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
The Voices in My Head (and Why They're All About Cheyne Ranch)
I’m obsessing over words. It’s Mother’s Day, and my lovely family is making sure I have time to relax. My immediate responsibilities are few, so I've chosen to obsess over the words for Cheyne Ranch. I’ve updated our Mission Statement, Vision Statement, drafted 9 Core Beliefs, created a Welcome Statement, and wrote a Founding Narrative—the "why." Since Saturday afternoon, I’m probably on hour 18 of this.
My brain does this to me sometimes. I’m not mad about it.
I keep combing through every word, searching for clarity and cohesiveness. I want to articulate what we do that is making a difference. I want to express my passion—the energy that drives me every single day. I want to put into words why I’m so compelled to continue this, even when there are hard days.
I want to express just how talented and dedicated our staff is and why they’re so motivated to give so much to this job. I want to capture the incredible feedback from families and students about the impact Cheyne Ranch has made on their lives. I’m also thinking about how we continue to improve for the future.
And I want to have the right words at the front of my mind when potential donors or grantors ask why Cheyne Ranch deserves their investment—the opportunity to keep improving, keep serving, and keep changing lives.
Will you please review my words? There are many. I’d love your feedback when you have time. It doesn’t need to be detailed—I know my manic obsession with words is necessary in my own mind, but anything you can give feedback on would be appreciated. I’m adding some photos from the last couple days for some visual interest. I love what we do here.
**For the board members of Cheyne Ranch - I do need your approval on the updated mission and vision statement.
I’m certainly open to revisions as well.
And here we go…
Our Nonprofit Mission
We teach animal care and connection in a safe, inclusive, and accessible community where people of all abilities build confidence, develop life skills and form meaningful relationships.
Our Vision:
A world where every person knows they can learn, belong, and do hard things, and every community makes this possible.
Welcoming Statement:
Welcome to Cheyne Ranch! We are a safe, inclusive, and accessible community where individuals of all abilities, backgrounds, and neurodiversities connect with animals and the outdoors in ways that inspire growth and well-being. Whether through learning animal care, the unique experience of horseback riding, or simply spending time with our gentle animals, students grow in emotional resilience, develop essential life skills, and build lasting confidence in themselves.
As a non-profit organization, our work is guided by a set of core beliefs that shape everything we do, from our interactions with students and animals to the programs we offer. We are committed to making these powerful connections accessible to everyone through scholarships and a welcoming environment. Join us and discover the simple yet transformative magic of Cheyne Ranch.
Learn more about what drives us:
Core Values
Safety
We lead with calm, steady awareness to keep all people and animals safe and ready to learn.
Inclusion
We adapt to meet different needs and create belonging, while maintaining boundaries that keep our community safe.
Integrity
We do the right thing, all the time, even when it's hard. We take ownership of our actions, follow through on commitments, and learn from our mistakes so we can do better next time.
Compassion
We act with empathy, honor dignity and treat all beings with kindness and respect.
Connection
We build meaningful connections with animals and people that create trust and confidence.
Growth
We encourage learning and growth, even when it's hard. We support each other through challenges because everyone is capable of more than they know.
Growth
We encourage learning and growth, even when it's hard. We support each other through challenges because everyone is capable of more than they know.
Founding Narrative, the “why”:
Cheyne Ranch began as a deeply personal mission: to create an inclusive, enriching community where individuals of all abilities could connect with animals. As a mother of neurodiverse children, our founder experienced firsthand the financial barriers and lack of support for those with diverse needs in traditional equestrian settings. This ignited a passion to build something different—where the life-changing benefits of human-animal connection are accessible to all, regardless of learning styles or financial means.
Driven by the belief that everyone deserves this opportunity, we are dedicated to making it a reality through evidence-based practices, the powerful presence of our animals, and the neurodiverse-affirming support of our team. At Cheyne Ranch, lives are transformed, potential blossoms, and a truly inclusive world where all abilities thrive is within reach.
May News!
I can’t believe next week is Week 8 and the end of our Spring 2 session! It is already time to start thinking about our summer schedules. I have so much to tell you, and ask you!
First a recap of May:
Week of May 12: Next week! It will be week 8 of 8 weeks for of Lessons, PALS, Nature Clubs. We are working on giving your child a certificate of completion for the semester / year. Please stay tuned for more details.
Week of May 19: A week for makeups/reschedules! for Lessons and PALS, we try to only have 1 makeup each 8 week session. Please reach out to me to schedule the makeup lesson. *No makeups are offered for Nature Clubs.
