Fund-A-Horse & Fund-A-Home
Therapy horse and stall sponsorships help keep our therapy horses healthy and happy by offsetting necessary costs, ensuring the best possible care for our horses who work so hard for our kiddos.
Meet our trusty steeds below and find out how you can play a part in their care!
Hippotherapy is nothing without our trusty therapy horses! We are lucky to have thirteen incredible horses, many of which are on their second or third career and provide our kiddos gentle, consistent treatment in hippotherapy.
We strive to ensure our horses are given the best possible care in order to effectively treat our kiddos.
Just as important as our horses is the physical space they call home: their stall.
We are so grateful for the renovated homes our horses received in the Meyers Family Stable in May 2017. With a new space comes up-keep, and we rely on the generosity of our donors to help fund the homes of our trusty therapy horses so they can feel comfortable in and out of the arena.
Thank you for your consideration of funding one of our beloved horses and/or their home! There are a couple ways to sponsor:
For more information on either of these opportunities, please contact Emily McDermott, Annual Giving & Communications Manager.
Gideon is generously funded by Copper Creek Canyon.
Gideon's home is currently unfunded.
25 year old Haflinger
Joined Children's TherAplay: April 2002
Get To Know Gideon: He has been here at Children’s TherAplay longer than any other therapy horse, almost since the beginning of the program! As a versatile and sturdy mount, Gideon is a huge asset to our team.
Fun Fact: Our very own Gideon was named 2016 Indiana Horse Council Equine-Assisted Programs Committee Horse of the Year.
Padre is generously funded by Barb Bixler.
Padre's home is currently unfunded.
22-year-old Mustang / Quarter Horse cross
Joined Children’s TherAplay: May 2012
Get to know Padre: Padre has a sweet and conscientious personality, and loves to play with Rocky and roll around in the dirt!
Fun Fact: Padre is our prankster! He has been known to pick up a muck bucket with his teeth and "help" clean the arena.
Fairy Tale is generously funded by Jana Wiley.
Fairy Tale's home is currently unfunded.
22-year-old Welsh Pony
Joined Children’s TherAplay: November 2007
Get to know Fairy Tale: Our "barn princess" knows how to get what she wants using her good looks and charm. Don’t let her fool you though. She is a sassy girl at heart and loves being the boss.
Fun Fact: Fairy Tale has a talent that greatly impresses the kiddos. She knows how to “stand like a princess” and will pose with her front hoof lifted in the air.
Willow and her home are both generously funded by Anders Krohn and Jillian Unitas Krohn.
25-year-old Hackney / Welsh Pony cross
Joined Children’s TherAplay: September 2017
Get to know Willow: This pony has a great deal of experience working with kiddos! Willow was a champion hunter show pony at Lucky Farms for many, many years. More recently, as a lesson pony, she’s helped young children learn how to ride.
Fun Fact: When Willow was a show pony, her registered show name was "Tickles-N-Giggles"!
Chewie is generously funded by Joe and Lynn Donnelly, Steve and Heather Douglas, Gwain and Kristin Guy, Kevin and Bridget Kennedy, and Ray and Sarah Kennedy.
Chewie's home is currently unfunded.
14-year-old Paint Horse
Joined Children’s TherAplay: July 2018
Get to know Chewie: After years of bringing home ribbons as a western pleasure show horse, Chewie was quite content to move into his new career as a therapy horse.
Fun Fact: Chewie used to do a little modeling on the side. We were tickled to see him in a Nutrena ad in the Sept./Oct. issue of Paint Horse Journal.
Zippy is generously funded by Teri Kraft.
Zippy's home is currently unfunded.
24-year-old grade Pony
Joined Children’s TherAplay: May 2011
Get to know Zippy: Before coming to Children's TherAplay, Zippy was a lesson pony next door at Lucky Farms and taught many children to ride. Though he’s small in stature, Zippy has a big personality.
Fun Fact: When he was younger, this little pony enjoyed jumping so much that he would find things to jump in his pasture, just for the fun of it.
Hank is generously funded by The Phil and Sharen Meyers Living Trust in Honor of Ally, Livy, and Luke
Hank's home is currently unfunded.
19-year-old Quarter Horse
Joined Children’s TherAplay: August 2017
Get to know Hank: Hank came to TherAplay with experience in 4H, English shows, and trail-riding.
Fun Fact: Hank is very brave, and can easily be considered one of our most "bombproof" horses. However, he IS afraid of goats!
Rocky is generously funded by The Phil and Sharen Meyers Living Trust in Honor of Ally, Livy, and Luke
Rocky's home is currently unfunded.
27-year-old Quarter Horse
Joined Children’s TherAplay: March 2005
Get to know Rocky: This horse is all heart. And while he’s endlessly gentle and steady with the kiddos, he also loves a good romp. It’s pure delight to watch him celebrate turnout time by kicking up his heels and frisking around the pasture.
Fun Fact: Rocky used to compete as a barrel racer!
Moe is generously funded by Hank and Jayma Meyers
Moe's home is generously funded by Mudsock Fest
21-year-old Haflinger
Joined Children’s TherAplay: July 2011
Get to know Moe: He is one of two Haflingers in the barn. Moe is curious about everything and has fun playing in the pasture with his “Mini Moe,” Gideon.
Fun Fact: To the delight of the kiddos, Moe starred in an informal Stop, Drop, and Roll video, which was posted to our Facebook page. The kiddos love seeing their buddy roll around on the arena for a good back scratch.
Red is generously funded by Leslie Ackerman.
Red's home is currently unfunded.
17-year-old grade pony
Joined Children’s TherAplay: February 2014
Get to know Red: Red stole everyone’s heart when he arrived as he is nothing short of adorable! He’s the perfect size for our smallest patients and is curious and gentle with the kiddos.
Fun Fact: Red loves children and he enjoyed giving rides to his family’s grandchildren until they got too big. Then it was time for a new job. Red was happy to find one here where there are always kiddos to pat him.
Monster Mash is generously funded by Leslie Ackerman.
Monster Mash's home is currently unfunded.
29-year-old Thoroughbred
Joined Children’s TherAplay: February 2018
Get to know Monster Mash: This is Monster’s third career. After retiring from the racetrack, he showed on the Indiana Hunter/Jumper circuit.
Fun Fact: Monster is the biggest and tallest horse in the barn!
Lacey is generously funded by Mickey Spillane. 
Lacey's home is generously funded by The Gold Family.
9-year-old Palomino
Joined Children’s TherAplay: March 2019
Get to know Lacey: Lacey is the newest horse in the barn, and just began serving as a routine treatment horse in August 2019! We are so proud of her hard work, and can't wait to watch her impact so many kiddos.
Fun Fact: Lacey is known in the barn for having a small crush on Chewie and a big fear of the hose that fills her water bucket!
In alignment with the Governor's staged approach to reopen business throughout the state of Indiana, The Children's TherAplay Board of Directors voted to reopen our facility on Tuesday, May 26 with restrictions.
We will continue to offer telehealth services to current TherAplay families in supplement with in-person therapy. For a full list of Children's TherAplay Health and Safety Guidelines, click here.
Your support matters. We are committed to supporting our employees and their families during this difficult time by continuing with their weekly compensation for as long as we can; however, we are relying on charitable contributions to make this possible. Please invest in Children's TherAplay now to ensure we're able to pick up where we left off, with the staff who make our mission extraordinary!