☀️ We Did It! Eight Incredible Weeks of Summer!
Hello Cheyne Ranch families!
Today was the LAST DAY of our eight-week summer session, and what an incredible summer it has been! 🎉🐴
Over the past eight weeks, Cheyne Ranch served more than 200 children, teens, and adults through Summer Camp, Friday Nature Club, riding lessons, PALS, Family Visits, and other opportunities to learn, connect, and belong.
Our students cared for animals, rode horses, tried new things, made friends, worked through challenges, played hard, got dirty, and created so many wonderful memories.
📸 Summer Memories!
We captured so many wonderful moments during our Summer Camps and Friday Nature Club! You can view photos from the full summer album here: Summer Camps & Nature Club Photo Album.
We also have a separate album filled with highlights from our amazing 4th of July Pony Parade. We hope you enjoy looking back on all the fun, friendships, animals, and adventures! 🐴☀️
Behind every experience was an amazing group of instructors, staff members, helpers, volunteers, families, donors, and friends who made this summer possible.
Thank you. We are so grateful. 💛
💛 Making Our Programs More Accessible
This summer, Cheyne Ranch provided $8,500 in scholarships, equal to nearly 15% of our total summer program fees.
That is especially meaningful because our programs are already priced below market rate. Generous donations of time, labor, supplies, professional services, animal care, equipment, and funding help us keep our regular fees accessible while also providing scholarships to families who need additional support.
Thank you to every donor, volunteer, sponsor, and supporter who makes this possible.
Photo credit: Breana Skiles
💛 A Very Special Thank You to Our Summer Helpers
From our Summer Helper Kickoff through the final day of our eight-week session, our helpers were incredible.
They showed up early, stayed late, walked beside riders, cared for animals, prepared activities, encouraged students, solved problems, and stepped in wherever they were needed.
Summer at Cheyne Ranch is full, active, joyful, and always an adventure. Our helpers met every busy day with teamwork, patience, kindness, and an amazing willingness to work.
Experienced helpers welcomed and guided newer team members. People noticed what needed to be done and helped without always being asked. They supported our instructors, cared for our students, and looked out for one another.
Cheyne Ranch could not have served more than 200 people this summer without them.
26 helpers in this Summer of 2026:
Abby A., Abby F., Amelia S, Anna, Cole, Drake, Emily M., Emily P., Erin, Evan, Grace, Harrison, Hudson, Joseph, Julia, Juliet, Kaitlyn, Katelynn, Katie, London, Miranda, Nathin, Nora, Owen, Riley, Rosie, Sophia, Sydney, Talyn ← 26 individuals who gave us your time, energy, care, and heart: thank you. We saw how hard you worked, and we are incredibly grateful for you. 🐴☀️💛
**If I forgot anyone - please tell me (and I’m so sorry!) And thank you to all the moms, dads, grand parents who helped so much.
Each of you helped make this summer safer, stronger, happier, and more meaningful. You helped create a place where people could learn, belong, build confidence, and do hard things.
🐴 Scheduled Break: July 26–August 13
Cheyne Ranch is on a scheduled break from July 26 through August 13. Regular lessons, PALS, camps, and clubs will not meet during this time.
There are two exceptions:
Makeup Opportunities: Riding Lesson and PALS makeups will be offered this Wednesday and Friday, July 29 and 31.
Please text Sally at 407-205-7744 if your student still needs a makeup.
Nature Club and Summer Camp do not include makeup days.
Volunteering and Animal Care: Volunteer and work opportunities will continue during the break because... this work doesn't actually stop. Ever. Ha! 🐴🐐🐓 And there is also our BIG Volunteer work day on August 3rd (see further below).
Photo credit: Breana Skiles
🍂 Our Fall Semester Begins August 14!
Our 16-week fall semester begins Friday, August 14, just three short weeks from now!
I am currently working on the giant Rubik’s cube that is the Cheyne Ranch lesson calendar. 😊
Current families, please watch for scheduling information as I match students, instructors, horses, groups, and available times.
