Windhorse News and Events
Is your teenager stressed out and anxious? Windhorse Equine Learning offers a six-week course specifically designed to alleviate your teen’s anxiety through working with horses and practicing mindfulness skills and yoga. They will learn strategies to cope with their feelings "in the moment," as well as participate in exercises with horses that reduce stress and create calm.
This year, Give Big starts at 6pm on May 4 and ends at 6pm on May 5. As you consider which nonprofits you would like to support that day, please consider Windhorse Equine Learning. Our giving page is https://www.givebiggv.org/organizations/windhorse-equine-learning. Thanks for Giving Big!
Join us this year for our signature event, Cowpokes & Cocktails on Saturday, August 19, from 5:30-9:30pm, for a festive evening of wining and dining in support of Windhorse programs for kids. We have some very exciting entertainment planned -- stay tuned for more information!
Please join us at our open house, Thursday, June 16, from 5:30-8:00pm. You can tour the facility, meet our horses, staff and board, and watch demonstrations by our students. We'll have beer, wine and appetizers for you to enjoy while you learn more about our programs to empower youth through hands-on learning with horses. The address is 3477 Johnson Road in Bozeman. We hope to see you there!
Welcome to Maddy Bremel, our new Windhorse Program Coordinator! From teaching classes to running our summer camps, Maddy will be involved with every aspect of our youth programs.
Take a moment to think about how hard these past years have been in your own life. Now imagine you're a child or a teen, absorbing uncertainty, experiencing anxiety, and struggling to process your emotions day in, day out.Windhorse helps youth build confidence, alleviate anxiety, learn emotional skills, boost resiliency, and find joy during troubling times. Our mission is more critical now than ever – the Covid pandemic has left so many kids feeling anxious and confused. Time spent in connection with horses is both calming and confidence-building.
Ever wondered why we chose the name Windhorse? The word originates from the Tibetan term Lungta. Lungta is said to be the unlimited energy of basic goodness.
Helping kids is a team effort, and we're so grateful to our team of dedicated volunteers. As we head into our "off season," we'll be introducing you to some of the amazing people who make Windhorse possible. First up is Dina Warren!
Ready to hit the dance floor for a great cause? Save the date for Windhorse Equine Learning’s Kick Up Your Heels for Kids Barn Dance Benefit, Saturday, September 18, at the beautiful Foster Creek Farm. The evening includes a Country/Western dance lesson, dancing to live music from Little Jane and the Pistol Whips, a tasty western meal by Crazy Mountain Catering, silent auction, lawn games and more. Foster Creek Farm is located at 2577 Foster Creek Road in Belgrade. Tickets at https://events.eventgroove.com/event/Barn-Dance-51978.
It's time to GIVE BIG in the Gallatin Valley! Give Big is an annual 24-hour community day of giving which takes place from 6:00pm on Thursday May 6, to 6:00pm Friday, May 7. During that time, visit
www.givebiggv.org/organizations/windhorse-equine-learning to donate to Windhorse Equine Learning. Help us reach our goal of $10,000 and 70 donors! We have received a generous match of $5,000 from the Helori M. Graff Charitable Foundation, so all gifts will be matched 100% up to $5,000! Please tell your friends and family members about the important work we do and ask them to join us in helping to make a difference for kids in our community. Thank you!
Summer is around the corner and we’re all eager to get our ponies out on the trail or in the outdoor arena! While you are participating in your favorite riding activity this summer, you can also support kids in our community in the first annual Windhorse Summer Saddle-Up. It’s a 2-month riding challenge with prizes for the individuals and groups that log the most miles on the trail or in the arena.
In each Windhorse class level, we teach a different social/emotional skill. We start with leadership, because it's a foundational skill in working with horses, and we continue with partnership, responsibility, trust and empathy. This year, when we started our classes a few months late in early June, we decided to discuss resilience. It was a teaching moment.
To help alleviate some of the stress and anxiety brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Windhorse began offering a class this summer for middle and high school youth with anxiety. The class included interactions with horses and taught strategies for coping with anxiety, including breathing techniques, meditation and journaling. The goal was for these youth to find relief from their anxiety through mutual understanding, support from peers and mentors, being in the presence of and learning how to work with our gentle horses, and learning skills they can use to alleviate their anxiety outside of the Windhorse setting.
Windhorse has been given an incredible opportunity by world-renowned sculptor Deborah Butterfield to sell one of her small sculptures and keep a portion of the proceeds. Debbie is a Bozeman artist whose work is in major museums all over the world. Her iconic cast bronze horses can be found at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden of the Smithsonian Institution and the Art Institute of Chicago, to name a few. This is a special opportunity to own a Deborah Butterfield sculpture and support an organization that is empowering youth through the magic of horses. Please contact Darcy at darcy@windhorseequinelearning.org or Cathy at chaggertypegasus@gmail.com for more information. A great big thanks to Debbie for her amazing generosity!
