Pony Parade 🎉🐴
🎉🐴 You're Invited: Pony Parade & Fun Hour at Cheyne Ranch! ☀️
Hello parents! Please join us to watch your child walk a painted pony during our Pony Parade!!
🕰️ When Should I Arrive?
Please plan to arrive by 11:40 AM.
The parade will start (hopefully) around 11:45 AM
📍 Where to Stand: You’ll watch the parade from a shaded area outside the fence near the arena. We’ll guide you when you arrive!
🎊 What Happens After the Parade?
You're welcome to join your child for lunch and then stay until 1:00 PM! These stations are all open for parents and kids to enjoy together:
🌊 Swim Time & Slip-n-Slide
🧼 Horse Wash Station – Yes... all 11 horses are getting bubble baths and they need your help! (but there are only 2 wash stations - so that is a bottleneck)
🐰 Bunny Room + Chickens
🎨 Craft Station
🐎 Plastic Horse Play Zone
If you can make it - we would love to see you! Siblings are welcome too!
It is ok if you cannot attend! Last year only like 4 parents attended - I will have someone video this as well.
– Sally
Living Above the Line - A Mindset Workshop for Parents
Our friend Julie Gerhard, the speech therapist, is so passionate about helping families with special needs students. She is sponsoring this incredible relaxing workshop on August 2nd from 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM. For the ticket price - there is financial aid available!
Please come join us, and please reach out with any questions.
LIVING ABOVE THE LINE
A MINDSET WORKSHOP FOR PARENTS
Saturday, August 2 ( 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM )
From Julie Gerhard:
Early bird pricing ends on Sunday...so please order your tickets soon! If there is anyone who wants to attend, but requires financial assistance, please let me know! There are sponsors who are ready to support families who need assistance with the cost of the program. And I have happily sponsored the majority of the cost to give back to this beautiful group of parents.
This is not a lecture, or just tools for managing your child's journey. This is a MINDSET SHIFT! A new way of reconnecting to ourselves and looking at our relationships to ourselves and others. Wendy Soderman is a mindfulness teacher, a motivational speaker, previous owner of a mindfulness-based school, and a mother of two grown children, one of whom has quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. She has already changed my speech therapy practice, and I am so happy to share her joyful way and wisdom with this community. This program is appropriate for caregivers of children with a wide variety of unique abilities, from literacy and speech disorders to neurodivergences to developmental issues. This program is about centering the caregiver and providing tools to maintain mindfulness while navigating family life, so it doesn't matter if your child's issues are mild or severe. Invite your partner, your friends, your parents...I'm looking forward to seeing you there! Coffee/tea and light breakfast provided.
To purchase tickets to this event: Learn More
Tie-Dye!!
Tie-Dye shirt - Instructions for home
We love pouring joyful color on our Cheyne Ranch t-shirts! Now your child is home with a very wet, very colorful shirt in a plastic bag, here’s what to do next to help that vibrant color last:
Step-by-Step Tie-Dye Care
1. Do NOT open the bag!
Instead, toss the closed bag with the shirt straight into your freezer.
2. Let it freeze for 6–24 hours.
This helps lock in the color before rinsing.
3. Time to rinse.
Take the shirt out of the freezer and head to a sink, bathtub, or outdoor hose area.
4. Remove the rubber bands.
Unfold the shirt carefully and take off all rubber bands.
5. Rinse with cold water.
Keep rinsing until the water runs clear. (This might take a little while—totally normal!)
6. Wash it solo.
Pop the shirt into the washing machine by itself.
(If you have multiple tie-dyed shirts, wash them one at a time.)
Use cold water.
No detergent.
7. Don’t use the dryer!
Instead, hang the shirt to air dry.
🎉 That’s it!
These extra steps are all about making sure your child’s shirt stays bright and beautiful—just like the memories they made at the ranch.
Kids are welcome to wear their shirts - we are going to try for a group photo on Thursday!!
✨ Welcome to Our 6th Summer at Cheyne Ranch!
