Programs

Developed at the Coachella Valley Horse Rescue, Horsinalities™ uses horses to teach adults and children about different horse personalities (shy, dominant, leaders, etc.) and to promote empowerment, leadership, and positive social skills.  

Our youth program also focuses on anti-bullying, teaching people how and why people bully, what to do if you are bullied, the power of numbers, and the role of empathy in combating bullying. 

In Pony Club, children ages 6 – 18 meet for 2-3 hours per week for 10-11 weeks to do arts and crafts, read to the horse, do horse paintings, learn basic horse skills (such as grooming and how to bridle and saddle a horse), basic horse care (feeding, cleaning, water buckets), and basic riding skills.  

The program incorporates both horse interaction and Horsinalities™.

A literacy program for people of all ages where they read to a horse and make a painting together.  The program utilizes Janet Zappala’s children’s book, “Guapo’s Giant Heart: The True Story of the Calf Who Kept Growing.”  Janet just released a new book called, “Guapo’s Great Rescue: Clay Finds a Forever Home” featuring a few of the animals at the Coachella Valley Horse Rescue.  This new book will be added to the Horse Tales program in 2024.

A week-long camp is conducted over spring break or during the summer.  Kids Camp is an extended version of Pony Club and incorporates more horse interaction.

The Veteran’s Horsinalities™ Boot Camp program harnesses the healing power of horses to help veterans.  Working with a horse professional and our program horses, the veterans navigate an obstacle course that symbolizes the winding road of life, letting go, overcoming, and moving through obstacles. The program also incorporates team-building as the veterans work with a partner to move the horse through the course.

Members of our veteran’s program meet weekly throughout the year for fellowship and healing.   In the summer, when it’s too hot to work with the horses, they meet in the clubhouse to play their guitars in our Healing with Music program.  

Veterans camping and fishing trips are also offered.   These trips help our veterans bond with one another and embark on a mutual journey of healing from their mental, emotional, and physical wounds.

Our veteran’s programs are offered for FREE to veterans of any of the armed forces.

Following COVID, we founded a Veterans Music Program with the generous support of a grant from the Desert Recreation District to buy guitars.   

Our Veterans’ Corner is a safe and welcoming spot at the Coachella Valley Horse Rescue where our veterans meet every Wednesday to socialize and jam together.  In the summer, when it’s too hot to meet outside, they gather in our clubhouse to practice their guitars.

In 2023, we sponsored a Veteran’s bonding retreat where the group went camping and fishing together.  The feedback from the group was overwhelmingly positive, and we are looking forward to offering other retreats like this in the future as we believe the connection and bonding opportunities are important for the mental health and well-being of our veterans.

Our horse professional teaches basic riding skills to children and adults of all ages.