Wagon Wheels HUB

14/10/2025

An update on one of our participants from his mother's point of view:

Caleb has been participating with the Wagon Wheels HUB therapeutic riding for a year now. He was diagnosed with Spastic Paraplegia11 six years ago. A disease with no cure, that attacks the lower limb muscles. Eventually he will lose his ability to walk. But to fight against the disease, he goes to the farm once a week and rides/bonds with Poppy the horse.

Last May when the season started, it was very difficult for Caleb to ride, some weeks there were not enough volunteers to help mount him for riding. Then on weeks when he was riding, the muscle spasms in the lower limbs gave him some difficulty riding comfortably. The volunteers are always watching to make sure he is comfortable and safe. September 13th he was able to trot for the first time and keep good balance on the horse. He was so excited, he later told me he felt like his muscles opened up. September 27th, Caleb was using his lower muscles to help mount the horse!

Going to the farm keeps Caleb's spirits up, so on the days when the weather didn't cooperate, he would still go to the barn to talk and brush Poppy. Next session, he wants to learn how to saddle Poppy and has asked if he can ride ba****ck some day in the future.

08/09/2025

REMINDER:
Get to Pizza Ranch in Austin/MN this evening between 4p-9p to help support our cause!
Thank you!

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07/09/2025

Fundraiser Night for Wagon Wheels Hub!

Join us for a Pizza Ranch Fundraiser to support Wagon Wheels HUB, a nonprofit therapeutic horse organization dedicated to healing through horsemanship.

📅 Monday, September 8
🕓 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 Pizza Ranch - Austin/MN

Enjoy a delicious meal while helping a great cause! All contributions and a portion of the evening's sales will be donated to support our mission of providing therapeutic horse experiences to individuals in need.

19/08/2025

Despite the heat, there was still plenty of smiles today!

05/08/2025

Want to be around horses and help people grow?? Let us know! Seeking VOLUNTEERS to assist with our organization. No horse experience required but definitely welcomed!

01/08/2025

Volunteers and our participants enjoying sessions. Thank you to all of our volunteers to make this program a success!

16/07/2025

We are excited to see activity in the arena again! We are also excited to have new participants in the program!

03/07/2025

These last couple of weeks were filled with high temps, high humidity, and heavy rains which caused us to cancel some sessions. We know this is unfortunate, however, during this time we were able to be productive in other areas administratively. We look forward to returning to the arena soon.

24/06/2025

Bringing smiles to the arena

14/06/2025

On the first Saturday of our riding sessions of 2025, we held a visit with the horses and set goals for this riding season. The returning riders were excited to see the horse they had bonded with and to meet the new horse we have added to the program.

An autistic new rider didn’t want to go into the barn or near a horse due to his fear of being close to any animals. His older brother, whom he is very attached to, went into the barn to see the kittens. The mom of the new rider was very patient and constantly reassured him that his brother was ok. She slowly took a few steps at a time closer to the barn door to encourage him it was ok. Then she brought him inside the barn, reassuring him it was ok. She went to see the horses and soon, he was beside her. One of the horses put her head over the stall wall, reaching out to them. The mom started feeding the horse and with her help, he started handing the horse a piece of hay. Soon, he was feeding the horse by himself. After a while, the mom said it was time to leave. He did not want to leave. He kept saying, “No, feed the horse.” She finally had to pick him up and carry him out of the barn. We told him he could come back and feed the horse again which helped him relax. During his interaction with the horse, he had forgotten about his brother and the kittens which was a huge accomplishment. He had overcome his fear and enjoyed feeding the horse so much he had asked about coming back to feed the horse again.

10/06/2025

Thank you to Pizza Ranch, the WWH Volunteers, and Generous Supporters for a great night of fundraising yesterday! You are very much appreciated! God Bless!

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08/06/2025