🐴 Welcome to Our 6th Summer at Cheyne Ranch! 🌞
Howdy families!
We are thrilled to welcome over 80 families—including more than 30 new families—this summer for our 6th summer at Cheyne Ranch! Whether you're here for PALS, riding lessons, Nature Club, or our fabulous summer camps, we’re so happy you’re part of this community.
📍 Important Logistics: Summer Camp & Nature Club
• Drop-off: 8:55–9:15 AM at the playground
• Pick-up: 1:00 PM, usually at the pool (sometimes barn or playground)
• Waiver Required: ✅ Only once per year — chra.us/w
• Location & Directions: chra.us/loc
💸 Payment Info
• Preferred: Zelle to 407-680-3348 (Philip Cheyne) — or keep scrolling for Direct Pay via SUFS
• All payment options: chra.us/pay
• Summer Camps: $165 per camp week
• Friday Nature Club: $55 per Friday
• Riding Lessons & PALS:
– $400 for the full 8-week session
– $200 for 4 lessons (please arrange in advance if attending less than 8 weeks)
(Many of you already paid—thank you!)
We’ll send out invoices in mid-June, but if you’d like to take care of payment now, you’re more than welcome to do so!
💸💬💳💬💸💬💳💸💬💳
For Families Using SUFS
• We’re a DIRECT PAY provider through SUFS! 🙌
Visit this weblink for more info: chra.us/fes
🧃 The Return of GATORADE SLUSHIES!!
• Back by popular demand!
• Made with Gatorade powder (white, yellow, or light blue) + sparkling water + ice
• Served at snack time each day
• 🍓 No red or dark blue Gatorade
• 🚫 Let us know if your child should skip the slushie
🗓️ Visual Camp Schedule
Want to help your child know what to expect each day?
• View the visual schedule below 👇
• Click here to download the printable PDF version
🧳 What to Pack
• Refillable water bottle – filtered refill station available
• Extra snacks – kids get HUNGRIER than usual! Snack is around 10:00 AM
• Packed lunch – we eat together around 12:00 PM at the playground
• Closed-toed shoes – sturdy sneakers or hiking boots
• Swimsuit – best worn under clothes if comfy
• Towel, dry change of clothes (goggles are not provided)
• Optional: Flip-flops or Crocs for swimming
(Plenty of cubby space for each child’s things)
🏊 Swimming offered daily from 12:20–1:00 PM
❄️🧊 ICE! (Seriously, We Love Ice)
Here are two small but meaningful ways anyone can pitch in this summer:
• Bring a bag of ice one morning – We go through a ton of ice daily—for animal care, cooling towels, slushies, and staying hydrated! If you’re able, grab a bag from any gas station or grocery store and drop it off at arrival—it’ll be put to great use.
• Check out our Amazon Wish List – We’ve put together a list of useful items that help us keep things running smoothly and safely for everyone.
💛 Amazon Wishlist 💛
📸 Photo Album
• I’ll do my best to take photos each day and upload them to a Google Photos album
• 📷 Please share your photos too — we love seeing camp from your perspective!
💥 Program Overview
Here’s what our 8-week summer looks like this year:
🌈 Summer Camps
• Held on TUESDAY / WEDNESDAY / THURSDAY, every other week
• Time: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Camp Dates:
• Week 1: Tues 6/3, Wed 6/4, Thurs 6/5
• Week 2: Tues 6/17, Wed 6/18, Thurs 6/19
• Week 3: Tues 7/1, Wed 7/2, Thurs 7/3
• Week 4: Tues 7/15, Wed 7/16, Thurs 7/17
🌿 Friday Nature Club
• Runs every Friday, June 6 – July 25
• Sign up for individual Fridays — flexible and fun!
• ⏳ Need to cancel? Please give at least 48 hours’ notice for a refund
• This allows us to offer your spot to someone on the waiting list
• ⚠️ No refunds for last-minute changes or no-shows
🐴 Riding Lessons & PALS
• Scheduled for MONDAYS / FRIDAYS / SATURDAYS, all 8 weeks
• You’ll receive an email confirmation and text reminder for each lesson
Thank you for being such a fabulous part of this community.
