Our Impact

At The Spirit Horse Ranch, we transform lives through trauma informed care equine-assisted therapy.

The Spirit Horse Ranch began its journey in November 2021, focusing on training and certification.

Officially launching our program in January 2023, we enhanced our offerings with a 6-week youth trauma pilot program in partnership with Maui Youth and Family Services. Following this, on August 11, 2023, we expanded our efforts to assist Maui wildfire survivors providing over 1,800 equine assisted trauma informed care sessions since August 2023.

Progress & Achievements

  • Funding

    We have built strong relationships with grants and donors and are incredibly grateful to all those who have supported our programs! We have raised funds for most of the operating budget for 2024 and partial operating for our 2025 operating needs. Mahalo to Hawaii Community Foundation & Maui Strong, Maui United Way Fire Response & Ohana Mental Health Grant, Kaiser Permanente, 100 Women Who Care, Victoria S and Bradley L Geist Foundation Harold F. Baldwin Foundation, The Healy Foundation of Taos NM and USA Congressional Earmark 2025 thanks to Sen. Brian Schatz.

  • Maui Wildfire Trauma Informed Care Healing and Resiliency Program

    On August 11, 2023, we opened our facility for the Maui community for trauma healing and resilience building. Our community has quickly embraced the opportunity to heal through our services. We work directly with clients who can make an appointment for the Maui Wildfire Program online. The response was impactful, and the program continues to be successful in helping those affected directly and indirectly by the disaster.

  • Organizational Development

    Before receiving our own 501(c)(3) status in August 2024, we partnered with Players Philanthropy as our fiscal sponsor. Our leadership team includes the Board, Advisory Board, Legal Counsel, and staff. We completed certifications for four EAL Academy members, two Natural Lifemanship Practitioners, and two Brainspotting practitioners.

  • Construction

    Since 2021, we constructed two round pen workspaces for Equine-Assisted Trauma Informed Care and mindfulness sessions. We installed a Shade Cloth area for debriefs and session breaks, new signage, a small 6x4 foot shed for equipment, and purchased uniforms for our staff and secured access to a cattle chute for our ranching pilot program.

  • Community Partners

    We collaborate closely with organizations like Red Cross, Hawaii Cares, Hale Pono Shelter, Maui Youth and Family Services, Maui Behavioral Health, the Foster Care System, Judicial System, Care Hawaii, FEMA, Mental Health America Maui, Maui Counseling Heartmath, local schools, and many independent mental health and healthcare providers and agencies.

  • Ranch ‘Ohana

    In addition to our 12 ranch horses, we welcomed a new horse, Rocky, a 13-year-old Bavarian Warmblood, a wonderful addition to the therapy horse team. We also welcomed two Nigerian goats, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, and are currently building an enclosure for them.

We invite you to join our journey and help us expand our programs.

If you are interested in joining our Board, please email us at info@thespirithorseranch.org. If you are looking to support our mission through volunteering and donations, please refer to the link below. Mahalo for your continued support!

The Spirit Horse Ranch needs your support!

Our current needs include:

  • Road Paving: Our existing road desperately needs paving. The project, which takes three days, will cover an 800-foot road and parking areas. This also allows us to have a porta potty on-site rather than at the upper check-in area.

  • Shade Structures: Funding for break areas for the equine-assisted learning program.

  • Barn Construction: Funding for a prefab barn, including materials, shipping, and labor.

  • Classroom Building Construction: Funding for a 200-square-foot portable prefab building for a debrief classroom and art therapy room.

  • Covered Arena Construction: Funding for a covered horse arena to provide additional EAS workspaces without weather constraints.

  • Professional Services: Funding to hire professionals and an architect to move forward with the County and State process for our full build-out.

  • Youth Ranch & Wilderness Program: Plans to develop our youth ranch program are underway. We need additional resources to fully build it out. As an Ag. Exempt program, we aim for an efficient process to start construction and build out of the program and infrastructure.

Our programs are a critical asset to the Maui community in times of crises. We need your support in continuing our work and growing our programs.

Help Maui heal by making a tax-deductible charitable donation today!

We are a 501(c)3 Nonprofit recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt public charity. We need your support to allow us to provide free services to our Maui keiki and community.