SIRE

09/13/2024

Let us tell you a little more about Pierre from SIRE Fort Bend.

♦ Breed: Thoroughbred

♦ Has been at SIRE for 3 years

♦ Pierre is the tallest horse in our herd, standing at 17hh!

♦ Pierre was an eventer before he came to SIRE

09/11/2024

09/09/2024

It's starting to feel like fall and the football spirit is in the air as school has started back up. Our own semester is starting this week!

Our equines have decided it's time to get into the spirt again and have the second annual SIRE Horse Homecoming!

Three mares from Fort Bend and three geldings from Spring have been nominated for the future 2024 SIRE Horse Homecoming king and queen. It's up to all of you to decide on who will be wearing the crown.

Click on the link below to cast your vote. The voting period will end on October 3rd with the winners being announced on October 5th.

https://forms.gle/qEPNY7TgxqY5yBYt8

09/06/2024

This time next week our riders will return for the 2024 fall semester. The dip in tempature is making it feel like a Texas autumn. Fingers crossed that cooler weather carries into the following weeks.

We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

09/02/2024

Happy Labor Day! Today we honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements in the United States. Thank you!

08/23/2024

SIRE is gearing up to support our clients and horses alike, and we need your help! We're collecting essential supplies to ensure our horses are well-prepared and our equine-assisted programs run smoothly.

Your donations of items found on the Amazon links below will make a significant impact for each location, helping us provide the best possible experience for our clients.

https://a.co/eXXf00W - Fort Bend
https://a.co/cRZ7b0T- Spring

Join us in making this "back-to-school" season a success by contributing to SIRE today!

08/21/2024

Please join us for a cup of coffee this Saturday! We hope to see you there!

08/17/2024

Since established as a nonprofit in 1983, we’ve grown from serving a few riders each week with borrowed facilities to providing over 10,000 instructional hours per year through riding and training programs.

As a nonprofit, we rely on our amazing volunteers and generous community to support our mission: to provide a community where horses help people with disabilities and challenges to live their best life.

It’s National Nonprofit Day! We couldn’t celebrate it without you—who tirelessly give time and energy to help SIRE make our lessons more impactful than the next.

08/14/2024

NoltrexVet gets the Gold medal in our book! Keeper and Zoe received their second doses of Noltrex joint therapy. We are so pleased with the results as both horses stayed comfortable for 9-10 months before needing their next injections. Traditional joint therapy products typically last 6 months so the longer we can go in between injections the better.

Thank you Noltrex for the continued support of our herd! We hope to continue the partnership in the future!!

Guardia Equine Sports Medicine

08/09/2024

Let us tell you a little more about Sunny from SIRE Spring.

♦ Breed: Quarter Pony

♦ Has been at SIRE for 1 year 3 months

♦ Sunny's color is called Cremello. She is not white or albino but is creme colored with a pink undertone. Horses with Cremello coats will have blue eyes.

♦ Sunny's shape and size make her perfect for our Hippotherapy riders.

♦ She also participates in EAL sessions with our veterans and is very good at helping them learn self regulation.

08/05/2024

Each year, LSTEN and Path Intl., partner to host the Regional Conference for Region 8 (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and South America). It allows all of the centers to get together to network, share ideas, collaborate, and learn what's up and coming in the EAS industry.

The SIRE staff had a great time up in Dallas sans the heat. They are all coming back with new tools in their toolboxes. It will be great to see them implemented during the upcoming fall semester and beyond.

Thanks to Equest to for hosting this year. We are excited to see everyone again next year in Arkansas.

07/31/2024

Yabba dabba doo! It’s Fred and Wilma! This bonded pair are not from the modern stone age, just our Fort Bend site. These two Haflingers were rescued from an auction in Florida before making their way to Texas.

Not much is known about these two other than they were a driving pair. They spent a year with a trainer learning how to be riding horses before making their debut in January 2024. Wilma is a 16 year old mare with a blaze down her face. She has been an awesome and super sweet addition to the TR herd. Fred is a 9 year old gelding with a star on his face. He is better suited to working with people on the ground, so he has made a wonderful addition to our EAL herd.

07/27/2024

On this rainy July day, we close the chapter on the 2024 summer semester. The six weeks always flies by in the blink of an eye. That happens when you are having fun – rain or shine!

Thank you to all our volunteers who helped in class, the post-Beryl clean up, in the barn or around the office. We could not do it without volunteer power.

There are no classes in August, so we look forward to seeing everyone back in September for the fall semester.

07/26/2024

Today is the official start of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. The first modern day Olympics was held in Athens, Greece in April 1896. To bring things full circle, Equestrian first appeared in 1900 in Paris, France.

Good luck to all the athletes. Go USA! Bring home the gold!

07/23/2024

We are thrilled to have 3 of our SIRE staff members presenting at the upcoming 2024 LSTEN conference put on by PATH Intl.!

Shayna, Director of Operations, and Joe, Executive Director, will be speaking about starting or expanding their equine assisted learning (EAL) program. Attendees will learn best practices in EAL programming, promoting and recruiting for EAL programs, and funding options to meet budget needs.

Julia, Volunteer Coordinator at the Spring site, will be hosting round tables for fellow Volunteer Coordinators and anyone else who would like to get some ideas flowing. This session will be set up as four round tables with the topics of: recruiting, retention, training and appreciation.

07/19/2024

Let us tell you a little more about Rio from SIRE Fort Bend.

♦ Breed: Appaloosa

♦ Has been at SIRE for 3 years

♦ Although Rio has the personality of a young horse, he is actually part of senior herd. He is 20 years old.

