December Update
This is our LAST WEEK of 2025!! Unless you count our WINTER BREAK CAMP!! which will be so much fun.
📅 Here is a calendar you can look at how our 8-week blocks line up over the year: chra.us/p
🍂 Last Day of Fall 2 classes: Saturday, December 20th
🔄 Make-ups offered: Monday, December 22nd (AM & PM)
❄️ Winter Break Camp: Mon / Tues / Wed, Dec 29, 30, 31 · 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
🌷 First day of Spring 1 2026: THURSDAY! January 15th
Everyday there are so many stories to share. It’s hard to even know where to begin…
FIRST thing to share…
A Workshop for Parents
Please come to a mom’s retreat on Saturday, January 10th. Our own Julie Gerhard pours her heart and talents into bringing this together for us. It is both recharging and informative.
After hosting a previous gathering that parents described as a true respite filled with support and friendship, Julie invited her mentor, Wendy Soderman, back to Orlando (Altamonte Springs) to share more of her work.
This full-day retreat is, in part, sponsored by local providers who believe in supporting parents in meaningful ways. Wendy Soderman, mindfulness teacher, along with special guest Tara Spears of Togetherness Counseling, will guide the day with practical tools for creating a more mindful home and life. There will be time for reflection, connection, rest, and shared meals prepared and served with care.
January 10, 2026
Center Street Retreat, Altamonte Springs
Sponsored spaces are available.
>> Online Registration <<
I’ll be there - I hope to see you too!
WINTER BREAK CAMP!!
These are always so fun!! This will sell out!! I hope it is cold enough to have a campfire!
Our friend Lauren Oakwood, Equine Dentist visited us!
We love our crew of professionals that help us keep the horses feeling their best! I especially loved that our ahhhmazing college graduate helpers Abby and Gaby were able to have some hands-on time helping Lauren and see everything so up close.
RV Updates
The RV is quickly becoming a fun and functional little (big) hub for Cheyne Ranch. It is a play space with all of our Schleich horses, a spot for crafts and supplies, and a cozy place to meet and talk. A pretty fabulous kitchen. I also have big dreams for an epic coffee & tea bar so there is always a cold / warm / caffeinated drink option for parents and helpers.
Coming Soon: The RV Deck
One of our next big projects is adding a deck to the front of the RV. A deck will make the space more accessible for students and families (those current stairs are scary!), give us room to gather outside, and create a more welcoming entrance to this little hub. It is a meaningful addition, and we would love your help making it happen.
And yes, we also have a guest bathroom in the works. :) We are using the pool bathroom for now.
How You Can Help
We have put together a 🫶 Donation Page + an 🛒 Amazon Registry with items that would make a big difference for the RV space. You may notice a lot of snacks on the list. Did you know a super surprising expense at Cheyne Ranch is FOOD? For Humans? Between our students and more than 15 volunteers coming through each week, many of them hungry teenagers, we go through snacks quickly. Keeping them fueled is part of how we take care of the people who take care of our horses.
🫶 Donate to our RV Deck Masterpiece!
Thank you for being part of this journey with us and helping make Cheyne Ranch a place that feels welcoming, accessible and offers purpose and confidence to so many in our community.
👀 Sneak Peek at 2026!
We've got some exciting things in the works for the new year:
✨ TREASURES returns! This beloved program is coming back with a new partnership with Speech Blossom Wellness!
🎬 Movie night! We're planning a group outing to see Rescued Hearts Film—more details coming soon.
🌙 More Kids' Night Out dates! We love Kids’ Night Out, so we're adding more to the calendar.
📋 Revised skill levels: We've been refining our ground and riding levels to give students clearer goals and milestones to follow.
Stay tuned!
🧡 Year-End Giving: Make Your Gift Count!
As always, a reminder that we exist to serve the community! We are a nonprofit, and that literally means… NO PROFIT (ha!). Every dollar goes right back into our programs.
Sally, Anna, Katie, Erin, DJ, Abby, Gaby, and Michael—we LOVE this work! It is a privilege to be outside, with the animals and our incredible students, witnessing all the beautiful improvements that happen here every single day.
Before December 31st, consider making a tax-deductible gift to Cheyne Ranch. Your year-end donation makes a real difference, here's what your support makes possible:
🐴 Care for 60+ animals - all donated to us by community members who believe in what we do
📚 Subsidized lessons for 75+ students each week (with a waiting list!)
💼 Part-time meaningful work for 10 team members
🌟 Purpose, confidence, and skill-building for 25+ volunteers
🫶 DONATE
Thank you for helping us finish the year strong and start 2026 ready to serve even more families!