We are excited to welcome everyone back after a short break for the horses and humans!
🤠🐴 Horse of the Year Is in Full Swing!
We officially have one week left of Horse of the Year!
For the past two weeks, the horses have been gathering votes, moving around the leaderboard, and inspiring some surprisingly strong team loyalty. There is still plenty of time for the race to change!
Every $5 donation equals one vote. Put all your votes behind one favorite, divide them among several horses.
Vote and see the live leaderboard:
Voting closes Monday, August 3 at 8:00 PM, following our big Volunteer Work Day with Team Depot. Our Team Depot friends will have a chance to meet the horses, choose their favorites, and join the fun too! 🐴
HOTY is meant to be fun, but the reason behind it matters. Program fees do not fully cover the cost of caring for our horses, maintaining the property, providing scholarships, and keeping our programs accessible.
Every vote helps care for the entire herd and supports the students who learn alongside them. One horse will win the title, but every team is helping Cheyne Ranch. 💛
🧡 Join Us for a Big Cheyne Ranch Volunteer Work Day!
On Monday, August 3, Team Depot volunteers from our Oviedo Home Depot store will join Cheyne Ranch families, volunteers, donors, staff, and other established community members for one of the largest workdays we have ever hosted.
Our new arena is getting a fence! 🎉
The materials are being generously provided through The Home Depot Foundation, and Team Depot volunteers are donating their time and labor to build it.
Together, we will also:
🐴 Build and repair fencing
🎨 Paint ground poles for the arena activities
🧹 Clean and organize the barn
🌿 Work on landscaping and property projects
🐐 Keep up with the daily animal care that still needs to happen, even on a very busy day
There will be jobs for different ages and ability levels, and volunteers do not need to stay for the entire day. Please bring work gloves if possible and wear closed-toe shoes.
📅 Monday, August 3
⏰ 7:00 AM–4:00 PM
📍 Cheyne Ranch
Because the day will involve construction, tools, animals, and many moving parts, participation is limited to people who are already connected to Cheyne Ranch.
All volunteer food and beverages are covered!
🥯 Breakfast: Coach Kelly LIVE, owned by our friend Kelly Mawhinney
🥪 Lunch: Valerie and Skip Kohlmyer, parents of our amazing volunteer Emma
💧 Bottled water and Gatorade: The McAdam family, parents of our amazing volunteer Emily
Within about 12 hours of asking, our community made sure every volunteer would be fed and hydrated. That is amazing. Thank you so much! 💛
Learn more and RSVP to join us:
I love a little alliteration. ☁️🐴✨
🐴 Horse Care Spotlight: The Kloud
Our horses work hard caring for our students, and we are always looking for thoughtful ways to care for them in return.
Our friend Nova Schaffnit with The Kloud has been generously providing PEMF sessions for members of the Cheyne Ranch herd.
PEMF stands for pulsed electromagnetic field. It is a non-invasive form of supportive horse care often used as part of a broader wellness and recovery routine, with the goal of supporting circulation, relaxation, comfort, and recovery.
Many of our horses appear to thoroughly enjoy the sessions and extra attention. We have loved watching their responses and have taken plenty of photos! 🥰
PEMF does not replace veterinary or farrier care. It is one more supportive tool we can use to help keep our horses comfortable and feeling their best.
Thank you, Nova and The Kloud, for sharing your time, equipment, knowledge, and kindness with our herd!
📚 A Special Thank You to Coach Kelly LIVE
We are especially grateful to our good friend Coach Kelly, who is providing breakfast for our entire Volunteer Day team!
My own children have benefited tremendously from Coach Kelly and her team, and many Cheyne Ranch families have too. Her coaches are knowledgeable, encouraging, creative, and genuinely invested in their students.
Coach Kelly LIVE offers individual support in almost every subject imaginable, along with wonderful enrichment classes too, including crochet!
With students heading back to school soon, this is a great time to explore everything Coach Kelly LIVE offers.