♦ Rio's coloring is called a red roan

07/18/2024

UPDATE! UPDATE! Shelby’s interview was not shown last week. We have confirmed it will air this Saturday, July 27th, at 9:30 pm! Please tune in!

We are so excited to share that one of our SIRE members will be showcased on the local TV station CW39. The show is called Pros Show Sports. This is a show that has highlighted Shelby before at the Fort Bend location. The show will have a segment on Austin and Friends at which time Shelby's interview will be shared. The show is this Saturday, July 20 at 9:30 p.m. We invite you to tune in and celebrate with us as one of our very own will share how SIRE has impacted her. Congratulations Shelby! Kari Day Shelby Day
https://cw39.com/

07/17/2024

Say howdy to Bouncy! She is an 18 year old gray Quarter Pony mare. She was originally a low level hunter/jumper and even a therapeutic riding lesson horse at a different facility. Being in a TR program suits her and she has blended seamlessly into ours.

Before she came to Fort Bend in January, she had to have a surgery on her nose due to an injury. The surgery was a success, but her nose is misshapen which means she breathes loudly. Don’t worry, she is absolutely fine and is a happy member of the SIRE herd.

07/13/2024

Classes at both of our locations have been cancelled tomorrow, Saturday July 13th, due to no power.

Parts of Houston and the grater Houston area are slowly getting power back, so hopefully our sites are not far behind!

07/10/2024

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to check on the herd and facilities. We have finally been able to enter the properties and review the damage. We are happy to report the horses are doing great at both locations. The Spring facility has numerous large limbs and trees down across the property, fence damage, a small building needing repair, and is without power.
The Fort Bend facility also has many large limbs and trees down, the arena is flooded, and fence damage too. Fortunately, buildings and barns did not incur any damage and they had power restored last night.
Beginning tomorrow, if you can spare an hour or two, Fort Bend is ready to have extra hands and feet to help move debris. If you are available tomorrow through the weekend, they could use your help. Please contact Brooke via email at
[email protected].
Once power is restored at Spring, we will send an update about help at that facility. If you would be interested in volunteering to help clear debris at Spring, please contact Julia via email at [email protected] for Spring.

07/09/2024

Classes today and tomorrow, at both sites, have been cancelled.

Like many fellow Houstonians, we are without power and currently surveying the sites to see what Hurricane Beryl did.

All of our horses, barn cats and staff that live on site are alright and that is what matters most.

We will keep everyone posted on classes for the second half of the week. If you have any questions, don't hesitate in reaching out but know that replies may be slower then usual.

07/04/2024

We hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July. Enjoy the sunshine, fireworks, BBQs and being with friends and family.

07/02/2024

No classes this week in observance of Independence Day.

Enjoy the week off and we look forward to seeing everyone next week for the 2nd half of our summer semester.

06/26/2024

From the tallest to the smallest: say hello to Beauty. She is a 10 year old miniature horse mare standing at 33 inches. It did not take long for her to settle into her new life at the Spring site and befriend the big ponies. Don’t let her size fool you though, in the pasture she is the one in charge. There is just so much personality in such a tiny package.

Before arriving at SIRE, Beauty was a broodmare and lived out in the Texas hill country. There have been a lot of first for Beauty since her arrival, but she has taken everything in stride and is a part of the ground program for our veterans, foster girls and school groups. When she is not working in the EAL program you can catch her hanging out with her friend, Donkey.

06/25/2024

Cheeto(gray) and Camerone(bay) are still looking for their new homes!

Cheeto is a 16 year old Appendix gelding, looking to be a low level trail ride or ‘husband’ horse.

Camerone is looking to be a low level trail ride horse for an intermediate rider or companion horse.

If you are interested in adopting Cheeto or Camerone please reach out to Randa at [email protected]

06/20/2024

It's the first offical day of summer!

06/19/2024

Join us at Half Shells Seafood in Katy on July 2nd to support SIRE. 15% of the entire days sales will be donated to SIRE. Dine in or carry out, lunch or dinner, come out to eat with us at 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd Suite 140 in LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch! Thank you for your continued energy, time, and support! Happy Summer!

SIRE improves the quality of life for people with special needs through therapeutic horsemanship activities and therapies, and educational outreach

06/18/2024

It’s national veterinary appreciation day! It’s a day where we can honor the incredible work and dedication that veterinarians do.

Out at Spring, we have Dr. Chelgren from Horse and Hound Mobile Veterinary Services and Dr. Guardia from Guardia Equine Sports Medicine.

Out at Fort Bend, we have three vets - Dr. Buchanan, Dr. Warnock and Dr. Grogger - all from Brazos Valley Equine Hospitals - Navasota .

From yearly vaccinations to teeth floating to pre-purchase exams and everything in-between, they play an integral role in helping to keep our herd happy and healthy. Thank you for all you do!

06/17/2024

This summer, as we gather with friends and family to enjoy the warmth and sunshine, let us also take a moment to celebrate our veterans who have selflessly served to protect our freedoms. Their bravery and dedication have paved the way for the vibrant, free country we call home.
As we revel in the joy of summer activities, let us support these heroes by giving back to our veteran communities. One impactful way SIRE is helping veterans is through equine-assisted programs, which have shown great promise and success in aiding veterans coping with PTSD and addiction challenges.
Whether through volunteering, donating, or simply expressing our gratitude, we can make a meaningful difference in their lives. Together, let's honor their sacrifices and ensure they feel the unwavering appreciation of a grateful nation by giving back today.
https://bit.ly/4dRW8eO