Horse Sponsorship

Several of our horses will be staying at the Ranch over the winter! We are still in need of financial sponsorship for a few of them to cover the cost of their feed, supplements, and care. Please reach out to Clarissa Donnelly at hwhprograms@gmail.com if you are interested in supporting one of our horses this winter!

Obstacle Challenge

We have something exciting coming up at the ranch - our Competition Team is hosting an Obstacle Challenge on Saturday, November 9th! Friends of HwH are encouraged to bring your horse and participate in this friendly competition with an emphasis on learning and FUN! The start time is 9:00 AM, and the Challenge will be followed by a potluck lunch and awards ceremony. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to Clarissa Donnelly at hwhprograms@gmail.com NO LATER THAN Monday, November 4th.

Volunteer of the Year Nominations are Open

Have you worked with someone who you think exemplifies the best of volunteering at HwH?

It’s up to you to nominate who you want to see as Volunteer of the Year 2024! Please submit your nominations with your reasons why they should be Volunteer of the Year to Debbie Hutchens, hwhvolcoord@gmail.com or place them in the folder on her office door. Your nominations are due to Debbie no later than Friday, November 22nd.

Please note that previous winners cannot win again this year.

The most recent winners are:

2023: Kris Dockum
2022: Kris Vollrath
2021: Mary Smith
2020: Sherry Hoover
2019: Cindy Roche

A Night of Sequins, Saddles, Partnerships, and Community

On behalf of the Horses with Heart Board, staff, volunteers, and participants, we extend our deepest thanks to the sponsors, guests, and volunteers who made Sequins and Saddles a tremendous success! The overwhelming support from our community and benefactors allows our programs to flourish and our mission to continue serving those in need.

The silent and live auctions, along with the raffles, provided many exciting opportunities for attendees to contribute to our cause. Thanks to the generous donations of unique items, travel experiences, and curated baskets, we were able to raise more funds than ever before. Special recognition goes to Yolanda and Susan of Auctions with Flair for their masterful coordination, to our auctioneer, Larry Cohen, whose expertise ensured we maximized every opportunity, and to John Courtis for serving as Master of Ceremonies.

Your contributions help keep our therapeutic riding programs strong, providing vital support to individuals with disabilities, Veterans, and seniors. Thank you again for making this night unforgettable!

Heartfelt recognition goes to our generous sponsors:

We want to thank the following donors, especially our generous community partner Barry Barbe, owner of Torme and El Gato Azul, who graciously donated a patio dinner party for our auction.

9th Annual Have a Heart Barrel Race Recap

What a wonderful day! On a warm, slightly windy, Saturday we had a very successful and exciting Barrel Race.

First, we would like to thank Olsen Events, Shyan Ingrao, and the Olsen family for their continued partnership and support. It is always a great pleasure to work with them on this exciting event.

This year’s event had participation in all age groups. We had 53 Open 4-D barrel racers, 23 Youth 3D barrel racers, 14 PeeWee barrel racers, and 29 Open 4D pole racers. In addition to beautiful buckles awarded to the top racers, Olsen’s paid out $4,136 to the top winners in each category. The racers come to support us, but also benefit when they race well.

The grand prize winner this year was once again our very own Ashley Hall. She and her horse, Flame, accomplished a clean sweep! They came in first place in 1D Barrels and 1D Poles, earning them the prize saddle. The saddle is awarded to the rider and horse with the most “Heart”. Thank you, Ashley and Flame, for participating.

The day included raﬄes and a silent auction. Wonderful items were donated to Horses with Heart and raised funds for our programs. Thank you to everyone who donated and to those who bid and purchased raﬄe tickets in support of HwH.

Thank you to the wonderful volunteers who coordinated, rode horses, walked with flags, prayed with us, sang the National Anthem, and made our Grand Entry a memorable experience. A special thank you to the YEI Beautiful Signers who performers American Sign Language during our Grand Entry. Thanks to the volunteers who helped reset the poles and barrels in the arena, managed the raﬄes and a silent auction, arranged and served volunteer lunches, managed the Every Five table, and helped with awards. Horses with Heart is successful due to the commitment and support of our volunteers. We could not continue without them.

Our sponsors and donors were acknowledged in the September newsletter. Thank you to Joe Darger of Amariconda, who became a last-minute Buckle Sponsor.

As always, it was a great day! Thank you to those who attended. We hope you will continue to support the Barrel Race in the coming years.

High Desert Buildings and Barns Shed Raffle

High Desert Buildings and Barns has generously donated a shed for a Horses with Heart benefit raffle. Please visit the website below to learn more about the shed and to purchase raffle tickets. All proceeds from this raffle support Horses with Heart. Thank you High Desert Buildings and Barns for being such great supporters of Horses with Heart!