Thank you, Kelly, for feeding our volunteers and for the many ways you support children and families in the Cheyne Ranch community. We appreciate you so much! 💛
💛 Thank You for an Incredible Summer
Cheyne Ranch is more than programs on a calendar.
It is students learning they can do hard things.
It is helpers discovering that their work matters.
It is families finding a place where their children are welcomed and understood.
It is instructors bringing safety, creativity, patience, and expertise to every day.
It is horses helping people grow, and a community coming together to care for those horses in return.
I can’t wait to see everyone at our BIG Volunteer Day August 3rd and for our Fall semester! ☀️🐴💛
One last thing 🤠 We have a google album link with our fun videos:
Sally Ann Cheyne
Founder and President
🐴 CHEYNE RANCH, INC. 🌟
Teaching Animal Care & Connection
📬 1963 Genova Drive, Oviedo, FL 32765
📞 Call/Text: (407) 205-7744 | 📧 Email | 🌐 Website | 📘Facebook | 📸 Instagram
💙 Cheyne Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Consider donating: chra.us/give
Our mission: We teach animal care and connection in a safe, inclusive, and accessible community where people of all abilities grow in confidence, develop life skills, and form meaningful relationships.
HOTY Is Open! Help Us Care for the Herd This July
🤠🐴🔥 HOTY (Horse of the Year) is officially open! 🔥🐴🤠
Hi friends,
🤠🐴🔥 HOTY is officially open! 🔥🐴🤠
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been introducing the Cheyne Ranch horses one by one. Now that all the teams have been introduced, voting is open.
Each horse has a team, every $5 donation counts as one vote, and throughout July we get to cheer them on while raising money for the care of the herd.
July and August have their own rhythm at Cheyne Ranch.
By mid-summer, Florida is hot, stormy, muddy, and very committed to making both horses and humans slow down a little.
We plan for that. After a full year of programs, we build a real break into the schedule in late July and early August. It gives the horses time to rest, our team time to catch our breath, and all of us space for the property repairs, planning, and behind-the-scenes work that are almost impossible to do during full program weeks.
But horse care does not take a break.
This stretch of summer is one of the most demanding times of the year for the herd. The heat means electrolytes, supplements, fans, fly care, and constant attention. The rain means mud, shavings, stall care, pasture maintenance, and extra work keeping hooves healthy. The costs keep going even when the barn gets quiet.
So this year, we decided to make this season a little more fun.
HOTY is a playful summer fundraiser where each Cheyne Ranch horse has a team, and $5 counts as one vote, $25 is 5 votes, $50 is 10 votes.
You can vote for one favorite, support more than one horse, or proudly declare yourself Team All the Horses.
We also have a live leaderboard, which means you can check the HOTY page anytime to see who is leading, who is catching up, and which team may need their people to rally.
HOTY is meant to be lighthearted, but the purpose matters.
One thing many people do not realize is that tuition paid by families does not fully cover what it costs to run Cheyne Ranch.
We work hard to keep programs as affordable as we can, because inclusion and accessibility are part of our mission, not an extra thing we do when it is convenient.
Every donation helps care for the horses who make Cheyne Ranch what it is. They are the reason our students learn, grow, work hard, slow down, build confidence, and feel connected here.
So pick your team. Cast your votes. Check the leaderboard. Cheer loudly.
Let the HOTY fun begin. 🤠🐴🔥
🎉🐴 The 4th of July Pony Parade!✨
🗓️ What Will Pony Parade Day Look Like?
Pony Parade day is fun, full, and a little different from a regular Friday Nature Club day.
🚗 9:00–9:15 AM — Drop-off at the playground
🛝 9:15–9:45 AM — Playground time
🐴 9:45 AM — Circle time and Pony Parade plan
🚶 10:00 AM — Walk the parade route together
👥 10:15 AM — Students go to their horse groups (3–4 students per horse)
🎨 10:15–11:45 AM — Decorate horses with safe, paint sticks, beads, braids, ribbons, and lots of creativity. We'll also take breaks to go say hello to chickens, bunnies, snacks, and 🍦 POPSICLES!
