WILDHORSE! offers...
Instruction in horseback
riding for children and adults
We are a year round program with an indoor arena and an indoor round pen!
Program Director and Head Instructor: Dr. Kari Ann Owen, Ph.D.
wildhorse@freewildhorse.com
Location of riding lessons: Las Trampas Stables, 18015 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon, CA. 94583
Our EIN number: 06-1794198 State of
We are a non-profit 501C3 corporation recognized by the IRS as a public
charity,
affiliated with NARHA, the North American
Riding for the Handicapped Association,
and are a NARHA center.
WILDHORSE! is...
a movement education program in cooperative and non-dominant horsemanship.
Client services began in November 2006.
Kari Ann has taught abled and disabled adults and children
in
Wildhorse! has been granted vendorization by the Regional Center of the
East Bay,
which directly funds approved client services for developmentally
disabled clients
(and we hope they will resume doing so as quickly as possible -- note
March 2010).
WILDHORSE's teaching approach
is inspired by Centered Riding™
and yoga techniques and arena games for both abled and disabled riders.
Wildhorse!’s objective in
riding is to teach riding by using relaxed techniques which allow
human-equine communication at both the physical and emotional level.
Watch us teach by viewing this video!
Beginning and intermediate horsemanship using both English and Western saddles
is offered to all riders. Our only limit is that we cannot serve riders above two hundred pounds,
nor can
we at this time serve non-mobile students. We serve the abled and
"intellectually" disabled.
We welcome any walking person with any sort of physical or emotional
difficulty,
and have taught blind and deaf students, phobic and depressed youth and
adults
and hope very much to serve combat veterans and cancer patients.
We refer anyone we cannot serve to programs and instructors that can serve them.
Mentorship for youth and adult volunteers is also offered,
and Kari Ann is allowed by NARHA to mentor prospective instructors.
Wildhorse! provides community service hours for non-delinquent and non-violent persons,
and offers mentorships in publicity and media contact and fundraising.
WILDHORSE! is people serving people!
Wildhorse!'s Board of Directors includes Belgian dressage rider Evelyne Hougard
and science teacher and expert equestrian Heidi Schnabel.
Our Senior Volunteer is Constance Anderson, RN.
Our Volunteer Consultant in Natural Hoof Care, Saddle Fitting and Horse Behavior is Nina Hassinger.
About WILDHORSE! founder Kari Ann Owen:
Kari Ann Owen was once 98% mobility impaired from crippling sciatica,
and still requires a service dog's assistance on steps and inclines.
Her disabilities have motivated Kari Ann to serve others.
Kari Ann is a Registered Instructor certified
by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) in June 2004.
Kari Ann was a riding student in English and Western riding
and horse sponsor and trail rider for several years before her sciatic nerve injury in 1993
had her briefly in a wheelchair, and after her injury was a devoted student at Cornerstone Equestrian Center,
a NARHA therapeutic riding center in the Napa Valley.
As her injury became more manageable, Kari Ann's riding skills progressed,
as did her horse knowledge.
After a 118 pound weight loss in December 2000, Kari Ann's late husband,
physical and soul giant Silas S. Warner,
bought Kari Ann her first horse, an Icelandic named California Joss (Jocelyne).
Jocelyne and Kari Ann ribboned in several shows, largely gymkhana and schooling shows.
Kari Ann began teaching disabled and abled riders in the Summer of 2001,
and completed all NARHA requirements by June 2004,
gaining NARHA instructional certification in June 2004, Kari Ann spent two and a half years
as a NARHA instructor at Cornerstone Equestrian Center and founded Wildhorse! in November 2006.
Deepest gratitude is owed Kari Ann's many instructors for teaching her joyful and skilled horsemanship:
Natalie Rooney Pitts’, US Dressage Federation, assistant, Lisa (dressage)
Sarah Crary (English equitation)
Lynnette Belt (Western equitation)
Becky Hart (Centered Riding)
Michelle Motyl (dressage and equitation)
Chris Rossi,US Dressage Federation (dressage)
Lucille Bump (Centered Riding).
Kari Ann and Wildhorse! acknowledge with deepest gratitude
our many friends who have contributed
and continue to contribute funds, encouragement,
horses and equipment and hosting our fundraising equestrian educational seminars,
which have ranged from "What to Do Until the Vet Comes" with Dr. Renee Golenz, DVM
to "Yoga and Dressage" with Christine Rossi.
Wildhorse continues to provide client services even during
the catastrophic deterioration of our economy.
Our normal cost for lessons is
$45 for an hour of instruction and $35 for half an hour.
Regional Center of the East Bay is no longer supporting our developmentally disabled clients whom they supported,
partially or in full, in the recent past.
Therefore, we survive on lesson revenues, donations and contributions from supporters,
fundraising events like garage sales and auctions of donated equestrian equipment and services
and the Lucky's Supermarket Shares Card Program.
