Healing Steps- Equine Centered Therapy

04/22/2026

We want to shout out a couple of the amazing local businesses who have been supporting us behind the scenes, and .wa 🙌🏼

If you’ve spent any time in our arena lately, you’ve probably already seen their banners proudly displayed — they’ve been part of our space for a while now, and we are so grateful for their continued support! 😊✨

Be sure to check them out and show them some love when you can! Supporting the businesses that support our mission makes a bigger impact than you know. ♥️

We’re also currently looking to add more sponsors to our arena!

✨ Arena Sponsorship – $500
Includes a banner displayed in our arena, seen by 75+ people each week.

✨ Fundraiser Sponsorship – $1,000
Includes an arena banner plus a table for your business at our fall fundraiser & auction.

If you or someone you know would be a great fit, we’d love to connect!

04/20/2026

We loved having Boy Scouts out at Healing Steps! 🐴✨

Thank you for spending the day with us learning about our horses, experiencing what therapy looks like, and even getting in the saddle! It was such a joy to share our mission with such a curious, kind, and engaged group.

Come back and visit us anytime, Pack 310! We’re so grateful for you! 🩵

04/03/2026

Our volunteers are the heartbeat of our community. 🤍

From the moment someone arrives, our volunteers help create the welcoming, joyful, and supportive atmosphere that makes this place so special. They are often the first smile, the helping hand, the calm presence, and the encouragement that sets the tone for every lesson, every visit, and every connection made here.

Their kindness, dedication, and servant hearts do so much more than fill a role — they help create the feeling of belonging that our families, riders, and participants experience each week.

The impact of our volunteers reaches far beyond the barn. They help make this community what it is: safe, uplifting, compassionate, and full of heart.

We are endlessly grateful for the time, energy, and love they pour into this mission. Healing Steps would not be the same without them. 🐴✨

04/02/2026

April 2nd is Autism Awareness Day 💙

Today is a reminder that every child deserves to be seen, understood, valued, and celebrated for exactly who they are. 🫶🏼

Autism awareness means growing in understanding, compassion, and support for the unique experiences of autistic individuals and their families.

At Healing Steps, we have the privilege of witnessing incredible strength, joy, resilience, and connection in the children and families we serve. Their journeys inspire us every single day.

Today and every day we stand for inclusion, compassion, understanding, and support. Because every child deserves a place where they belong, where they are celebrated, and where they can thrive just as they are. ✨

04/01/2026

SAVE THE DATE — FUNDRAISER NIGHT! ⚾️♥️

Join us for a fun summer night at the ballpark while supporting Healing Steps and our Healing Opportunities Foundation! 🐴✨

We’re so excited to share that we have a fundraiser scheduled for the Ridgefield Raptors vs. Portland Pickles game on Saturday, July 11th! 🙌🏼

🎟️ When you purchase your tickets through our special link, 50% of every ticket sold comes directly back to Healing Steps!

That means your night at the game helps support the children, families, and horses that make our mission possible. 💛

⚠️ Tickets MUST be purchased through this fundraiser link for Healing Steps to receive credit:
https://www.gofevo.com/event/HealingSteps2026

Bring your family, invite your friends, and come cheer on the Raptors while making a meaningful impact in our community! ⚾️🐴

Thank you for supporting Healing Steps in such a fun way — we can’t wait to see you there! ✨

04/01/2026

April is National Occupational Therapy Month! 📝🐴👩🏽‍🦼‍➡️🩵💪🏼🧠🎨🍽️🛁✂️

This month, we’re celebrating the incredible impact of Occupational Therapy and the amazing therapists who help make everyday life more possible, meaningful, and joy-filled. ✨

Occupational Therapy supports individuals of all ages in developing, recovering, maintaining, and improving the skills needed for daily life — from getting dressed, eating, and bathing to playing, learning, working, and living as independently as possible.

At the heart of OT is something so special: helping people do the things that matter most to them. ❤️

Whether it’s strengthening little hands, building confidence, supporting sensory needs, encouraging independence, or creating meaningful moments through movement and connection — OT changes lives in the most beautiful ways. 🫶🏼

This month, we honor the dedication, compassion, and creativity of our Occupational Therapists and all they do to help individuals thrive every single day! 😊

03/31/2026

✨ Our Horse Sponsorship Plaques Are Up ✨

Every horse in our program plays such a special role in the healing journey of the children, adults, and families we serve. 🐴🤍

These incredible therapy partners offer comfort, connection, confidence, and joy in ways that are hard to put into words. They show up with patience, gentleness, and steady hearts and because of that, they help make healing possible.

We are so honored to now display the names of the individuals who help care for them through our Horse Sponsorship Program. Your support helps provide the things our horses need to stay healthy, strong, and feeling their very best—like feed, chiropractic care, farrier visits, vet care, and so much more.

Caring for our herd means caring for the heart of our mission at Healing Steps. ❤️

Our goal is to have 4 sponsors per horse, and we would love to invite more people to be part of the care behind the healing!

If you’ve ever wanted to make a meaningful difference at Healing Steps, this is such a beautiful way to do that. Sponsorships can be completed on our website.

Thank you for helping us care for the horses who help care for so many. 🫶🏼✨

03/31/2026

Working with Winnie, day 3️⃣✨

We decided to take things extra slow to give Winnie’s body some time to adjust to working. Today was just getting used to a busy therapy day, meeting lots of new people, and some groundwork!

Assessment of Winnie so far:
✅ Loves people
✅Great ground manners
✅ Willing under-saddle (willing but not too hot)
✅ Open to new things without being spooky

We will continue to lengthen the time working over the next few days, get her body work by the lovely on Saturday, and then pending that she’s feeling good, dive into more under saddle things!

On our to-do list:
🐴assess her at all 3 gaits: w/t/c
🐴Play with tools that make noises, flap, etc with a rider on her
🐴 Ride in all potential positions (backwards, sideways, all 4’s)
🐴Practice standing at mounting block for mounting and dismounting

For those new to horse “lingo” here’s some quick definitions:

🍎Groundwork: Doing exercises with a horse without a human on the horse’s back (humans feet on the ground). Think of this as training exercises that transfer to under saddle (human on the horse’s back)

🥕Lunging: human in the middle, directing horse to run around them. Used to exercise the horse without a rider on.

🍏Pole work: poles on the ground for horse to jump over. An added way to have the horse engage more muscles.

🥕Liberty: working with a horse without a halter/lead-rope (physical connection).

🍎Spooky: (yes official horse language/term) means jumpy or stressed! A spooky horse is panicky and scared easily.

03/29/2026