About
About Us
"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."
~John Lubbock 1894
"Horses leave hoof prints on your heart."
~Anonymous
As a child and teenager I rode and spent all of my free time at the barn. After high school and college, I ended up working for Langer Equestrian Group and helped manage and produce horse shows for 35 years. My love for horses is how I ended up in the horse show industry. For the past 8 years, I have taken in numerous horses, ponies, dogs, cats, and rabbits that no one wanted any more.
When I had my children, I became very involved with them and their friends and their play group. Once they started school, I got involved there too as PTA president and have planned many school events and become involved with the Burbank community as well.
In early 2015, I was talking to someone about ideas for activities at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center and the term “Learning Center” came up. Something clicked in my head and in my heart and it only seemed natural to combine my passion for animals, especially horses, and my passion for children and I spent the next few months creating Hands On Horses. I hope that you will read about us and consider making a donation to help bring children, adults, and horses together in a learning, loving, educational and therapeutic environment.
Our Mission
- To bring children, adults and horses together in a safe and fun learning environment.
- To provide kind and loving animals for those in need of emotional healing and bonding.
- To provide a place for horses that are no longer physically capable of being ridden every day, are no longer useful or wanted in their current situation but still have so much to offer emotionally.
- To offer therapeutic opportunities at the hands on level
Why Hands on Horses
We are a non-profit, non-riding learning center that focuses on the care and keeping of horses. All of our horses have been donated, sponsored and/or rescued They may not be physically capable of doing their previous job, owners may no longer be able to afford to keep them, children have outgrown them and moved on. Maybe they've been retired but don't do well just being turned out to pasture. Some may have even ended up in the 'wrong hands'. Whatever the reason, they end up with Hands On Horses and are now living the second half of their lives in love and care.
Our program is all about bringing children, adults and horses together in a safe and fun learning environment. There is something so amazing about spending time with a horse and forming a bond with them. Research studies show that there are numerous mental benefits. Along with physical exercise that comes with caring for a horse, there are emotional exercise that can help nurture the heart and soul. Horses are capable of forming extremely close bonds with humans. This wonderful bond offers special emotional rewards, especially for people who find it hard to trust or bond with other humans. Horses provide an unconditional partnership where children and adults can experience increased self-esteem, self-empowerment, and a sense of well-being.
Horses are amazingly intuitive. They can read you better than most humans. They know your heart and your intentions. You cannot fool a horse!