Sande School of Horsemanship

06/23/2025

Welcome to The Great Outdoors, where participants enjoy a ride on Sande's beautiful trail system. This expanded trail will pass a beaver dam, cross a creek, weave through a beautiful cedar tree forest and ride along a preserved wetland with an abundance of wildlife. It is open to students ages 8 and up who have some previous horse experience. Parents are welcome to sign up with their kids for some low-key, structured horsemanship family fun!

Sign Up Here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904054BABA729A3FB6-55831736-thegreat #/

06/18/2025

Meet our Summer Lead Instructors!

Emily began taking adult lessons with Sande School of Horsemanship two years ago, coming with extensive experience with both equines and working with folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has trained all Spring as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor and will train this summer as Instructor for our Integrated Riding program. We are thrilled to welcome her into our team of instructors!

Marlene brings 65+ years of horse experience to our team. She owns the facility and has trained horses and students professionally for most of her life. She instructs all levels and disciplines and has successfully competed in nearly everything, including Grand Prix Jumpers. She is Kassi's mom, and taught Kassi so much of what she knows.

Megan is back from her first year of college at BYU and will be leading a variety of classes, including Little Wranglers, Level 1, Therapeutic Riding and the Trail classes. Megan has been a student and instructor at Sande School of Horsemanship for many years and students are so happy to see here again.

Kassi is Sande School of Horsemanship's Founder and Executive Director. She primarily Leads the Intermediate / Advanced classes, but will be training new instructors this summer during many of the Beginning classes. Her smile always brightens our lessons, and she has a magic touch for building confidence in riders.

This is going to be a great summer at the barn, make sure to register before classes fill up!

06/16/2025

Nothing is better than summer at the barn! We are excited to have multi-day camps this summer in addition to our single class options.

Our single class options are available for all levels, Little Wranglers through Level 4. These classes incorporate both riding and un-mounted horsemanship activities for students and can be taken alone or in conjunction with a 4-day camp.

Our 4-day camps for Little Wranglers -
Intermediate Riders include riding instruction in the arena, daily trail rides, and unmounted horsemanship activities.

Scan the QR code or this link to learn more or register.

https://www.sandeschoolofhorsemanship.org/summer-camps-1?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwK9XndleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHoFD1t-wKKEvYr9I70yuGgzJduAkIc4lQxZCto0xUGt_WDwO3cBLyXRxIM5C_aem_FaKdqTYhASpcSWCLPjyIsA

06/15/2025

06/11/2025

Important Updates from Sande School of Horsemanship including Kids Night Out and Summer Registration information https://mailchi.mp/f5e26079bfce/d4inlmh1ys-14199364

06/10/2025

We loved having Grant Watts kiddos out to the barn! This field trip is one we look forward to every year.

06/10/2025

Yee-haw! Kids age 4-7 love our fun, themed summer Little Wrangles classes! Our Little Wrangler lessons ensure those first horse experiences are safe and positive! It teaches early riding and handling skills as well as providing good, safe, horsey fun! Kids spend half of the lesson riding with one-on-one instruction and the other half doing hands-on horsemanship activities in the barn. Visit https://www.sandeschoolofhorsemanship.org/summer-camps-1 or scan the QR code to register!

06/07/2025

A weekend chuckle. Happy Saturday!

06/05/2025

With heavy hearts are cancelling our upcoming Boot Scootin' Benefit, originally scheduled for June 21, 2025.

​Due to a series of recent tragedies within our barn community, we have experienced significant disruptions that have delayed our planning efforts and affected our ability to hold the event as intended. These circumstances have deeply impacted our team, and after careful consideration, we believe canceling the event is the most respectful and responsible course of action.

We know this news may be disappointing, and we are truly grateful for your support and understanding. We are currently exploring the possibility of hosting a new fundraising event in late September, which will maintain the same focus: supporting the continued growth of our expanding mental health program. We remain committed to this important work and look forward to sharing more details in the near future.

05/26/2025

Today we pause to remember the brave women, men, and animals who gave their lives not only to protect Americans, but countless others across the globe. May their sacrifice be honored with deep gratitude and respect.

Photo of a horse drawn ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Courtesy of military.com

05/20/2025

Would you or your business like to sponsor the Boot Scootin' Benefit this year? We are working to expand our equine-assisted therapy programs and seeks support from the local community to sponsor its annual Boot Scootin’ Benefit. Sponsors are an important part of ensuring a successful event.

According to Sande's Spring Client Data, 55% of Sande students experience anxiety or depression; 26% have a diagnosed mental or behavioral health disorder, and 32% have experienced childhood trauma. Clients reported an overwhelmingly positive effect on their lives due to participation in Sande programs. According to the survey:
97% reported increased confidence
49% reported improved communication skills
74% reported an improvement in their overall mood.

Columbia County needs more mental health programs and activities for residents with disabilities. Our county does not offer Special Olympics and has just one mental health provider for every 2,083 residents as compared to one for every 313 residents in Multnomah County.

With the help of the community, we are working to expand our facilities, mental health programs, and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. All proceeds from the Boot Scootin’ Benefit will support the expansion of Equine Assisted Mental Health and Therapeutic Riding Programming. If you would like to sponsor, donate an item or purchase a table email Sarah at [email protected].

Sponsorship Tiers for higher level donations can be found on the Sponsorship information page.

05/16/2025

This week kicked off our student benefit ticket sales contest which runs until June 2! We are so excited about this event as we get so much feedback about how fun it is (it's a Benefit, but feels like a party)! Good music, good food, a mechanical bull, and fun for all ages!

There are two ways to purchase tickets this year:
1. (Preferred method) Scan the QR code on the image and purchase the tickets through the website. There is a place in the cart / checkout page to put the student's name who sold the tickets.

2. Give cash / check to the student and the student records the sale on their packet sheet and turns it in at lessons.

Prizes:
The top seller will earn a PRIVATE trail ride for 6 people this summer.
The second to top seller will earn 4 spots in a group trail ride.
The third to top seller will earn 2 spots in a group trail ride.

Contact Sarah at [email protected] with any questions!