Testimonials
Stories from the families and young people we work alongside. Names and details are shared with permission.
“My son barely spoke in groups before his first session. By the third week he was telling his pony, out loud, what he wanted her to do - and she was listening. That was the first thing in two years he believed about himself.”
Parent · son, age 9
“Our daughter is on the spectrum and had never let an animal near her. Watching her brush a 1,200-pound polo pony for an hour, talking to it like an old friend - there is no therapy room that was going to give us that.”
Parent · daughter, age 11
“The progress we have seen in just a few months - eye contact, patience, regulating big feelings - is more than two years of school accommodations achieved. The horses meet him at exactly his level.”
Parent · son, age 7
“There is no other program like this in our county. The first time I saw my child hug her pony after a session, I knew this work was different.”
Foster parent · daughter, age 13
“The volunteers, the trainers, the other families - everyone treats our kid like a kid, not a diagnosis. Family Days have become the thing we look forward to most.”
Parent · son, age 10
“My daughter went from being afraid to walk into a room of strangers to leading a horse around an arena in front of one. The change has rippled into school, into friendships, into how she sees herself.”
Parent · daughter, age 12
If your family has been part of Chukkers for Children, we'd love to share your experience (with full editorial control on your end).