February Newsletter 🐴💙
Happy February, Cheyne Ranch families! We've got a lot to share this month — from surviving a historic freeze to welcoming two new horses to announcing camp dates. Let's jump in!
Happy Valentine's Day from Cheyne Ranch! 💚🐴
Lujen just turned 27 years old! We love all our time with you Lujen!
Ms. Katie did a Valentine's presentation with our Nature Club students about how BIG a horse's heart is — and the kids were amazed!
🐴 A horse's heart weighs 8 to 10 pounds — the size of a bowling ball! A human heart? Less than a pound — about the size of your fist.
💓 A horse's heart pumps 7 to 10 gallons of blood per minute. A human heart pumps about one quart.
⚡ Here's the coolest part: research from the HeartMath Institute found that a horse's electromagnetic field is five times larger than a human's. Horses tend to have a calm, steady heart rhythm — and when we stand near them, our own heart rhythms can actually begin to sync with theirs. This may be why so many people feel calmer, more grounded, and more at peace just by being near a horse.
This is the science behind what our families already feel when they're here.
Happy Valentine's Day from all of us (two-legged and four-legged)! 🐴❤️
What a Florida Freeze Looks Like 🥶
Jan 31, Feb 1, Feb 2 - what were you doing at 1:00 AM each of those nights? I know what I was doing.
Central Florida got hit with an unprecedented cold snap — low 20s for 12 to 15 hours across three straight nights. Caring for 60+ animals through that - mostly caring for our outdoor water pipes - (ha! who knew?) was a massive undertaking.
🐎 Philip did hourly overnight checks all three nights. We burned through 30% more hay than normal to keep the horses' internal furnaces running. Our fabulous Katie tracked down the last bag of straw in the area. All of our workers stayed late and came early and just worked and wored. Community members donated blankets for our senior horses. ❤️
👉 Read the full story + watch the midnight animal check video
🏃 Join Our 5K Team — February 22!
We're putting together a Cheyne Ranch team for the Abilities Workshop 2nd Annual 5K and we'd love for you to join us!
We represented last year and it was so much fun. You can walk, jog, push a stroller, or dress up like a super hero. 🦸♀️ All 4 of my kids did the race last year!
📍 Where: UCF 🗓 When: Sunday, February 22, 2026 ⏰ Time: Early morning
💲 Registration through Cheyne Ranch:
$40 per participant
$15 per Special Athlete 💛
We also have a few sponsored spots available for our volunteers and students — reach out to me if you're interested!
THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP IS THIS SUNDAY!! FEB 15!
🌸 Spring Break Camp — Register NOW!
Spring Break Camp registration is open!!
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday
March 17, 18 & 19
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Ages 5–12 | 4:1 ratio | $165
Three days of hands-on horse care, nature walks, animal care, games, and crafts. Every camper gets a hand-led pony ride each day (about 10 minutes of saddle time). We eat lunch together on the playground picnic tables.
☀️ Summer Camp Dates Announced!
Ready to work and play in the HEAT?
We're excited to share our 2026 Summer Camp schedule! Registration will open soon — mark your calendars now so you don't miss it.
Week 1: June 2, 3 & 4 (Tue–Thu)
Week 2: June 16, 17 & 18 (Tue–Thu)
Week 3: June 30, July 1 & 2 (Tue–Thu)
All weeks run 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Ages 5–12 | 4:1 ratio | $165 per week
Camp is like Nature club - but during the summer we also go swimming from 12:30–1:00 PM (weather permitting)! 🏊
Also - we have Friday Nature Club meeting the first 6 Fridays of June / July.
🐴 Welcome, Misty!
We are thrilled to introduce the newest member of our herd — Misty!
Anna’s horse riding trainer, Natalie Jackowski of KnK Equestrian found Misty just up the road in Port Orange, FL. She is an 18-year-old Thoroughbred who has been with the same lovely family for the past 12 years. As a 4-year-old (back in 2011!), Misty raced 13 times in Tampa and Boston. She placed once out of 13 — third place. You are definitely more my speed, Misty. 😅
We have a care lease for Misty, which means no money was exchanged. We presented a friendly contract that assures her owners we'll uphold Misty's great standard of care for the length of the lease. In two years when the care lease concludes, we can discuss a permanent donation of Misty to Cheyne Ranch. When Misty's family originally posted her care lease on Facebook, over 300 people commented asking for her — so we feel incredibly honored that through Natalie's connections and Cheyne Ranch's reputation, we were the ones chosen to give Misty her next home. 💛
Right now Misty is settling into the herd — which takes about a month — so Anna is spending the most time with her as she adjusts to her new home.
🐴 Welcome, Edward!
One more big announcement. Hopefully. Almost. (Is it too soon to tell you all he's coming? 😅) And that our 12th horse will definitely complete our herd.
Edward is an 11-year-old gelding coming as a donation to Cheyne Ranch from the same incredible family who donated Honey Bun to us. These freezing winter storms meant the professional transport company bringing him from Mississippi — an 11-hour drive! — was delayed. Edward is supposed to leave this weekend (Happy Valentine's Day 💝) and arrive early this coming week (Feb 18 maybe?)
Edward is a Missouri Foxtrotter — a breed developed in the Ozark Mountains over 200 years ago by settlers who needed a sure-footed, smooth-riding horse that could handle rough, rocky terrain all day long. Foxtrotters are known for their gentle, calm temperaments and their signature gait — the "fox trot" — where the horse walks with the front legs and trots with the hind legs, creating an incredibly smooth ride. They're naturally great with beginners and kids because they're patient, willing, and not easily spooked (ha! famous last words 😂). We already know Edward is super sweet and kind — and we are so excited for you to meet him. 🐴
💚 Support Cheyne Ranch
Cheyne Ranch runs on program fees, monetary donations, and a whole lot of love. We don't pay rent. We don't pay for facilities or executive leadership. We keep costs low so our programs stay accessible — and we never pass the true cost of this work on to families.
Monetary donations fund what the rest can't: hay, fair instructor pay, safety equipment, and supplies for 100+ students and 12 horses.
If you'd like to help, every gift — big or small — goes directly to the horses and to the kids whose lives they change. 🐴
💚 Thank you for being part of this incredible community.
Sally Ann Cheyne Cheyne Ranch, Inc. | Oviedo, FL 32765 cheyneranch.com | info@cheyneranch.com