To Purchase Tickets

Scam Emails

It has been brought to our attention that individuals are receiving a phishing email that "looks" as if it is coming from our Executive Director Anne Spiess. These emails are spam, and not affiliated with Anne or Horses with Heart. If you receive an email that seems suspicious, please check the sender’s email address. Phishing emails similar to this usually have misspellings and/or wrong sender email addresses, and request money or items such as gift cards, etc.

Marvelous Minis Update

In September the Marvelous Minis visited Ativo Senior Living of Prescott Valley. Rocky, in his bee costume, was buzz-y greeting his fans as they lined up to get some love from him. Brady commanded attention as he strolled down the (imaginary) red carpet in his stunning clown finery, greeting his adoring fans! In early October, the MM program took part in the HighGate Senior Living country fair in Prescott. Rocky and Brady were the stars of the fair!

Do You Owe Arizona Taxes? Use Your AZ Tax Credit to Support Horses with Heart

Your donation dollars to Horses with Heart do more than help our participants—they can benefit you, too! That’s because HwH is a qualifying charity in the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit Program. Tax credits are dollar-for-dollar cuts in your state tax liability: donate $938, for example, and you could cut your tax bill by $938. Under Arizona law, your dollar-for-dollar tax credit could be up to $470 for a single person, $938 for a married couple filing jointly in 2024. Be sure to consult your tax advisor to see how your HwH donation can benefit you.

DONATE

Volunteer of the Month - Anna Siegfried

How long have you been with Horses with Heart? Since March 2024, about 8 months.

Why do you volunteer at Horses with Heart? I’ve always wanted to learn more about horses and horseback riding since I was a child, but I did not grow up in that part of the world. When I moved to Prescott Valley, AZ and discovered the volunteer opportunity at HwH, I immediately jumped on it. When I started volunteering, it was to help heal medical issues that took me off work and to heal mentally. After learning more about horses and their needs physically and emotionally (and taking the Masterson Method Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork class), I volunteer to help the horses, to grow and bond with them, and all while continuing my physical and mental healing. I also volunteer in the hopes I can help any riders attain whatever their physical or emotional goals are, just like how volunteering and riding has helped me heal.

What is your favorite memory or moment at Horses with Heart? One day while taking Gladys back to her stall, she spooked from a tarp blowing in the wind. Once I got her to calm down, she immediately put her nose into the palm of my hand and her forehead on my forehead. Then, she released a big sigh of relief. It was an amazing moment where I could feel the trust and respect we shared for each other.

If you could share one thing with new volunteers, what would that be? Take the time to visit and meet the horses outside of only the hours you volunteered for. Remember that we are here for the riders BUT ALSO here for the horses that work so hard to take care of their riders.

🎉 RAFFLE ALERT! 🎉

Win a beautiful, hand-crafted quilt and support a wonderful cause! All proceeds will go directly to Horses with Heart, helping individuals of all ages and abilities experience the benefits of therapeutic horsemanship. Each ticket is a chance to win, and your support makes a difference!

Don’t miss out – get your tickets in the HwH office today and help us continue to provide these incredible services to our community.

Tickets are $10 each and will be available until December 12th. To purchase: https://auctria.events/quiltraffle

For questions or additional information please contact Chelsea Barth at chelseabhwh@gmail.com.

Reminder – Enter Your Volunteer Hours by November 30th!

Hello Valuable Volunteers,

This is a friendly reminder that your volunteer hours need to be logged into Wranglr by November 30th.

Volunteers, we count on your hours to receive grants for HwH. Also, we love to appreciate our volunteers. We use your logged hours to calculate the number of raffle tickets you will receive at our Volunteer Appreciation Luncheons. Raffle tickets are a fun way to win some wonderful prizes during these luncheons!

Our next Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon is coming up on January 18, 2025, so look for more information to come on that event.

Thank you all for your wonderful hearts and willingness to volunteer with us.

Blue Ribbon Moments

Horses with Heart has a volunteer appreciation program called Blue Ribbon Moments to recognize all the great day-to-day accomplishments of our volunteers. Nomination cards are located in the office, so when you see a fellow volunteer who is going above and beyond, please write down their name and a couple of sentences about what they have done, and drop it in the Blue Ribbon Moments container in the office. We will hold a drawing each week, and the winner receives a $5 gift card to Overflow Coffee in Chino Valley.

Week of September 23rd Winner: Dwayne Toombs
Week of September 30th Winner: Margaret Kavanaugh
Week of October 7th Winner: Helen Collins
Week of October 14th Winner: Margaret Kilian
Week of October 21st Winner: Mary Smith
Week of October 28th Winner: Bonnie Moreau

Calendar of Events

November 27th ~ Horses with Heart Office Open 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
November 28th – December 1st ~ Horses with Heart Office Closed, Happy Thanksgiving!
December 24th ~ Horses with Heart Office Open 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
December 25th – January 1st ~ Horses with Heart Office Closed, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
January 18th ~ Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon at Chino Valley Senior Center