Anyone shopping at Lucky's can help Wildhorse! by presenting their Shares Card,
programmed with Wildhorse's information, to the check out person.
Wildhorse! then receives three per cent of your grocery spending.
Would you like to help Wildhorse! meet its monthly expenses of horse board and hoof care and chiropractic care,
equipment purchase and staff support?
Would you like to help with a one time or two time contribution
for bi-annual vaccines and annual dental cleaning and alignment?
Or insurance, which allows us teach our clients at the magnificent ranch where we are in residence?
Here is how your most vital contributions can help:
- Board for two horses: $600 per month.
- Insurance: $794 per year.
- Vaccinations: $150 twice a year.
- Dental cleaning and alignment: $155 once a year.
- To make a PayPal donation to Wildhorse!, please send your contribution to
eagle-heart@kariannowen.com
References for Kari Ann Owen and Wildhorse!:
"Our teen age daughter, Eleisha, who is developmentally delayed, has become a horsewoman at Wildhorse. Eleisha has attended Wildhorse Western Pleasure classes for over a year, becoming independent at the walk and trot and performing gymkhana patterns in preparation for her dream of showing. She has been an enthusiastic volunteer, leading horses with riders on them, grooming and tacking up, and she has received an outstanding equine education at Kari Ann's
and Wildhorse's special seminars with expert English and Western riding experts.
Eleisha has learned so much and she loves it! We all consider Kari Ann a wonderful teacher."
"We love what Wildhorse has done for our son, Dylan, who has an autism spectrum disorder. In the short time he has been riding with Wildhorse, his attention span, ability to follow verbal directions, and self-confidence has increased. We have also seen a marked decrease in hyperactivity and sensory related issues. Kari Ann and her volunteers are very compassionate individuals!" ~Amy and Stephanie, Dylan's moms
"Dakota loves going to Wildhorse! He loves the horses, Echo and Trapper, and he also loves Kari Ann. Dakota is becoming more confident, and his motor skills are improving greatly.
He is falling in love with horses and riding
as well as Kari Ann's beautiful service dog,
Cassie Rainbow.
He tells me how he wants to grow up and be an animal doctor
for both dogs and horses. He finally has something all for himself that makes him proud, and he wears his western boots everywhere and tells everyone about his lessons. We thank Wildhorse! from the bottom of our hearts. Kari Ann, who is adopted Native American, has taught Dakota the traditional Native American greeting, "All my relations,"
and as I am Native American, I feel very happy with Kari Ann's sensitivity and respect.
Kari Ann calls me her Native American sister, and I am proud to be her sister as well.
~Donna Marie, Dakota's Mom
Note by Kari Ann: Dakota has an excellent Western Pleasure seat, and is becoming more and more adept at both neck reining and direct reining. He is a very eager and willing student, and has that most wonderful quality:
the ability to take constructive criticism without rebellion, and to grow from those positive changes.
"I found Wildhorse! while searching the Internet for home schooling resources for my two sons, Ethan and Evan.
I inquired about lessons, not really thinking I would be able to do anything about the lessons because of my husband’s unemployment. Dr. Kari Ann Owen informed me about a scholarship fund founded by the grace and generosity
of her and her late husband’s friend, William Stremmel, and Ethan and Evan
have been on full scholarship at Wildhorse for the past two months.
It has been the BEST experience for our whole family! Even I feel less intimidated by the horses!
And I can see it is especially helping my younger son, Ethan, gain confidence as his self-estimation
grows as his riding skills progress. There really are no words to describe how much we appreciate
this opportunity we have been given...
This is something that my boys will remember
for the rest of their lives!!"
Deborah Goodrich, Pleasanton CA
About Kari Ann's riding:
From world-renowed Centered Riding* clinician Lucile Bump, Southmowing Stables, Guildord, VT,
one of only fourteen Senior Level IV instructors in the world:
Kari Ann rode well when she was here at Southmowing Stables. She rode Momo, one of our Percherons,
having never ridden her before. Kari Ann performed walk trot and canter, working through fear
with determination. She even went on to do turn on the forehand, leg yield at walk and even at a trot.
Well done, Kari Ann!
Lucille Bump, Momo the Percheron and Cassie Rainbow,
Kari Ann's present service dog at Southmowing Stables,October 2009.
*Centered Riding is an approach to horseback riding which allows the body to relax and breathe, inspired by images and dreams of the heart. Wildhorse! Program Director and Head Instructor Kari Ann Owen believes Centered Riding, as taught by Level III instructor Becky Hart, is partly responsible for keeping her out of a wheelchair and achieving many riding goals. Please see http://www.centeredriding.org/2column.asp?pageid=10001,10027 for more information about Centered Riding. Ms. Bump and Ms. Hart can be contacted through the Centered Riding web site.
WILDHORSE! appreciates
your encouragement
and support!
