🐴 A Note About Local Riding Programs, Safety, and Why We Speak Up
Who We Are and What We Stand For
Cheyne Ranch is a nonprofit offering inclusive, relationship-based programs where people and animals grow together. Our mission is to create a space for individuals of all ages and abilities to connect, build confidence, and heal through work with horses and nature.
We are guided by clear beliefs: safety comes first, connection transforms, and growth thrives in compassion and evidence-based care. These aren’t just words — they shape everything from how we train staff to how we choose animals for our herd.
Context for This Post
Whether you found this post on your own or someone pointed you here, thank you for taking the time to read. Either way, this post is here to explain why we care so deeply about how equine programs operate — and why safety, ethics, and consistency matter so much to us at Cheyne Ranch.
A Hard Truth: Not All Programs Are Safe
Some local programs operate in ways that deeply conflict with our values. We’ve seen places that skip safety protocols, mistreat or overuse horses, cycle through staff, and put profit above care. In some cases, horses have entered lessons straight from high-risk sources without proper quarantine or evaluation. These practices don’t just affect animals — they put people at risk, too.
A Note About Safety Certifications
At Cheyne Ranch, I (Sally Ann, our founder and CEO) hold a certification through PATH International, and I’ve embedded those standards into every part of how we operate. Organizations like PATH and CHA exist to ensure programs have the training, structure, and oversight needed to keep people and horses safe.
While many long-standing, well regarded programs operate safely without formal credentials, when a brand-new program launches with no certification, no training, and no experience, it raises serious concerns. Safety should never be optional — especially when vulnerable people and animals are involved.
What We Choose Instead
We don’t name names or engage in gossip. But we do take a stand. Cheyne Ranch was built on safety, respect, and responsible care. We choose the slower, ethical path, even when it’s harder — because it’s right.
Looking for Another Option?
If Cheyne Ranch isn’t the right fit, we’re happy to recommend a few local programs that share our standards. We want every student to find a safe and respectful place to learn — even if it’s not with us.
A Note About Attending Multiple Programs
We understand that families sometimes explore more than one barn at a time. When a student is enrolled at Cheyne Ranch and a program that shares our values, we fully support that.
But when a student attends a program with unsafe or harmful practices, we often see confusion, conflicting habits, and behavioral issues that impact their progress here. If you’re in this situation, let’s talk — our goal is to make sure every student has a consistent, positive, and safe experience.
How You Can Learn More
If you’re reading this, it’s because I trust that you care too. And you deserve the chance to make informed decisions.
If you ever have questions about what makes an equine program safe, humane, and trustworthy, I would be honored to help.
With care and conviction,
Sally Ann Cheyne
Founder & President, Cheyne Ranch
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
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.