🎀 11:45 AM — Line up the ponies for the parade
🎉 12:00 PM — Pony Parade for parents in the NEW arena!
🧺 12:15 PM — Picnic lunch with families in the shady playground area
💦 12:15–12:45 PM — Sprinklers and lawn games for the kids (helpers begin rinsing horses after the parade)
🎂 12:45 PM — Cake!
👋 1:00 PM — Goodbye and pick-up
Howdy Friday Nature Club families and helpers! Tomorrow is one of our very favorite Cheyne Ranch traditions.
This is our 5th year, and it has become one of our absolute favorite days of the year. It is colorful, silly, creative, and full of Cheyne Ranch joy.
🌿 Friday Nature Club
Nature Club runs its usual 9:00 AM–1:00 PM tomorrow, Friday, July 3rd.
During the morning, students will work in small groups to decorate the horses with safe, washable paint, beads, braids, ribbons, and plenty of creativity before the big Pony Parade at noon!
🐴 Parents Are Invited at Noon!
Come watch the Pony Parade at 12:00 PM in the arena. If you're able, please bring:
🪑 Chairs
🍎 A picnic lunch for you and your child
💧 Water
🧴 Sunscreen or hats
After the parade, families are welcome to eat lunch together in the shady playground area.
🎂 And there will be CAKE at 12:45!
💦 Sprinklers for the Kids
We will have sprinklers set up in the arena so kids can cool off and play after the parade. The arena has good drainage, but students still need something on their feet.
Please have your child wear or bring shoes that can get wet, such as:
👟 sneakers
🥾 boots
🩴 Crocs or flip-flops
NO Bare feet are not allowed.
🐴 Animal Care Still Comes First
Even on a fun day, the horses come first.
Students will help decorate gently, pay attention to what each horse is comfortable with, and take good care of the animals who make this special day possible.
💛 Helper / Volunteer Note
Thank you for making this day happen! After the parade, we'll rinse all 12 painted horses, so please stay ready to work until every horse is clean, comfortable, and cared for before we wrap up.
🧳 What to Pack for Students
👕 Clothes that can get dirty
👟 Closed-toed shoes, still required
💧 Labeled refillable water bottle
🍎 Packed lunch
📸 Photos
We'll take lots! If you snap any, please add them to our summer album:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/n6pd1JrSJr44Afda7
Here is an album from last year if you want to see what the day might look like:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FtKyom7g2SgjFNfX6
💛 We Can't Wait
Thank you for being part of our incredible community! See you tomorrow!
Sally Ann & the Cheyne Ranch Team
🐴 CHEYNE RANCH, INC. 🌟 Teaching Animal Care & Connection
📬 1963 Genova Drive, Oviedo, FL 32765
📞 Call/Text: (407) 205-7744 🌐 CheyneRanch.com
💙 Cheyne Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Consider donating: chra.us/give
💛 Helpers: Big Week Ahead at Cheyne Ranch!
🤠 Howdy helpers 🤝,
We have completed 10 of our 17 days of Summer Camp and Friday Nature Club! 💛 It's already been a fun, full, meaningful summer. Students have cared for animals, made new friends, tried new things, played hard, and made memories that matter.
I have received SO MUCH positive feedback from parents, much of it about how wonderful our helpers are. Thank you. 🙌
This work is all about relationships. Helping students stay safe, feel included, care for animals, learn new skills, and be part of meaningful work and friendship matters, and you are a huge part of that.
📅 This coming week is a BIG one:
Tuesday AM: Summer Camp
Wednesday AM: Summer Camp
Thursday AM: Summer Camp
Friday AM: Friday Nature Club + our BIG 4th of July Pony Parade! 🐴
Plus regular lessons Monday AM, Monday PM, Wednesday PM, Friday PM, and Saturday AM
🎉 Friday is one of our biggest and most fun events of the whole year, and it takes a lot of helping hands to do it well. We need everyone, especially Friday.
