Hands and Hearts for Horses

A Therapeutic Riding Center in Thomasville, Georgia

Hands and Hearts for Horses is a therapeutic riding center in Thomasville, Georgia. I moved to Thomasville a few months ago and wanted to find a place to volunteer. A recent client from Tallahassee, Florida recommended Hands and Hearts. I am so thankful for the recommendation! I have always tried to give back in my personal and business life, but I especially love when it is with horses (no surprise there). Luckily, Hands and Hearts is only about 10 minutes from where I am living. If you are looking for a place to volunteer your time, Hands and Hearts is great for everyone, not just equestrians. You do not need any horse experience to make a difference at Hands and Hearts. The children that they help have incredible stories of how horses have changed their lives. It is amazing to see how happy the kids are to be with horses!

We had a blast photographing all of the horses “staff” photos at Hands and Hearts. It took a lot of manual labor (bathing), several days of photographing, and a few countless hours of editing to make this project come to life. Each day we photographed about 5-7 horses. It took us almost three weeks to have everyone’s photo taken! The staff at Hands and Hearts really worked hard to make each pony look their best. There is a wide array of horses at Hands and Hearts. There is Cookie, the pinto miniature horse who is SO little. Then there is Chancy who is a 16.2 Thoroughbred! A few of the breeds in the herd are Quarter Horse, Gypsy Vanner, Fjord, Tennessee Walking Horse, and more. They truly have a mix of everything to suit every rider’s needs. You can learn more about their herd here.

I encourage you to take a look at Hands and Hearts and see what they are all about. It is an incredible place for both children and adults, and the teamwork to provide the best experience for the kids is unmatched. Here is a link to their website, and Facebook page.

An excerpt from Hands and Hearts website:

“Hands and Hearts for Horses is a Premiere Accredited therapeutic horseback riding center through PATH Intl. that provides unique therapeutic services to individuals with a variety of special needs. Our clients often have limited access to specialized physical activities and limited resources. The populations we serve include, but are not limited to, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (including Asperger syndrome), Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injuries. Therapeutic riding is documented to help improve gross and fine motor skills, cognitive abilities and general well-being. We often hear from parents and teachers that riders become stronger both physically and mentally and are able to be more successful in day-to-day functioning as a result of therapeutic riding lessons.”