Dear Friends of Ride On St. Louis,
WE HAVE AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!
After years of determination, hard work, and your unwavering support, we are thrilled to announce that our horses are Forever Home! After a historic $2.8M capital campaign—the largest in our history—alongside continued services, securing a property, and countless manhours in essential improvements, we have transitioned to our new 27-acre Forever Home, and our equine partners are settling in nicely.
This milestone is an incredible achievement, but our needs and efforts continue. There is still much to be done to ensure this space meets the highest standards for safety, efficiency, and accessibility so we can fully restore and expand programs for those we serve.
A NEW CHAPTER FOR OUR HORSES AND PROGRAMS
As we settle into our Forever Home, we are excited to continue and expand programming:
🐴 Our much-loved Barn Buddies program is back in action.
🐴 We have one-time outreach events scheduled in the coming days.
🐴 Equine Services for Heroes and Unmounted Activities are on track to begin scheduling.
🐴 Our Always Home program lovingly provides specialized care to our retired service horses.
We know many of you have been eagerly awaiting the return of services that were suspended, altered, or abbreviated during our six-year stay at temporary locations. While we are making great progress and keen to welcome you, please bear with us. Our Forever Home is under active construction as we complete necessary land and building improvements to safely reinstate additional programs.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
⭐ Capital Campaign Success — After chronic flooding in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 forced us to leave our previous home in 2018, we launched a major gifts campaign (2021-2024) to secure a permanent, sustainable location.
⭐ Community Awareness & Support — We hosted numerous events to raise awareness and funds for this relocation and our growing community needs.
⭐ Forever Home & Improvements — In 2024, we secured our Forever Home and immediately began vital improvements to make it move in ready, including:
Reconstruction of a dirt-floor shed into a beautiful 6-stall equine-assisted services barn
Excavation and land management, felling trees, clearing brush, and designing functionality
Trenching utility lines, repositioning power lines
Demolishing and removing unsafe structures (second phase in process)
⭐ Committed Service to the Community — Despite the demands of our capital campaign and relocation efforts, Ride On St. Louis remained committed to providing services, growing program partnerships, and ensuring top-tier care for our herd—this meant our passionate staff managed operations, commuting back and forth, of separate locations daily throughout 2024!
⭐ Advancement Milestones: Over $2.8M was raised from 2021-2024 funding programming, campaign efforts, and critical property acquisition and improvements. We are over halfway to our $4.3M goal!
ONGOING IMPROVEMENTS & FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
While we’ve made remarkable strides, additional funding and work are needed to fully prepare the property for our immediate and long-term vision:
🌱 Fencing Program Zones & Pastures — Our new Forever Home had no livestock fencing. Over 5,000 ft is required, with one large pasture complete and additional pastures and program areas awaiting excavation and installation. Partial funding secured; more needed.
♿ Accessible Parking & Facilities — Plans are underway to remove a knee wall foundation and develop an accessible parking area (for guests and the minibuses that transport many of our participants who using wheelchairs or mobility devices.) Currently, the grass “parking” area cannot accommodate multiple vehicles—especially when the ground is wet. In the future, we plan to construct accessible bathrooms. Partial funding secured; more needed.
🏗️ Operations Storehouse — Our current two-sided post frame structure, originally built as a hog shelter, is unsuitable for our machinery, equipment, and hay storage. Plans are being developed for a purpose-built storage and workspace. Funding needed.
🌦️Arena — The first phase of a training/program area is in progress, with long-term plans to add coverage for year-round use in varied weather conditions. Funding urgently needed for excavation and installation.
The projects and plans, set for 2025 and beyond, are essential to safely reinstitute programs that require added support staff, horses, volunteers, and infrastructure.
CARING FOR OUR EQUINE PARTNERS
Horses are at the heart of our mission to serve. Since leaving our previous site in 2018, leased horses have returned to their owners, some horses have been lovingly retired into our Always Home program, and others have naturally aged over these six years. It is with a heavy heart we share the recent passings of Amiga and Diego in early 2025. Amiga joined the program in 2011; Diego joined the program in 2001, serving at Ride On St. Louis’s very first, original location in South St. Louis county. Both ponies contributed hundreds of hours of happy memories and made a lasting impact—improving physical, mental, and emotional well-being—for many children, small adults, and countless individuals through educational programs, therapeutic activities, and ambassador events. They will be sorely missed, as well as our Cruz, who preceded them in 2020.
Looking ahead, we must keep focused efforts to complete strategic facility needs, and are not seeking to immediately acquire new horses. Accepting an equine candidate is a meticulous process with ongoing training and conditioning that cannot be rushed. We are highly selective, ensuring equine candidates can safely, soundly, and joyfully fulfill requirements, complement our expanding programs, and mutually benefit from their inclusion at our center.
Meanwhile throughout 2025, we will assess the property’s unique logistics, refine our operational procedures, reevaluate our current equines for appropriate service given their age, condition, health, and training, for optimal equine-assisted service experiences. Similarly, our team will grow to include more credentialed staff for equine-assisted services—ensuring informed care—as well as, include new staff and volunteer positions for property maintenance, administration, and specialized roles.
EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The abundant offerings of our new Forever Home unlock new opportunities for:
🤝 Expanded programming & agency collaboration
🤝 Volunteer initiatives & community engagement
🤝 Educational classes, trainings, & clinics
With strategic partnerships, we anticipate deepening community connections and serving more individuals in need. While these developments represent exciting growth, we are committed to gradual, strategic approach to ensure long-term success.
FUNDRAISING & A RARE 70% TAX CREDIT OPPORTUNITY
We are raising funds to complete necessary infrastructure improvements mentioned for the safety and success of our programs.
Ride On St. Louis has been awarded 70% tax credits through the Missouri’s Neighborhood Assistance Program. This extremely rare opportunity allows people, firms, or businesses with Missouri income to liability to save significantly while making a lasting impact.
🛑 This incentive is limited by time and availability.
💡 Interested? Call Marita at 636.464.3408 to secure your tax credit benefits
STAY CONNECTED & JOIN US IN 2025!
Thanks to the incredible generosity of so many hands, minds, and hearts, Ride On St. Louis is embarking on its 27th year of promoting health and enriching lives through love, joy, and holistic healing!
🙏 We remain deeply grateful for your continued prayers and support. This milestone was only possible through God’s divine inspirations and gracious assistance. We would like to extend a special thanks to Mr. Jim and his late wife Shirley for their most noble philanthropy. Thanks to your belief in our vision, we’ve turned a long-held dream into a reality.
📌 Visiting? — At this time, all visits to our Forever Home are by appointment only.
📌 Questions? What to get involved? — Email info@rideonstl.org or call 636.464.3408.
🚀 We are excited for our ongoing and upcoming programs, and look forward to welcoming you at an open house TBS—stay tuned for more details as we continue towards our $4.3M goal!
With heartfelt gratitude,
The Ride On St. Louis Team
As a small, people-powered team, our dedicated staff and volunteers work in many roles, so please allow us some time to respond.