Please plan ahead so you can show up:
💧 Well hydrated
😴 Well rested
😊 In a good mood
🐴 Ready to work
💛 Ready to help students have a wonderful day
💧 Hydration starts before you get here. Please drink plenty of fluids the day before. Drink while you are here, drink while you are at home. I know it is hard to remember, but by the time you feel really thirsty outside, your body is already playing catch-up. Help yourself have a better day by starting hydrated.
☀️ Yes, it's hot. It's Florida in July, and this week’s forecast is… HOT! But we're prepared: shade as much as possible, plus cooling towels, Gatorade, ice, water, fans, sprinklers, and lots of ways to keep everyone safe and cool.
🙌 This week works best when everyone stays engaged, keeps their attention on the students and animals, and looks for ways to help without waiting to be asked. Talk with the students, encourage them, help them participate, and keep the day moving well.
That might look like:
Helping a student
Refilling water for the pigs, chickens, and horses
Picking up trash
Cleaning a stall
Supporting a younger helper
Asking where you're needed and staying engaged
📸 Summer Photo Album
Don’t forget, we have one shared photo album for all Summer Camp and Friday Nature Club photos. If you take pictures during the day, please upload them here so families can see and enjoy those memories too:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/n6pd1JrSJr44Afda7
This week is going to be fun, busy, hot, silly, sweet, and probably a little chaotic in the best Cheyne Ranch way. And when everyone shows up ready to help, it works.
💛 Thank you for caring about the students, the animals, and each other, you all are the best part of Cheyne Ranch.
With gratitude,
Sally Ann
CHEYNE RANCH, INC.
Teaching Animal Care & Connection
1963 Genova Drive, Oviedo, FL 32765
Call/Text: (407) 205-7744 | Email | Website | Facebook | Instagram
Cheyne Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Consider donating: chra.us/give
Our mission: We teach animal care and connection in a safe, inclusive, and accessible community where people of all abilities grow in confidence, develop life skills, and form meaningful relationships.
Safe Enough to Breathe Together
I was reading Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari, thinking about who humans are beneath all the systems, stories, and social constructs we create. Then I spent the day at a horse show near Ocala, in a beautiful place built for competition, training, discipline, and the pursuit of excellence in equestrian sports.
A horse show, I realized, is one of those social constructs. And it sent me back to why I share horses the way I do.
I love that the show world exists. It asks people to be precise, patient, devoted, resilient, and brave, and it gives riders something to pour years of heart into. My daughter, Anna, is one of those riders, and watching her grow through her pursuit of this sport is one of my great joys.
Competition matters deeply to the people who love it, and it should.
That world also keeps horses visible. It invites people to admire their beauty, athleticism, intelligence, and power. For many people, it is the very first doorway into noticing horses at all. I am grateful for it.
And it reminds me, every time, that the part of horses I feel called to share is a quieter one.
It is about giving people access to the part of horses that helps us settle, connect, and remember that we do not have to perform to be worthy.
Historically, humans have asked a great deal from horses. We have used them for food, milk, transport, labor, war, sport, and status. But underneath all of that, there has always been something else simply there.
Presence.
Attunement.
The experience of being near a large, living, responsive animal who does not ask us to explain ourselves.
At Cheyne Ranch, this is the part of horses I most want to share — especially with children and adults with disabilities, special needs, and different ways of moving through the world. These are people whose lives are so often shaped by evaluations, goals, diagnoses, milestones, and expectations that can never fully capture the whole person or the worth of their presence.
A horse does not ask for a diagnosis.
A horse does not care about a report card, a résumé, a social skills checklist, or whether someone moves through the world in a typical way.
A horse responds to breath, energy, movement, rhythm, tension, softness, consistency, and trust.
Being with a calm, attuned animal can lower the demand load that drives so much human stress. It gives the nervous system something steady to respond to. And in that steadiness, so many of the people who come to us do not just find calm.
They find joy.