Week of May 26: Cheyne Ranch is closed! Sort of. We still welcome volunteers on Mon / Wed / Fri morning. We will be preparing for summer camp, working with the animals, doing some deep cleaning and just having a fun relaxed time with the animals
Important Reminders:
Please pay your Spring 2 Invoice soon! If you need the link to the Square Invoice that was emailed - please text me.
Reach out if you have a hardship - we don’t want finances to prevent your student from coming here.
We are a direct pay provider for Step Up For Students. It is so easy and fast! Click here for more info
Next, let’s plan for summer!
Lessons & PALS Scheduling: Please email / text me your preferred days and times for your child's summer lessons or PALS sessions (see calendar below)
Summer Program Support: We are a nonprofit and summer is our hardest financial season - please pay for the full 8 weeks if you can
If you are going to travel a lot - please still consider scheduling lessons! You can pay for 6 lessons of even 4 lessons (instead of 8) if needed.
Summer Camp Availability (Current/Former Students): Our summer camps are full - HOWEVER! current / former students can still join us. We have 16 kids in each week of camp - we are happy to have up to 20 (our paid staff to student ratio remains 1:4). Text me if you would like a spot in one of our summer camps. 3 days of summer camp is $165.
Friday Nature Clubs (June & July): Still Plenty of Space. Please consider signing up for the Friday Nature Club - we do animal care, the kids get a short riding lesson, we have Gatorade slushies, playground time and SWIM!!. It is super fun. And usually a small-ish group, which is also super nice.
Summer Schedule Spreadsheet: Below are the (in)famous Sally spreadsheet schedules of our 8 week summer schedule. Please let me know if you have any questions.
People Spotlight:
Cheyne Ranch is a community of amazing people who care for our animals, learn together, and hopefully find belonging and joy in this rewarding work, building valuable life skills.
We love the therapist who hold therapy at Cheyne Ranch! Have you met Julie Gerhard? She is a speech therapist with a calling to serve families of children with special needs. She is incredible, she is always seeking growth, she studies mindfulness, she has a PhD, she is so kind - I could go on and on. Please reach out to her to discuss your child’s speech or communication needs.
Kristy Richardson is also a speech therapist, she is working to incorporate Yoga into her speech and communication therapy practice. If you're interested in learning more about Kristy's vision, please don't hesitate to reach out. Join her at an upcoming (free!!) session for preschoolers (flyer):
Saturday, May 17th at 10:30 AM
1949 County Rd 419 #1281
Oviedo, FL 32766
Volunteer Spotlight:
Our volunteers are central to everything we do. I especially want to recognize Abby F., who has been volunteering with us for over four years! She even introduced her wonderful friend Katelynn H, who has now been with us for over two years. We're so fortunate to have many amazing volunteers; here are some more names of those who have been a huge help in recent months:
Ryland K
Mia B.
Mika G.
Maddie C.
Morgan Q.
Emily P.
Eva M.
Gwena B.
Nora S.
Nora P.
Sienna S.
Heidi G.
Rosie M.
London N.
Miranda M.
And of course a big thank you to Katie M, Desiree F, Erin S, - you all work here but I know you give us so much more - THANK YOU!
Please forgive me if I’m forgetting anyone - I don’t mean to! All students, in fact everyone who comes to Cheyne Ranch is the momentum that keeps our mission moving forward.
Speaking of mission…
We are moving into our summer session, when we receive the least amount of income, but we give out the most scholarships. Also, all of our expenses increase: our electric bill (fans), water bill, supplements to keep the animals hydrated.
We are launching a campaign for donations for more SHADE.
The sneak peak is: The animals need more shade structures built in their turn-out areas. Students and helpers need more shade during their time working with the horses outside of the barn. I think all of Florida can use more shade in the summer - and that includes all the animals and the people here at Cheyne Ranch.
There are so many ways to give:
Donate to Cheyne Ranch, Inc
Find out how your employer might match your donation
Volunteer at Cheyne Ranch
Purchase things from our Amazon wish list
Spread the word to friends and family about Cheyne Ranch - help us continue our mission as we continue to learn and grow together!
Yay! you are still reading!
Here are a few updates to what is happening around here:
We have a new horse named Honey! She is a beautiful, healthy 10 year old Haflinger with a super sweet personality. We are all so very in love.
Our 10 baby chicks are all still growing! We moved them out to the Big chicken coop this evening, we put them in an enclosure within the Big coop, because they were already outgrowing their smaller home in the barn.