We’re honored to grow with your family for YEAR SIX of magic, learning, and connection at Cheyne Ranch.
Consider donating? 💛
Cheyne Ranch is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering low-cost programs and free services to adults with special needs
chra.us/give
Sally Ann Cheyne
Founder & President
Cheyne Ranch, Inc.
nonprofit 501(c)(3)
Located in Oviedo, FL
Call / Text: (407) 205-7744
email: Sally@CheyneRanch.com
Website: www.CheyneRanch.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CheyneRanch
Instagram: instagram.com/CheyneRanch
Our mission:
To teach animal care and connection in a safe, inclusive, accessible community where individuals of all abilities build confidence, form meaningful connections, and develop essential life skills.
Please donate and help us with our mission: chra.us/donate
Project - Horse Shade + Hay Shelter
Line Item: Open-Sided Equine Shade Pavilion with Central Hay Storage
Amount Requested:
Purpose and Impact:
This durable, open-sided wood pavilion will provide much-needed shade and weather protection for our horses, while housing a central hay bale in a gated, protected area. The structure allows multiple horses to comfortably feed in the shade, supports herd health by reducing sun exposure and stress, and prevents hay spoilage from rain or UV damage. By protecting both animals and feed, this structure enhances the daily comfort and well-being of the equine partners who make our inclusive, therapeutic programs possible.
Proposed Size of overall shade structure:
36’ l x 12’ w x 10’ h
Size of hay box:
8’ x 8’ (consider having 2 hay boxed areas)
Project - Wash Stall Sink area
Line Item: L-Shaped Elevated Wash Station with Utility Sink and Drying Racks
Materials Cost: ~$600
Labor Cost: ?
Purpose and Impact:
This custom L-shaped wash station will include a wood-framed countertop with a large utility sink and overhead hose boom access, eliminating the need for a built-in faucet. Designed at waist height for accessibility, it enables special needs students and adults to safely and comfortably participate in bucket washing—a vital daily ranch task. Integrated metal drying racks will promote independence, skill-building, and a deeper sense of contribution, in alignment with our commitment to inclusive, hands-on learning and meaningful participation for all abilities.
Project - mounting block
Project: Accessible Mounting Block (Sturdy, multi-step with handrails)
Materials Cost: ~$600
Labor Cost: ?
Need 2 - one for front riding area and one for back riding area
Impact Statement:
This adaptive equipment will allow students with physical or neurodiverse needs to mount horses safely and confidently, fostering independence and inclusion from the outset. It also protects horse welfare by reducing back strain during mounting and dismounting, supporting our evidence-informed practices in Equine-Assisted Learning.
Photo for Inspiration, Changes for our needs:
handrails on both sides of stairs
No handrails on center of block
Possibly under 11 feet total in width
Trying to Keep the Ranch Open (and Cool) This Summer
📝 It’s 2:00 AM on a Friday night.
And I’m at my computer, running numbers and staring at spreadsheets.
Trying to figure out how to make this summer work—
how to keep the programs operating, the animals fed and healthy, the staff paid.
I’ve done this before. I’ll probably do it again.
But it never gets easier.
tl;dr: We need donations to continue operating this summer. And we need SHADE.
At Cheyne Ranch, we’re best known for our adaptive riding lessons, inclusive nature clubs, and summer camps. We charge below market value because we believe access to animal connection and growth should never depend on a family’s income.
And we don’t stop there. About 15% of our students receive full or partial scholarships—families who pay even less, or nothing at all—because inclusion isn’t just a philosophy here. It’s a practice.
There’s another part of what we do that most people don’t see:
We welcome adults with special needs year-round—for free.
These individuals come to feed and love on our animals, fill water buckets, sweep our barn, walk our horses, and quietly build confidence in ways that are hard to measure—but easy to feel.