This is what we have built at Cheyne Ranch, and it is what we would love to share with you: a place where you are welcomed exactly as you are, where your presence is enough, and where you might be surprised by how good it feels simply to stand beside a horse and breathe.
Because sometimes the greatest gift a horse gives is not a ribbon, a skill, or an accomplishment.
Sometimes the gift is simply this:
You are here.
I am here.
We are safe enough to breathe together.
Update on Tony the Pony
Hi everyone,
I want to share a happy Tony update with you.
This week, Tony is going to stay at another barn for a while. This is called a "care lease". It means Tony will live at another barn, but Cheyne Ranch still owns him and is still responsible for his future.
Care leases are common in the horse world. They are one way people help a horse get the care, exercise, and job that fits them best.
Right now, Tony needs more regular riding and fitness work than we can give him here. So he is going to KNK Equestrian, a hunter/jumper barn in Deltona owned by our friend Natalie Jackowski. It is the same barn where Anna rides, so we know it well and trust it completely. Tony will have a steady job there, lots of exercise, and lots of good care. This is a really good thing for Tony.
We know a lot of people love Tony, and it is okay to feel sad that he will not be here every day. We will miss him too. The good news is that he is not far away, only about 25 minutes from us, and we will still be able to visit him.
This change may last a short time, or it may last longer. We will stay in touch with our friend who owns the barn, and we will keep paying attention to what is best for Tony.
Tony has been part of Cheyne Ranch for three years, and he is still part of our story. We love him very much, and we are excited for this next chapter for him.
Thank you for loving Tony with us.
Here is a photo album of Tony the Pony, you are welcome to share your own Tony photos in this album too: click here
Sally Ann
Faster Is Not Our Goal
As summer approaches, I find myself having many of the same conversations with families. Questions about trotting, horse assignments, riding time, lesson structure, and summer activities are completely understandable. They usually come from parents who care deeply about their child's experience and want to understand what progress looks like at Cheyne Ranch.
The answer starts with understanding what we are trying to teach.
At Cheyne Ranch, we teach animal care and connection. We use relationships with animals to help people build confidence, develop life skills, and experience the kind of belonging that comes from being part of a safe and supportive community.
Our horses are not equipment. They are living partners in the learning process, and every decision we make balances the needs of both the student and the horse. Riding is part of how we accomplish our mission, but it is not the mission itself.
Progress Looks Different Here
When people think about riding lessons, it is natural to think about progress in terms of riding milestones. At Cheyne Ranch, we often say that faster is not our goal.
Our goal is not to move every student as quickly as possible toward the next riding skill; rather, we want to help students build confidence, develop responsibility, learn new skills, and form meaningful relationships with animals.
Progress may look like a student confidently leading a horse, remembering safety procedures, handling disappointment, communicating more clearly, showing greater responsibility, or becoming a helpful member of our community. For some students, progress includes working toward an assisted trot when both the rider's balance and the horse's conditioning support it. For others, the most meaningful growth happens entirely outside of that milestone.
Success at Cheyne Ranch is not defined by how fast a horse moves. It is defined by the confidence, skills, responsibility, and connection a student develops over time.
Why Our Lessons Look Different
Because our goals are broader than riding instruction alone, our lessons often look different from what families might expect.
In a typical one-hour lesson, approximately 30 minutes is spent mounted. The remaining time is intentionally devoted to horse care, horsemanship, relationship-building, learning activities, and practical skills around horses. We also include dedicated groundwork and horse care lessons throughout each session. These are not missed riding opportunities; they are an important part of what we teach.
Some of the most meaningful growth we see happens while a student is grooming a horse, learning to lead independently, helping care for an animal, or discovering that a thousand-pound horse trusts them.
The importance of riding different horses
It is completely normal for students to develop favorite horses, and we love seeing those relationships form. At the same time, horse assignments are made thoughtfully based on rider needs, horse welfare, safety considerations, and the needs of the overall community. Because of that, we cannot promise specific horses.