We are getting so many eggs right now! (Although I probably just jinxed it). When we have eggs, we usually give them away. Please let me know if you want some!
Where is the rain? Well, we had some this evening (Wednesday) actually. But it was forecasted to rain many many times in the past several weeks, but we’ve had very little rain.
We are going to start a donation campaign for the summer soon, it will be all about SHADE! We can definitely use more shade for the animals and for the people.
New families —> start here: chra.us/top10
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
Tony, the pony
For consideration is a 2015 gelding named Tony 13.2 or 13.3 hh. Available for a year-by-year care lease. This opportunity is only for individuals we know or those referred to us by someone we know. Tony was donated to Cheyne Ranch in July 2023 and we cannot sell him or rehome him. Tony is young, healthy, sound, so personable, attention loving and social.
However… Tony is not a match for our adaptive riding and therapy barn.
The Good:
13.2 or 13.3 black pony gelding, age 10
Tony is playful, attention loving, cute cute, good looking.
We are guessing he is a Morgan x quarter pony cross. His former owner said she had his hair tested and he qualified as being a partial Morgan horse.
Barefoot, easy keeper. He eats alfalfa in his stall and Coastal in the (dry) pasture. He gets grain 2x a day - Seminole Equalizer (a balancer). He is on no supplements and has never been lame or showed any signs of colic.
Has been ridden by a professional trainer who comes here to teach our trainers over 30 times - he is great under saddle! (for an intermediate / advanced rider)
He is up-to-date on everything. Dentist in December, farrier trims every 6 weeks, de-wormed in early April, vaccines in November (including rabies).
He is “frisky” with our mares, so we had his blood drawn to make sure he really was fully gelded. His blood test came back showing he is definitely fully gelded.
Full of personality - everyone loves him, to pet, to say hello to. he is frequently at the fence or gate asking for attention from humans.
We have videos of Tony being ridden for jumping and fox hunting when he was owned by a trainer in North Carolina.
The Bad:
Tony requires an intermediate or advanced rider. He will try and “test” beginner riders and if they don’t have confidence, he will go have fun his own way, instead of listening to the rider.
We think Tony would be better off if he was in regular, consistent work. At our barn, he is occasionally saddled (once or twice a month) and he gets very nervous while being tacked up. He has broken 2 or 3 cross-ties while spooking at something while being tacked. Once he is being ridden by a confident rider - he is outstanding.
At our barn, we only have group turn-out - and Tony gets rough with his pasture mates. He loves his other horsey friends, but we think it would be best if he was turned out alone and near other horses, or turned out with other horses who will not tolerate his antics. Several of our horses get cuts from him.
We are primarily a barn that does brushing, and ground work. We have a lot of special needs students and it is so so important the horses are absolutely saints with their ground handling skills. Tony is a good horse - but he is no saint.
It is hard to catch Tony in the pasture to halter him and bring him in. We haven’t worked on this as much as needed, so with consistent training, this can be improved. But he cannot be caught by anyone except our lead trainer.
Google photo album with more photos and a few videos: click here
Ideally, we would like Tony to go to a home where he receives regular work by a confident rider, specifically somewhere in Florida. We are happy to take care of him now, and we look forward to caring for him when he is older. The prospective care lease family will need to sign a contract stating they will care for him at the same level of care he receives here, including:
yearly dentist & vaccines
regular farrier
high quality hay and feed
de-wormer as needed
Regular training and exercise
Contact info: (text is easiest)
Sally Ann Cheyne, Founder & President of 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
Yay! I’m back
tl;dr: I'm back! and grateful. and way behind on emails and texts.
🦄 Clearly, my 21 years as Philip's passenger princess has left me utterly unprepared for the realities of a 2,800-mile road trip where I am the sole driver.
🚗 Blissfully unaware of all of this, last Tuesday, I set out with Grace and Sophia on a road trip to Kansas City to see my parents. The drive itself from Florida to Kansas City was beautiful – spring is so green and so full of color in Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri & Kansas, and we even saw roadside waterfalls driving through Tennessee.
🛣️ That drive home though - we are finally back 8 days later and I don't think I'm getting behind the wheel again for at least a year or ten. It is always wonderful to spend time with my family in Kansas City and it was so, so nice to see old friends - Lezlee and David Price, I can't believe we have known each other for over 30 years. We stopped in southeast Missouri for dinner with a young woman who is 25 but I swear she was 13 years old 5 minutes ago.
