About Us
Our Vision
Building Community While Learning From Nature
We are a nonprofit community center facilitating experiences with horses, nature, sustainable living, social inclusion, healing, and a sense of well-being.
Collaboration is the foundation of our presence in the community. We work with all community services and individuals to facilitate the most beneficial experience possible.
It would be the highest honor for us if our local community would see us as the first choice when thinking of employing horses and nature as a path to a healthy community of support during the current social upheaval in the United States.
The video below is four minutes about our farm and our mission - very well done by Dan Stephens of Kalamazoo Public Media Network!
Our Herd
Each herd member brings their own flavor to your horse experience. Our horses are given autonomy to choose whether they want to interact with us. Horses have bad days like we do, and may choose to graze peacefully while supervising what is going on, or they may decide they have something to offer you and just show up quietly behind you or loudly in your face. You'll know when they've chosen you.
Santana is an 18 year old Tennessee Walking Horse who has been with Sandra for 11 years. He was under her training for his owner to ride when the owner had a horrible horse accident and decided to get out of horses. The owner told Sandra she wanted her to have Santana because "You are good for each other" He has been ridden in fox hunts, shown in Western Dressage, competed at Extreme Mountain Trail obstacle courses, ridden for Mounted Archery and much more.
Finley is an Off-the-track Thoroughbred gelding of unknown age who was rescued in Florida by a married couple from South Haven and kept at a stable where Sandra was boarding Santana for the winter. The following spring the facility closed and Sandra asked the owners if he could be a companion for Santana as he was moving to the vacant land she bought to set up her farm. They signed him over to Sandra later that year. He is not ridden but we always wonder whether he could be.
Secret is a coming two year old Paint filly whose name comes from not knowing her dam was pregnant. She is a legacy baby from Sandra's aunt's 40 year breeding program so we have something from her prize stallion and mares who are at the end of their breeding years. She is a rock star during unmounted sessions with her curious nature.
Solomon is a Belgian gelding of unknown age. He was rescued from an Amish family and from looking at his war-torn body, you can see he's had a productive life. Solomon is owned by one of our board members and has been a rock star during sessions because people are drawn to his powerful presence. It has been an amazing journey watching him come from having no interest in interacting with humans to being interested and communicative with us.
Jane is a 10 year old Appendix Quarter Horse mare, our visiting scholar for the summer as her owner recovers from a shoulder injury. We've committed to exposing her to working with humans and finding her unique gifts for healing. Already she has made it clear that healing is bi-directional and what we give is what we get. She has some very sensitive nerve endings along her sides that make her seem as if she doesn't want to engage. Will she connect with you when you arrive? We give all our horses the agency to choose. We hope to learn from her as she learns from us.
Jane
Founder Sandra RietKerk
Sandra is a dedicated equine specialist who believes that the most profound healing often happens outdoors, in the presence of a horse, not a school or clinic. With over 40 years of horse experience, her journey began on her grandparents' dairy farm where she discovered horses have a healing vibration she needed to transform anxiety, trauma and ADHD.
Sandra’s expertise is backed by a degree from Western Michigan University and certifications from the EAL Academy, Arenas for Change (ARCH), and Horse Powered Reading®. After witnessing the profound emotional breakthroughs her horseback riding students experienced, she certified with EAGALA. Since then she has chose new certifications and founded this nonprofit in 2025 with a clear mission: to make equine-assisted learning accessible to the entire community, regardless of financial barriers.
She invites you to help bridge the gap between trauma and healing. Together, we can ensure every individual in our community has a place to feel safe, find where they belong on this planet, be empowered by the peace found in nature and horses.