Please contact us at
wildhorse@freewildhorse.com
Volunteers Keep Our Program Alive!
Volunteers, are you interested in learning about our loving and gentle horses while participating in healing our beautiful and courageous riders? Are you willing to commit to specific days and times, whatever the weather and whatever other demands may be?
Email us at freewildhorse.com@gmail.com. An information packet will be sent via email.
Volunteers who are consistent and responsible with great attitudes earn great rewards: recommendations for jobs and college admissions and housing. Wildhorse recommendations have successfully aided our volunteers in all of these areas, and we will never stop advocating for our people! We also offer lessons for volunteers at whatever they can afford to pay.
Recommendation of Sophie L., Wildhorse! Volunteer and English riding student. Sophie volunteered and studied basic dressage and English equitation at Wildhorse in 2010, is resuming both her studies and volunteering in February 2011. Sophie studies at the University of CA, Berkeley.
What elements of riding did you study with Kari Ann?
Kari Ann very patiently and enthusiastically taught me the foundations of how to safely mount and ride a horse using minimal force, emphasizing body language and relaxation in the realm of equitation and English-style riding.
What were your specific riding goals with Kari Ann?
My specific goal involved learning how to effectively communicate to the horse while transitioning from walk to trots to canter. The rising trot was a primary concern, but Kari Ann was a patient and supportive teacher.
What kind of encouragement and help was Kari Ann able to offer?
Above all, riding a horse takes courage, patience, and empathy. Kari Ann provided all the necessary verbal praise and encouragement that kept me feeling confident in my (sometimes bumpy!) seat. She made me feel that I was capable and truly have potential.
What did you achieve by the time your lessons ceased?
By the time my lessons ceased, I knew the correct equitation form of simply sitting in the seat (sitting trot). I gained a deeper understanding of horse behavior and of how to communicate with them without resorting to physical force. I felt a deeper connection with horses and developed a finer sense of a horse's ability in relation to my abilities.
Do you want to study with Kari Ann again? If so, why?
Yes! I would love to study with Kari Ann again. She is patient, encouraging, and incredibly empathetic. She understands a person's needs clearly and uses her best judgment, teaching activities, and verbal praise to keep you feeling confident and capable. She is not elitist and never professes to "know-it-all". She is so warm, and she invites you to tell her how you feel throughout the lesson. She's constantly updating her teaching curriculum and methods based on what works best for you, what makes you feel most safe, and what will also push you to the next level.
What were your experiences like as a volunteer with
Wildhorse? Was Kari Ann helpful and informative? When she needed to correct
you, did she respect your dignity as a human being? Would you recommend her as a
supervisor?
I came to Wildhorse without much horse handling experience. Kari Ann gave me just enough instruction and freedom to allow me to "figure it out" on my own, but she was always there for me when I had questions. I developed my own intuition about how best to handle a horse based on her patient support, and I gladly accepted her advice and critique when I deserved it!
She always approached me with understanding and empathy, so I very happily soaked up all the information she had to teach me. I would definitely recommend her as a supervisor, and I hope all her ambitions come to
fruition!
__________________________________
Why I am a Wildhorse! Volunteer
by
Josephine House
My love of both horses and the children who love them, and years of equestrian training and practice, enables me to be a senior volunteer at Wildhorse, a therapeutic horseback riding program in Livermore, CA, directed by Dr. Kari Ann Owen.
I was a preschool teacher for 15 years of infants, toddlers and children up to 12 years of age.I have been riding since age eight, and was initially trained by the foreman of a ranch in Redding , CA. I then learned the vaquero method of hackamore training (bitless face piece, http://www.horsechannel.com/western-horse-training/vaquero-way-17722.aspx) from a graduate student of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Agricultural and Horsemanship Program while I attended California State University at Chico.
Further training has included more equestrian training and riding clinics while a member of the Walnut Creek 4-H. The most important clinic I attended was the famous Monte Foreman clinic in the 60’s, while a member of The Contra Costa County Horsemen’s Association, http://www.westernhorseman.com/index.php/featured-articles/article/338-monte-foreman.html. During this time, I was a trail guide at Buckeye Ranch, Lafeyette, California.
As an adult, I trained and rode 4 horses of my own in Brentwood , CA, teaching my 3 daughters at the same time. My preference is for the Arabian horse, for pleasure riding.
I currently own and ride my own Arabian mare that I keep pastured in Bethel Island , CA.
I have taken additional volunteer training at Wildhorse to specifically “task train” in order to assist the disabled riders mount and then proceed through arena and trail classes. Being a senior volunteer means being a Team Leader, making sure that the livelier of the two horses Wildhorse uses for lessons is groomed, tacked up and temperamentally ready for class.
I love Wildhorse, and hope to be present when Wildhorse finds a permanent home.
Please contact Dr. Owen for further information on my character and professionalism through the Wildhorse web site.
R
fruition!
-Sop
--- On T