💻 Back at Cheyne Ranch, and after experiencing endless hours of highway hypnosis during that 2,800-mile drive (a far cry from my usual passenger princess perch), my connection to the digital world is… halted. If you're waiting on an email or text from me, please feel free to resend your message so it pops back to the top of the list. I will get through all the messages... soon.
🐴 Most importantly, a big, big thank you to my amazing husband, Philip, as well as Anna & Evan, who held down the fort in Florida and kept all the animals happy and healthy. Also, a huge appreciation to Katie, Erin, Christi, Desiree, and all our fantastic volunteers for their tireless work in my absence, especially for making our most important outreach event of the year, the Longwood Autism Walk for Inclusion and Acceptance, such a huge success. Cheyne Ranch was so well represented last Saturday, and I am beyond proud of all of you.
😍 The work here truly never stops, and knowing everything was in such capable hands made navigating this unexpected time so much easier. I appreciate this entire community more than words can say, and this past week+, I've been in awe of your dedication.
🤠 Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go have a serious conversation with my inbox – and note to self: the only journey I'm planning on taking anytime soon is the one through my overflowing emails, and for any future road trips, the only acceptable driver wears Philip's shoes.
Travel to Kansas City
Hi everyone,
As some of you know, my childhood had an incredibly kind, gentle, intelligent and loving individual in it – my step-mom, Shari. I met her when I was 5 years old, and she became my mother. When Philip and I purchased this property back in 2016, a big part of the dream was having my dad and Shari live as snowbirds here with us each winter. But life has its own plans, and by 2021, the progression of her Parkinson's disease made traveling impractical, so they have stayed in Kansas City.
Yesterday, I got the call I knew was coming eventually. Shari's health is really declining, and nobody knows for sure how much time she has left.
I'm going to head to Kansas City for the next week to be with her and my dad. There is no good timing for these big life events, but they are such an important reminder to pause and really process all that it means to be living.
SCHEDULE
Let me list out the expected schedule below. Please don't hesitate to text me with any questions.
Wednesday
AM Nature Club - YES, Anna, Ryland, Morgan all working
PM Nature Club - YES, Katie and Evan are working
PM Lessons - Anna & Evan: YES, Anna & Evan are working (with Nora S.)
PM Lessons - Sally: NO, although the kids are welcome at Nature Club anytime - they can see the baby chicks, bunnies, have a gatorade slushie, walk a mini horse, etc
Friday
AM Nature Club - YES, Anna, Evan, Katie, Erin, Alexa, Andrea, Mia & Sophia all working
AM / PM lessons - NO, Anna will be at a horse show in the evening and Sally is out of town
Saturday
AM lessons - NO, Cheyne Ranch is supposed to be at the Longwood Autism Walk - I think Philip, Evan, Katie, Erin and Desiree can still make this happen.
Monday
AM lessons - ? Let me figure this out - Erin and Evan will still be working
PM lessons - ? Let me figure this out - Katie will still be working.
VOLUNTEER
If anyone wants to volunteer this week, we can always use help with cleaning stalls, cleaning water buckets, help with lessons and nature club. There is a birthday party Sunday at 10:00 AM that I do not plan to cancel. Here are the volunteer times when other adults will be there:
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM - Animal care, lessons & AM Nature Club
3:00 PM - 6:30 PM - Animal care, lessons & PM Nature Club
Friday
8:45 AM - 1:00 PM - Animal care & AM Nature Club
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Animal care
Saturday
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM - We will be at the Longwood Autism Walk at Reiter Park - please come see us!
Sunday
9:30 AM - 1:15 PM - Birthday party - please let me know if you can volunteer!
Thanks so much for understanding, and for all your support.
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
Cheyne Ranch is a nonprofit that provides a safe, inclusive and accessible way for people of all abilities to learn about animal care & connections.
We serve our local community through providing scholarships to our lesson programs, caring for the many farm animals that have been donated to us, and advocating for inclusive, accessible experiences for all individuals.
Please donate and help us with our mission: chra.us/donate
Liability insurance - it isn’t what you might think it is
To all workers, volunteers and supporters at Cheyne Ranch,
Pre-requisite: I wrote a related blog post: chra.us/fall
When you have a moment, will you please read it?
Also, I want you to understand the risk, reality and insurance here.
We pay about $10,000 each year for liability insurance.
Insurance:
Equine liability insurance in Florida does not pay for a person's medical costs if they are injured. In fact there is a Florida law called Equine Activities Liability Act that states equine professionals are not liable for injuries or death. Here is a summary:
Limitation of Liability (773.02 & 773.03):
Generally, equine activity sponsors and professionals are not liable for injuries or deaths resulting from the "inherent risks of equine activities."
