp!

We want to give special thanks to the following groups who are helping support our camps this summer:
Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads
Virginia Autism Foundation
Hampton Roads Academy
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Address

100 Old Pond Road
Arlington, VA
23692

Website

http://www.chats757.com/

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One year ago today Highlander came to CHATS from Maryland! We can't wait for him to come home again! He is in the best hands with Equestrian Chaos being trained to serve our community. #equinetherapy

🐎Welcome Layla!! We are happy to have you with us the next 6 weeks. 🐎Our very own, Linda Roos, who just retired from being a special education teacher for over 30 years and been a tribe member with CHATS for the past 3 years, started volunteering with the Community Knights, Inc. as a site trainer for the students. 🐎Layla loves horses and being outdoors.What a perfect match for she and Linda to be together learning valuable job skills at CHATS! Linda rocks! #SpecialNeedsSupport #autismawarenessandacceptance #communitysupport #specialneeds #youthempowerment

Our ponies are enjoying the fans this afternoon!!

#serenity

Thank you Brian for revamping the obstacle course over the weekend! New rope and wiring to support the shake shake bridge!! Cole approved! #movementmethod

Our sweet Highlander, named "Lowlander" from this boy, for going too slow lolol. Look at Highlander giving the boy some 🐎❤️ #horseintraining Equestrian Chaos #equinetherapy #movementmethod #horseboymethod #specialneeds

SENSORY SATURDAY SUMMER IS HERE! Join us on Saturday June 15th for our kick-off to summer! email us at [email protected] to sign up by June 13th! Exclusive to children with autism and other special needs & their families This event has been sponsored by our friends at the Virginia Autism Foundation

His ears say it all lol! This is called, making Highlander bomb proof in the horse world. Equestrian Chaos #therapyhorseintraining

Highlander graciously allowing sensory work with Equestrian Chaos

Love at first sight this morning lol....

Our Highlander, looking so good in his training this morning with Equestrian Chaos 💙🐎 #movementmethod #horseboymethod #specialneeds #equinetherapy

Cole killing it this morning with fractions!! We are using approaches he would enjoy the most to learn in his classroom at the barn....horse hooves and nature surrounding him. It has taken years of hard work to be able to get him focused on tasks for more than 2 seconds! We try to do some work in the classroom as we have been able to build on his ability to focus through Movement Method. #specialneeds #specialeducation #movementmethod