Learning to work with different horses is part of learning horsemanship. Different horses teach different lessons, and learning to adapt is a skill that serves students well both in and out of Cheyne Ranch.
Summer Looks Different
Florida summers are hard on both people and horses. As temperatures rise, we may spend more time in shaded or covered spaces, take additional breaks, include more grooming and bathing activities, and spend more time focused on groundwork and relationship-building.
Our horses work hard for this community throughout the year, and part of learning horsemanship is learning how to care for the animals that make these experiences possible.
Some of the most meaningful summer moments happen while brushing a horse, helping with a bath, walking alongside a horse, or simply spending quiet time together. Those moments may not look like traditional riding progress, but they are often where connection grows.
Finding the Right Fit
Every riding program is designed to accomplish something. Some focus on competition, showing, jumping, or advancing through riding levels. Those are valuable goals, and there are wonderful programs built around them.
At Cheyne Ranch, our focus has always been a little different. We believe relationships with animals can help people develop confidence, responsibility, resilience, communication skills, and a sense of belonging. That philosophy shapes everything we do, from horse assignments to lesson structure to the way we define progress.
For families who value those things, Cheyne Ranch often becomes much more than a place to take riding lessons. It becomes a community where people learn, grow, contribute, and build meaningful relationships with animals and with one another.
That is the experience we hope every family finds here. Because when connection, confidence, responsibility, and belonging are the goal, progress often looks very different than simply moving faster.
— — — — — — — — —
🐴 CHEYNE RANCH, INC. 🌟
Teaching Animal Care & Connection
📬 1963 Genova Drive, Oviedo, FL 32765
📞 Call/Text: (407) 205-7744 | 📧 Email | 🌐 Website | 📘Facebook | 📸 Instagram
💙 Cheyne Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Consider donating: chra.us/give
Our mission: We teach animal care and connection in a safe, inclusive, and accessible community where people of all abilities grow in confidence, develop life skills, and form meaningful relationships.
🐴 Our 7th Summer at Cheyne Ranch 🌞
Everything you need to know for Summer Camps and Friday Nature Club
Howdy families!
As we begin our 7th summer at Cheyne Ranch, we're excited to welcome over 100 families for a full June & July of horses, animals, nature, learning, and connection.
Whether you're returning or joining us for the first time, we're glad you're here.
Below is everything you need to know before your child's first day at Cheyne Ranch.
🚨 Most Common Questions
✅ Do I need a waiver?
Yes. Our annual waiver only needs to be completed once per year. (email reminders will indicate if you need a new waiver signed)
📍 Where do I drop off / pick-up?
1963 Genova Drive, Oviedo, FL 32765
Drop-off:
Drop-off takes place at the playground (front yard) between 8:55–9:15 AM.Parking:
Please park near the parking signs located past the playground.Pick-up:
Pick-up takes place at 1:00 PM and may be at the pool, playground, or barn area depending on the day's activities.🚗 Please observe our road's 20 mph speed limit. Respecting our neighbors and keeping children, animals, and pedestrians safe is important to us.
👟 What should my child wear?
Comfortable clothes that can get dirty and closed-toed shoes. We spend all of our time outdoors and around animals.
🌦️ What about rain?
We are rain or shine.
We have plenty of covered areas, including the barn aisle, garage, and back patio, so we can keep learning and playing even when it is raining.
☀️ Florida Summer Reminder
Please send your child with sunscreen already applied each day.
We take Florida heat seriously. Throughout the day we use shaded areas, fans, cooling iced towels, Gatorade slushies, and cold water stations for refilling water bottles. Kids stay hydrated and cool, and we adjust activity levels as needed.
🧳 What to Pack
🧃 Labeled refillable water bottle
We have filtered water available for refills throughout the day.🍎 Packed lunch
Please pack a lunch each day.🥨 Extra snacks
Kids get HUNGRIER than usual at Cheyne Ranch! Between animals, outdoor play, swimming, and exploring, many children appreciate an extra snack or two.👟 Closed-toed shoes
🥾 Need boots?
