HARMONY
FARMS,
Inc. is a
not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) volunteer based
organization providing equine assisted activities & therapy, to
disabled individuals of all ages. The program was founded in 1992, by
Pamela Rogan, our Executive Director, to address the need in the local
community for programs for the disabled. Our mailing address is 5300 Stadium Parkway, Rockledge, Florida, and you may contact us by phone at (321) 631-9433. The facility is located on Stadium Parkway, one mile north of Space Coast Stadium and one mile south of I-95 exit 195.
Imagine............... a place where
disabled
individuals can have a variety of horse related activities in a quiet,
lush setting, with trail rides in the woods. A place where they can
ride a horse, or drive a horse drawn cart over 100 acres. A place
for horse
shows, clinics, seminars, summer camps, barbecues, barn dances and
much more. With your help, Harmony Farms can be that place!
Our DREAM, is to build a 20 stall
barn, with meeting
area and office, a covered arena and lots of room to expand. We
hope to increase our rider roster, add horses to our team, add an
advanced therapeutic riding program, start a Horses for Heroes program.
Click
here for full details of the Mission Plan.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! We
have received an
extension on our current lease, while we continue to raise funds to
support this project. The move will be done in
stages, once we reach a plateau which allows us to support that phase
of the build. You can be a part of
this community effort to build a premier therapeutic riding center.
Several ways to contribute can be found
on
our Support page.
Please help
make this dream come true for our Harmony
Farms Family and all the individuals with special needs we service.
Thank you.
Our Students
Harmony Farms accepts people of all ages with various
disabilities - physical, mental, emotional, and/or behavioral. The
students come in groups from Brevard County schools, adult facilities,
and ARC programs. We also have a large number of individual riders, and
rider age ranges from 4
to 84 years old. Click here for pictures of
some of our riders!
Riding sessions incorporate equitation with games, exercises
and fun! Competitions are available for riders through Special Olympics
and the yearly Challenge Show for riders from therapy centers across
the state. Each Spring we host "Showtime" where our riders get
a chance to strut their stuff for friends and family. As with
everything else in our program... everyone is a winner!
Riding sessions
are held on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday mornings from 9 AM
to 1 PM and Thursday afternoons from 4 PM to 6 PM. The fee for
riding is $20 per 30 minute session. Our riding season runs
approximately 33 weeks from mid September through May. A covered
arena will enable us to extend the riding season and help more
individuals.
WE DO NOT DO BIRTHDAY OR PONY PARTIES. WE DO NOT
PROVIDE RIDING INSTRUCTION FOR NON-HANDICAPPED INDIVIDUALS, AT THIS
TIME.
RECOMMENDED: PONY PARTIES for
Church, School, Company functions or Private Parties, CALL: DELLA COX - "PONY PARTIES WITH PRINCESS" - (321) 242-7969
Home or (321) 432-3117 Cell or ponyladyd72@yahoo.com
Our Volunteers
New! Volunteer Handbook now available
online: Click
here for Handbook
This program would not be possible without our volunteers,
since student sessions are "labor intensive." Many students
require three volunteers: a horse leader and two .side walkers Our
volunteers ensure the safety of the riders and also benefit from our
program in several ways. Volunteers increase their physical fitness
while enjoying the outdoors. They groom and exercise horses, perform
administrative duties, and participate in our special events.
Volunteers learn new skills, building confidence and self-esteem. Some
form lasting friendships, and all share in the joyful experience of
seeing a handicapped person ride a horse.
No experience is necessary, we will teach you all you need to know!
We accommodate flexible schedules and no minimum time is required,
except
for school or other organizational requirements. MINIMUM AGE FOR VOLUNTEERING IS 13 YEARS OLD.
See the Riding Session times above. Volunteers should arrive
30 minutes prior to the start of the session.
You can also call our Volunteer Coordinator, Faye Holden for complete information: (321) 725-0858.
Our Instructors
We are very fortunate to have instructors with academic
backgrounds, as well as intense equine experience, and they are either
certified by NARHA or pursuing certification. In addition to planning
and leading the lessons, our instructors participate in the volunteer
training sessions and teach horse management to interested volunteers.
Our team of exercise volunteers keep our herd of senior equine
citizens fit and sound.
CERTIFIED
THERAPEUTIC RIDING INSTRUCTORS:
Pam Rogan,
Deborah Ferraro, Patty Bean, Leslie Blanche, Pam Morrison, Sanna
Scheuerman
Our Horses
We currently have 12 horses between the ages of 14 and 32
with various backgrounds. All of our horses have been donated to the
program. Our horses are initially kept on a 3 month trial basis to make
sure their disposition fits in with the needs of our riders. We look
for gentle horses that are able to adapt to the styles and abilities of
different riders. More importantly, the horses must be sound, as we
cannot afford the time or money needed to take care of a horse with
major medical problems. Click here for
more information and pictures of our horses!
Chairman John Craig, Vice President - Craig Technologies
Co-Chair: Skip Cox, Principle - Allstate Insurance Agency
Sectretary: Patty Bean, Special Event Engineering
Treasurer: Kristen Underwood, CPA, Brman, Hopkins, Wright & Latham, CPA;s & Associates
Bookkeeper: Robert Rogan, Retired Programmer IBM Corp.
Directors:
Chris Fox -
Director, Parrish Healthcare Center at Port St. John
Executive Director and
Founder: Pam Rogan, Certified Therapeutic Riding
Instructor
Our Funding
Of course, there are costs related to maintaining our horses, equipment, facility, and providing the highest level of service to our riders. Our fundraising events help meet some of these costs. Our riders pay a nominal fee for each class. However, we primarily rely on donations from individuals, organizations, and businesses to keep us fully funded. Click here for information on how you can help!
PATH Intl.
Harmony Farms is a registered member center of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH
Intl) is a national regulatory and
advisory organization which was established in 1969 to promote the
well-being of persons with disabilities through horseback riding. Since
the 1950's, the medical and rehabilitative communities have recognized
the value of therapeutic riding, and today there are more than 700
NARHA Therapeutic Riding Centers across the United States, Canada
and Europe.
EQUINE PROFESSIONALS
We have been very fortunate to have some very compassionate
and supportive equine professionals caring for our horses.
Our vet, Brad Newman or Newman Equine Veterinary
Services, greatly discounts their services and regularly makes
donations to the program.
Our farrier, Dennis Ingram,
also discounts his services.
C&J Feed store and Happy Horse
Feed and Western Wear supply our horse feed and hay and donate
delivery and many extras on a regular basis.
These professionals take very good care of our number one
volunteers, THE HORSES. Without them, we do not have a program!
A Picture Says a Thousand Words
In an effort to deliver our message to the public, we needed
a video that would reflect the benefits, procedures, and fun of
therapeutic riding. Enter Communications
Concepts Inc. Locally owned and operated, CCI is a full service audio
visual production company with a 25 year history serving Florida. CCI
prides itself on being a community partner and donates a promotional
video to a charity organization each year. Copies of our video in
DVD format are available upon request to our e-mail address.
Seminole Feed
Maintaining our horses health and diet is a costly endeavor. Our
wonderful equines are fortunate to have a local feed
company that cares to make a difference. Seminole Feed, P.O.
Box 940, Ocala, Fl. 34478 supports over 100 therapeutic riding and
horse rescue organizations in the Southeast. A bag of horse feed
is donated on a weekly basis. One of the most frequent
compliments
our program receives is regarding the condition of our horses.
Everyone
says they look happy and healthy. THANK YOU, SEMINOLE
FEED for helping us continue to succeed.