And this summer, we’re welcoming even more of them.
More groups. More sessions. More lives touched through hands-on animal care and compassionate inclusion.
There are few programs out there for adults with special needs.
We’ve become one of the rare places where they’re not just welcomed—but needed. Valued. Believed in.
We’ve never charged them. And I don’t want to start now.
💸 The Cost of Doing It Right
Right now, it costs about $12,000 each month to keep Cheyne Ranch running.
That includes:
🐴 Animal care: feed, vet visits, medical supplies, shelter maintenance
💼 Staff wages: for the team who shows up with skill and heart
🔐 Admin & overhead: safety certifications, CPR/First Aid training, insurance, bookkeeping, tax prep, software systems, and more
Out of the six members of our family, only two teenagers are paid—and even they donate our family’s required 7 hours each week.
The rest of us—including me—do not take a salary. We give everything we can.
But we can’t cover it all. Not even close.
☀️ The Heat Isn’t New—But It Can’t Be Ignored Anymore
Florida heat has always been part of life here on our five-acre property.
We’ve managed with temporary setups, scheduled around the sun, and just pushed through when we had to.
But now, things are shifting.
While summer is still our slowest season overall, we’re seeing more adults with special needs coming—as word spreads about the inclusive, hands-on experiences we offer.
And what used to be uncomfortable is becoming unsafe.
This summer, we’re finally addressing something we’ve put off for too long:
We’re working to install three shade structures—each one meeting a real, growing need.
🐴 For the horses: A large structure to keep their hay dry, their bodies cooler, and their stress lower as they stand and eat in the summer sun
🌞 For the kids: A smaller shade over the summer camp play area—where our youngest students rest, snack, laugh, and just be kids between activities
🐎 For our riders: A cover for our round pen, so we can continue adaptive riding lessons without risking anyone’s health or cutting programs short
Together, these projects total $9,000:
$5,000 for the large horse shelter
$2,000 each for the camper and rider shade areas
These aren’t luxuries.
They’re about safety, comfort, and continued inclusion.
If we’ve learned anything in this work, it’s that small adaptations make big impacts—especially for students with sensory sensitivities, physical differences, and neurodiverse needs.
Shade isn’t just about comfort—it’s about belonging.
It’s how we say: “We see you, and we’ll meet your needs.”
🌱 What We’re Building Toward
Someday, we hope to build an endowment—a simple, sustainable fund that helps cover our monthly costs so I’m not writing appeals like this at 2:00 AM.
But today is not that day.
Today, we need a bridge.
Just enough to get through the summer—while keeping our standards high, our programs open, and our most vulnerable participants safe and included.
🛠 How You Can Help
Whether it’s $25 or $2,500—your gift will make a real, immediate difference.
💸 Donate at cheyneranch.com/give (Zelle = fee-free!)
🎨 Sponsor summer camp supplies – Due to a billing snafu with the Family Empowerment Scholarship, we couldn’t apply our intended $15 supply fee. With 300 camper spots across 20 days, we need help covering crafts, snacks, and activities
🧾 Buy a gift card to Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Tractor Supply
📦 Shop our Amazon Wish List for small but vital items
🐴 Add credit to our feed account at the Oviedo Tack Shack
🐾 Sponsor a visit from a special needs adult day program – $200 helps cover staff salaries for a full session, ensuring these visits remain free, safe, and meaningful
🧤 Join a project day – Help with tidying, gardening, or organizing supplies. No horse experience needed—just a willing heart! (Email me to join the list.)
Can’t donate right now? That’s okay—here’s how you can still help:
🗣️ Tell a friend about Cheyne Ranch
⭐ Leave a review on Google or Facebook
💬 Engage with our social posts—likes, shares, and comments really help
Thank you for believing in this place.
For standing with us through the heat.
And for helping us build a place where inclusion isn’t optional—it’s who we are.
With love and hay dust
(where is the rain, drought-y Florida?)
Sally Ann Cheyne
Founder & President
Cheyne Ranch