We keep a shelf with more than 30 pairs of donated boots in a variety of sizes. Families are welcome to take what they need.
If your child has outgrown a pair of boots that still have some life left in them, please consider donating them to help another family.
🏊 Swimming
Swimming is offered each day when weather cooperates, usually between noon and 1:00 PM.
👙 Swimsuit
🏖️ Towel
👕 Dry change of clothes
Optional:
• Crocs or flip-flops for swimming
We have cubby space for each child's belongings.
🗓️ What Does a Day at Cheyne Ranch Look Like?
Many children feel more comfortable when they know what to expect ahead of time. We've created a visual schedule that shows a typical Camp and Nature Club day.
📷 Visual Schedule
💥 Programs at a Glance
🌞 Summer Camps - 3 days: Tues / Wed / Thurs
📅 June 2–4
📅 June 16–18
📅 June 30–July 2
⏰ 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
🌿 Friday Nature Club
📅 Every Friday from June 5 through July 24
⏰ 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
💸 Payment Information
Many families have already paid—thank you!
If you still have a balance, we'll send invoices soon. You're welcome to take care of payment at any time:
Pricing
🌞 Summer Camp: $180 per 3-day week
🌿 Friday Nature Club: $60 per Friday
🎓 Families Using SUFS
We are a Direct Pay provider.
🧃 The Return of Gatorade Slushies!
Back by popular demand!
Our famous Gatorade slushies are made with Gatorade powder (usually white, yellow, or light blue), water, and lots of ice.
Please let us know if your child should skip the slushies or if there are any food restrictions we should know about.
🥜 Important Allergy Note
Because Cheyne Ranch is a working ranch with animal feed, hay, treats, and supplies from many different sources, we cannot guarantee a peanut-, nut-, or egg-free environment. For safety reasons, we are not able to accommodate students with anaphylactic peanut, nut, or egg allergies.
❄️ Ice, Please!
One simple way to help this summer: bring a bag of ice one morning.
We go through a surprising amount each day for hydration, cooling towels, animal care, and slushies.
We have a freezer in our garage dedicated too all this chilly ice.
💛 Amazon Wish List
Want to help make camp extra special? We've created a Summer 2026 Wish List with some of the supplies we go through quickly during camp season, including Gatorade, sunscreen, paper goods, and other frequently used items.
📸 Photos
We'll upload photos throughout the summer to our Google Photos album.
We also love seeing Cheyne Ranch through your eyes, so please share yours too!
👕 Tie-Dye T-Shirts
One of our favorite Summer Camp activities is tie-dying Cheyne Ranch t-shirts!
Please fill out the t-shirt form so we know what size to have ready for your student:
🔗 T-Shirt Size / Payment Form: chra.us/shirt
For students attending more than one camp week, we’ll plan on one t-shirt for the summer unless your student would like an extra one. If your student is returning for another week and really wants to tie-dye a second shirt, that is fantastic - we love the Cheyne Ranch t-shirts too! We just ask that families pay for the additional shirt.
After your student brings their shirt home, please follow the tie-dye care instructions here:
🔗 Tie-Dye Instructions:cheyneranch.com/blog/tiedye
📍 Quick Links
👕 T-shirt order link: chra.us/shirt
📍 Directions: chra.us/loc
✅ Annual Waiver: chra.us/w
💳 Payment: chra.us/pay
🎓 SUFS Information: chra.us/fes
Thank you for being part of the Cheyne Ranch community.
We can't wait to spend another summer learning, growing, exploring, and making memories with your family.
🐴 CHEYNE RANCH, INC. 🌟
Teaching Animal Care & Connection
📬 1963 Genova Drive, Oviedo, FL 32765
📞 Call/Text: (407) 205-7744 | 📧 Email | 🌐 Website | 📘Facebook | 📸 Instagram
💙 Cheyne Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Consider donating: chra.us/give
Our mission: We teach animal care and connection in a safe, inclusive, and accessible community where people of all abilities grow in confidence, develop life skills, and form meaningful relationships.