Special Equestrians, Inc

11/24/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. enjoyed a visit from National Honor Society students Mathew Graziano, Mikhail Keenan, and Daniel Perez from Bishop Verot Catholic High School. Mary Dakin, English Department Chair and BV National Honor Society Coordinator wanted to do something special for SE after bringing a group of students out for Freshman Retreat, a long-standing tradition between our organizations. At that time, we discussed our plans for beautifying our center and creating space to meditate and reflect near our Memorial Garden. She mentioned the idea to her students and after visiting our Amazon Wish List, they decided these benches would add beauty and functionality to the space so participants, staff, and visitors could explore their purpose. As we discussed where we would place them, Daniel and our caretaker Meredith bonded over their love of Jujutsu. Daniel is ready to complete his volunteer application and add functional fitness through farm work to his routine! Thank you, Mary, and our friends at Verot, for supporting our mission and being part of our ever-growing community of individuals dedicated to improving the lives of others. Visit specialequestrians.net and click “Donate” to purchase something to beautify this transformative space in progress!

11/21/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. is hungry with all this Thanksgiving dinner talk during classes! Riders planted and picked green beans, mashed potatoes, stuffed the turkey, picked pumpkins, harvested corn, and much more as part of this week's lesson. Everyone's steering just got a whole lot better, even if our tummies are grumbling! Happy Birthday to our offside hero, Mr. Bob!

11/21/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. is seeking Ride-A-Thon sponsors to Make Miracles Happen! Please consider sponsorship and share it with anyone connected with our mission! Potential sponsors are often local business owners, vendors with whom we work, friends, family, or groups of individuals wanting to make a marked difference in their community. Become a sponsor in a few easy steps by visiting https://RAT2025.givesmart.com or visit our website under the EVENTS page:https://specialequestrians.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Sponsor-Package-34th-Annual-Ride-A-Thon-2025.pdf Please share!

11/21/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. thanks our friends at Freedom Rider Specialty Tack Shop! $15 off all purchases now through 12/31/24 when you use the code SE2025. SE earns a portion of the all sales! Happy shopping! Visit Freedomrider.com Questions? [email protected]

11/20/2024

Tack Sale! This year, we are seeking an apprentice or two to work alongside Anne to learn how to structure, price, and display the best tack sale in town. Do you know a lot about tack or want to? Do you wish to donate your time and talent and Make Miracles Happen? Please reach out if you can join Anne this year in preparing for the event. [email protected] Gracious!

11/19/2024

Does your employer provide corporate matching gifts? Companies that promote this type of philanthropy match their employees' donations to nonprofit organizations by donating the same amount to that same nonprofit. Last year, Erin Braveman, the SE Friend of the Year, was our Corporate Match Ambassador. She raised $10,000 as part of our Ride-A-Thon campaign which funds our programs and services. We are seeking someone in our community to represent the power of corporate matches. PM SE if you want to make a significant impact and Make Miracles Happen for Ride-A-Thon 2025 through the power of corporate matches! SE Friends, Volunteers, All SE Participants and staff are encouraged to become CHAMPIONS and collect PLEDGES. TEXT RAT2025 TO SMART (76278) OR QR CODE OR RAT2025.givesmart.com
Champions design their page and share it with supporters via email, text, or social media. Remember to share your Champion Page link after you receive email confirmation that your page has been approved! Anyone can become Friends of Special Equestrians! Making Miracles Happen!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h60oyr7iBPE Please share!

11/17/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. cares for our SE community. Our participants, volunteers, families, and staff celebrate each other’s successes and pull together during difficult times. Katie Santilles, one of our stall relief employees is experiencing a challenging time as her husband recovers from an accident he sustained at work as an electrician. He is suffering with second and third degree burns on his arms and face. He was transferred to a burn unit that specializes in burn treatment which has interrupted their ability to work and function normally. He is in great pain and his wife Katie has been at his bedside coaching and caring and sustaining them during this time of healing and recovery. A GoFundMe the family has created to assist them in this recovery is linked should you like to donate. If you are inclined please keep them in your prayers. Katie shares, “God is definitely protecting us and blessing us in so many ways.” She also shares that she misses everyone at SE very much. https://www.gofundme.com/f/tim-and-katie-recovery-fund ❤️‍🩹

11/16/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. enjoyed a beautiful November day on the farm. Classes were a blast as Jeff and Donna Clap from Visitivity, Inc. collected content for our 2025 Ambassador Video. Prospective riders dropped off paperwork and said "Hi" to our horses as our Pony Pals packed up for an outreach event. Priscilla Kovalsky, Horses and Humans in Harmony's co-director, was tabling at a veteran resource event, and instructor Diane Shaw, exercise rider Alison LaPorta, and volunteer coordinator Melissa Velez worked together to train a new group of eager sidewalkers. We topped off the day with a meeting of the minis, Guinness and Fabio, and thanks to instructor Amy Oxendine, we will all be singing, "It's a small world, after all," all daaaaay looooong!

