Heart of the Horse Therapy Ranch reopens in Fresno County

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Horses help soothe the soul at Heart of the Horse Therapy Ranch in Fresno County.

The non-profit just reopened to riders after months of being closed.

"Just to see these kids come out and their faces light up and the movement. I'm happy. I try not to get emotional, but I'm very happy we are open again," said Guy Adams, The Heart of the Horse Therapy Ranch CEO & Founder.

On this day, the weather kept riders from coming out.

Guy Adams says the non-profit services a majority of medically fragile kids and veterans through horse therapy.

"We call it the spark effect. Once we get the brain going, we're able to get words, we're able to get leg movement. We're able to get kids that want to walk and this is a great motivator right here because they fall in the love with the horse like I do and they want to get on him," Adams said.

When COVID hit, they cleaned as much they could to keep everyone safe and then had to stop rides.

The pandemic also meant canceling two major fundraisers that keep them going, which is about 50 percent of their budget.

"It was a little nerve-wracking, but we're not going anywhere," Adams said.

Times have been tough, but they've found a way to stay afloat and continue the program.

In the future, they've set their sights on buying the property they are located on and building a dream therapy ranch.

"A future forecast of what this is going to look like with our indoor riding arena, our sensory path, which will be sight smell touch, sound," Adams said.

A mission to help others no matter the hurdles that stand in their way, one horse and one ride at a time.

For now, some kids are starting to ride in the program. In the fall, they hope to bring back veterans.

For more on how you can help go to The Heart of the Horse Therapy Ranch here https://heartofthehorses.or