We are dedicated to helping the girls of Horses N Heroes, a Marion County 501(c)(3), that is making a huge difference for young ladies who live at or below the poverty level.

The opportunity to interact with horses in this program provides a lifeline for these girls who find solace and comfort in their relationships with horses.

In conjunction with Edge Brewing and their philanthropic arm, Edge Equestrian, Chris and Rob Desino, Matt Varney and Craig Martin have been involved in several past fundraising events to bring awareness to this fabulous program based in the greater Ocala region.

Kim and Christian Oliver of Edge Brewing Barcelona and Edge Equestrian spearheaded much of the fundraising by sponsoring Horses N Heroes for the past year. They also sponsored the production of the following documentary which was featured (and won) at the 2015 Equus Film Festival in New York City.

They Still Need Our Help

We would like to help carry on the effort of raising awareness and thus donations for this program that is so near and dear to our hearts by getting the word out to the Florida horse community and beyond.

Mindy Nolan-Morrow, founder of Horses N Heroes, has devoted the past 20 years of her life to keeping this program in existence. Mindy does not make a salary and there are no paid staff positions or grooms to help her at Horses N Heroes. During the summer all of the kids chip in to care for the horses but once the kids go back to school it is up to Mindy to carry the load both physically and financially.

The success of this program can be measured by the high percentage of girls who have graduated and headed off to college. This past summer we reported on 6 of the girls who graduated and headed off to colleges in Florida and beyond!

Every year the program is dependent upon donations from generous individuals in order to offset the costs of supporting each horse and child combination. In order to keep their barn doors open, we need to make a pledge to raise more funding. Together we can make this happen!

The Holiday Barn Challenge!

What if we were able to find barns, event venues or businesses across the state of Florida or across the country who could pool their resources to raise enough money to sponsor one horse and child partnership for the year?

$5000.00 a year sponsors one child and one horse. For the horse, a donation of this amount pays for the care and upkeep for the entire year and includes grain, hay, vet care, dentist exams and the farrier. For the child this gift is priceless. This annual donation amount ensures that a young lady can escape to the barn to ride and care for “her horse”, take lessons and attend an occasional horse show. These kids are highly involved in the care of each horse, which in turn helps them learn life lessons about hard work and responsibility. The program at Horses N Heroes also offers them a respite from the challenges they face at home and provides the camaraderie of other grateful recipients who are involved in the program.

In speaking with the program founder, Mindy Nolan-Morrow, she discussed the concept of the Holiday Barn Challenge. “We really would love to be able to find a few families, groups within barns or facilities who would be willing to make that type of sponsorship yearly. If we could find barns or organizations willing to pool resources to make that $5000 donation goal per child and horse, it would pay for the upkeep for an entire year.”

How Do We Make This Happen?

The ultimate goal would be to raise the $5000 donation for the 25 horse and child partnerships within the program, so please help spread the word!

Scott Keach and Max Corcoran of Southern Cross Equestrian in Ocala are stepping up to host a schooling jumper show in late January with all the proceeds from the schooling show to go directly to Horses N Heroes. Mindy Morrow-Nolan and the girls from Horses N Heroes will be on site that day to meet the participants and to help on the jump crew. They’re also going to set up a concession stand to sell snacks to help raise money for their cause. Once the exact date and details on the schooling show are released, we will publish that information.

We’d like to see more Florida equestrians get involved in this cause. Get together with your friends in your barn and see what ideas you can generate to help and join in this Barn Challenge. Perhaps put together a schooling day, a clinic, a used tack sale to donate the proceeds? Please help pay it forward by pulling your resources and organizing a fundraiser within your barn to raise the funds of $5000 for one of the kids. Challenge friends and other barns to get involved by creating a bit of a fun competition by spreading the word on social media!

The impact that this program has on these girls and their families is simply transformational. Any donation, no matter the amount, helps keep this organization in operation and keeps the dreams of a positive future alive for these girls!

Please visit the Horses N Heroes website here for more information on the girls, their program and how to donate to this special 501(c)(3) non-profit. Gifts may also be tax deductible based on the type of gift and individual tax brackets.