11/15/2024

It’s time to kickoff our 34th Ride-A-Thon campaign and Make Miracles Happen! February 15, 2025. We have something for EVERYONE. Whether you are hitting the trails as a Public Rider, showcasing your talent as an SE Rider, volunteering, enjoying a day on the ranch, or supporting us from afar, everyone is invited to MAKE MIRACLES HAPPEN! Pledging goals are encouraged but any donation amount is appreciated. Our heartfelt goal is 100% participation, 100% fun, and 100% support! Are you a CHAMPION? Yes, you are!
Public Riders, support the SE riders! Collect a minimum of $80 in pledges on your champion page or by purchasing a ticket to gain access to twelve, nine, and three mile horseback trails amid the majestic oaks and wildlife of Babcock Ranch Preserve. Share the day with your friends, family, and horses while supporting Special Equestrians. Enjoy a Special Equestrians' Rider Showcase, music, raffles, win prizes, and more! Breakfast and lunch are INCLUDED! Parking is first come, first choice! We will have a Champion VIP Horse Trailer Parking section for the top 10 pledge earners as timestamped on February 13th at midnight!! We will post VIP parking winners on Facebook February 14th. Must provide your own horse and provide proof of negative Coggins. New! We do have a sponsorship opportunity which includes horses for you and four friends or colleagues! No experience needed!https://specialequestrians.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Sponsor-Package-34th-Annual-Ride-A-Thon-2025.pdf
SE Friends, Volunteers, All SE Participants and staff are encouraged to become CHAMPIONS and collect PLEDGES. TEXT RAT2025 TO SMART (76278) OR QR CODE OR RAT2025.givesmart.com
Champions design their page and share it with supporters via email, text, or social media. Remember to share your Champion Page link after you receive email confirmation that your page has been approved! Anyone can become Friends of Special Equestrians! Share this post or email [email protected]. If you have any questions about setting up your CHAMPION page or anything about Ride-A-Thon in general, please reach out. We are always happy to help.
SE Showcase Riders: Instructors will facilitate your registration in a few months. Hold tight!
Amazing Category Prizes for Public Rider, SE Riders, Volunteer and Friends of SE!
CHAMPION earners with the greatest number of pledges, greatest dollar amount collected and Best in Show Champion Page WIN TOP PRIZES! All CHAMPIONS reaching their categories' goal will be acknowledged on our social sites and website!
Be a CHAMPION! Make Miracles Happen!

11/13/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. welcomes Echo to the herd! Anne Peters, a talented horsewoman and our dear friend, played a significant role in this. After writing grants for SE following her college graduation, Anne connected with our organization again during a horse acquisition all these years later. We're grateful she allowed us to trial Echo for 60 days as we assessed his suitability for therapeutic riding. An echo is a sound caused by the reflection of sound waves after the original sound has stopped or a parallel or repetition of an idea, feeling, style, or event. Symbolically, an echo is a whisper from our past, a reminder, or a memory marker that gives reference or perspective when appreciating moments or making decisions. Echoes may be linked to that internal voice reminding you that you're good, fast, or unique enough. Echoes carry vibrational momentum. They can nag and nudge you to abandon or pursue something. As we welcome this black 8-year-old pony gelding with a darling snip whose sweet whinny echoes around the farm, we ask…What does echo mean to you?

11/12/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. celebrates the October/November issue of Florida Country & Coast Magazine! Special Equestrians will showcase a feature article in each issue! Please consider purchasing a yearly print subscription to this beautiful publication who supports our mission—Making Miracles Happen with community support! Click to subscribe!

Subscribe Now Yearly Subscription $49.95

11/11/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. enjoyed the Bridgetown at the Plantation - Ft. Myers fashion show this past Friday! Guinness wore his high-fashion heart as our Pony Pals Outreach team welcomed guests. The afternoon was full of beautiful women, fashion, food, and philanthropy. Thank you, Bridgetown, for honoring Special Equestrians as the beneficiary of this fabulous event.

11/11/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. wishes you a Happy Veterans Day! Today and every day, we thank our veterans for their service, honor their sacrifices, and celebrate freedom.

11/09/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. was passively seeking the perfect retirement homes for two of our beloved horses. Friends just a few miles from the center were grieving the loss of their 37-year-old Morgan horse. A phone call later, Lacey and Shooter are officially retiring after serving our community for over a decade. This dynamic duo, who are very vocal about only pasturing together, now have five acres to call their own. Three children, two dogs, two cats, eleven chickens, and a promise they will always be together make this family farm the perfect retirement community for two who have given so much. Amor Fati!

11/08/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. is happy to announce that Ayla Monroe, a 12-year-old horse loving girl just purchased Spirit after a lot of hard work and with the support of her family. One of the challenging parts of our role at SE is coming to terms with when it's time to move a horse on to a new job or a retirement home or when it's time to assist them in crossing the rainbow bridge. Spirit was experiencing burn out symptoms and wanted a family of her own. She was moved off-site for exercise rides in preparation for sale, and within weeks, the perfect situation presented itself. Their rides have been successful and negative behaviors are reduced. Yeah!! It takes an exceptional kind of horse to do therapeutic work, and we are always fair to our horses and listen when they share their needs with us. Congratulations, Ayla! Welcome home, Spirit!

11/07/2024

Check it out! Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce

Special Equestrians: 37 Years of Making Miracles Happen Through Therapeutic Riding MORE IMAGES HERE FORT MYERS, FL [Nov 6, 2024] — Special Equestrians recently commemorated its 37th anniversary in a…

11/07/2024

Delightful seeing my friends Barbara and Marissa today at the United Way campaign kickoff. What an inspiring event that showcases what local support does for our community! Proud partners. Proud Pacesetter. United, we're Stronger!

11/06/2024

Special Equestrians, Inc. is speaking Italian this driving season! Remember those 1980s and 90s romance novels where the trot is like, “I can’t believe it’s not butter?” Ciao Bella, Fabio! Thank you, dear friend, Libby Fekette, for offering your dream riding and driving horse on a free lease for the season. Fabio is a skilled horse who has adapted well to his new role. Since arriving, he has loved causing mischief around the farm and teasing his pasture mates, Echo and Marsh. Fabio does best in a program and really likes to work, so he’s off on an SE adventure serving our community and Making Miracles Happen!