LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KTSM) – Women and girls who want to learn how to ride a horse or get a break from city living can take part in a transformative equestrian program that is being offered in Las Cruces.
“If you’ve wanted to be around horses and you haven’t had the opportunity and you’re female, this is a great opportunity for you to do that in a safe, comfortable environment where you’re going to meet other women that will potentially become your friends for life. And from what I hear and what I know, horse friends are the best friends,” said Penny Payne, a recent graduate of the program.
Bridle Up Hope is a national nonprofit organization that offers its training program in Las Cruces and elsewhere across the country. This includes equestrian training, life-skills development, self-renewal activities and hands-on experiences at a barn.
The equestrian training lessons adopt principles from the book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” written by Stephen R. Covey.
While the program can serve horse lovers who are seeking enjoyment and the desire to learn how to ride a horse, it also aims to help women who may be experiencing a difficult time.
Kelly Koerper, the managing director of the Bridle Up Hope chapter here in Las Cruces, said that through the private equestrian lessons, they aim to build hope, resilience and confidence in the women and girls they train.
“Every girl or woman comes with a different thing that needs to be worked out, and it’s interesting to watch the horses do exactly that. I’ve seen girls come in very shy, not talking, kind of withdrawn. And then I watch them walk out to the horses a month later with all the confidence in the world leading these animals,” Koerper said.
“Then I’ve seen girls that just need to be in a place away — a safe place, a place where they can just be in the now moment. Horses require us to be in the now moment because if we’re not, we might get stepped on or they might take us away,” Koerper said.
Koerper said they have already had over 20 women and girls go through the program, but that they’re ready to expand beyond that.
“We’re ready to rock and roll. We’ve done plenty of improvements here to make everything move more smoothly. And now I would say it’s just kind of like the ‘Field of Dreams’ movie, ‘When you build it, they will come.’” Koerper said.
“We’ve been able to help over 20 at this point, but we really have much more capacity and would really love to help more girls and women with this program,” she said.
For people interested in the program, they can email Koerper at kelly@bridleuphope.org.
Bridle Up Hope will host a fundraising dinner event at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road in Las Cruces. The event will feature popular country singer Bri Bagwell.
To buy tickets you can click here.
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