Exceptions exist for cases of negligence, faulty equipment, failure to warn of dangerous conditions, and intentional harm.
Posting and Notification (773.04):
Requires equine activity sponsors and professionals to post warning signs and/or provide written warning notices to participants, informing them of the liability limitations.
Injuries:
We do have injuries here - of course we do - we offer over 5,000 horse rides a year. Let's figure out the math on (a high estimate of) 5 injuries for every 5,000 rides. All the injuries are minor so far. A jammed finger, a wrist fracture, and who knows how many bumps and bruises. There have been 3 kids who visited the urgent care for x-rays that I am aware of over the past 5 years. Of these injuries, 2 of the families have inquired if Cheyne Ranch insurance will pay for their out-of-pocket medical expenses.
My answer to them is: No, I'm sorry we cannot. Equine liability insurance in Florida does not work that way.
The answer from my insurance agent: Absolutely not. Stop talking to them. Stop all communication, don't pay out anything. Start documenting the incident. Find the camera footage. No communication with them. I don't care if it is your neighbor, or your friend. Radio silence. They are mistaken if they think insurance will pay out for any medical costs - their only option is to sue. Don't talk to people who are going to sue you. You are covered if people sue you, thankfully you have insurance.
So what is our insurance for?
It is because we are in Florida, and anyone can sue, for any reason, at any time. And lawsuits are stressful, messy, life changing, time consuming and expensive. If someone does choose to sue us, the balance of probability (based on the EALA and prior case law) suggests they will lose. However, the insurance will pay for the attorneys and other potential losses on behalf of Cheyne Ranch during the lawsuit.
The Take Away:
Safety matters. Safety is the only thing that matters. Horses, and animals in general can be dangerous and unpredictable. A major injury would be life changing to everyone involved. A lawsuit is life changing to everyone involved.
We here at Cheyne Ranch do so much more than any other barn to focus on safety. I'm obsessed. I research, read, visit, listen, learn. And I keep learning. And keep trying to do better.
So please focus on safety, know and follow our safety practices. Slow down, ask questions. Say no to students who want to do something unsafe. Thoughtfully examine the horse you are going to have a student ride. Make sure their helmet fits properly. Tell me if we have broken saddles or tack. Let me know if there is a fence pokey thing that is going to hurt someone. We sometimes have wild animals dig holes in our yard - help me find those, or better yet, grab a shovel and fill them in. Help us keep things safe.
Last but not least:
On a happy note, I am so appreciative of the way you all love these animals and students. After safety, love is the next thing. And its the best thing. ❤️
The Reality of Instinct: When Horses React Suddenly
A flicker of fear, an instinctive surge, a lightning-fast shift. The rider is off before they even knew to hold on.
That is the reality of horses responding instinctively...
and just as nature designed.
Our Gentle Herd
Our herd of 10 horses at Cheyne Ranch are incredibly kind and intuitive, capable of forming special connections with our students. They are affectionate and people-loving, they offer comfort and calm, demonstrating remarkable emotional intelligence. Yet, despite their gentle nature, they remain animals driven by powerful instincts. Like all horses, a sudden rustle in the leaves, an unnerving shadow, or an unidentified noise can trigger their natural flight response. They move quickly away from the perceived threat, shifting their hind end in a flash of movement.
Safety First
Safety is our first and highest priority, we research and implement proven safety measures, we have a PATH certification, we select calm well natured horses and we continuously train them for their jobs here. Our horses feel good - they all see a horse vet, chiropractor, equine dentist and farrier all on regular schedules.
We educate our students on the horse's impressive capacity for emotions, awareness, and thought. Partnering with the horse and respecting their sentience directly relates to improved safety, through awareness, respect and understanding. Yet, we are also realistic: horses are animals, and they can be unpredictable, and occasionally riders lose their balance.
Falls Happen
Yes, falls can happen, but they are rare and typically minor, like a scraped knee from learning to ride a bike, or a bruised elbow from falling on the ice in hockey. We see falls as a natural part of learning, building resilience and confidence. We teach safe falling and when appropriate, getting back in the saddle and carry-on.
Transformative Partnership
But here's the magic: the transformative power of partnering with a horse. The student’s improved communication, their surge of confidence, their heightened awareness—these are the rewards that make the journey so worthwhile. Even the experience of carrying on after a minor fall strengthens a rider’s resolve. At Cheyne Ranch, we believe that the unique connection forged with these gentle giants is an experience that truly changes lives.