A nonprofit wants to build confidence in girls and women with the help of horses
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS — A nonprofit organization is aiming to inspire hope, confidence, and resilience in girls and women through a hands-on program with horses.
Bridle Up Hope: The Rachel Covey Foundation started in Alpine, Utah. It was intended to be a small neighborhood program, according to its website, but expanded to other locations like Ukraine, Hungary, Estonia, New Mexico, Florida, Texas, Colorado and California.
It came to Pocatello a few years ago and has now expanded to Idaho Falls. Bridle Up Hope-Idaho Falls opened in September.
“We’re a very unique program, and quite honestly, there’s not really any programs out there like this,” said Sarah Richardson, the expansion director with Bridle Up Hope in Alpine, Utah. “We currently have 17 locations. We are so excited to expand into Idaho Falls. We feel there is a great need in Idaho.”
The grand opening
There will be a grand opening for the nonprofit on Wednesday, April 8, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Champ’s Heart, at 988 South 45th East. The public is invited.
“It’s a nonprofit that empowers girls and women. Those who are sometimes facing anxiety, depression, low self-worth, possibly trauma, or any other challenges, really. We implement a program that includes equestrian training, life skills, and healthy habits,” said Emily Sellers, the executive director of Bridle Up Hope-Idaho Falls.
How it started
The organization was founded by Rebecca Covey, who grew up in Rexburg, and her husband, Sean. It was inspired by the loss of their daughter, Rachel, who unexpectedly passed away in 2012 when she was 21. She struggled with depression.
Rachel loved horses and found “great fulfillment in helping other struggling girls find hope through equestrian training,” according to the website. Rebecca and her family turned the loss into a movement to help young women.
“Rebecca always says, ‘If you can save one girl, you can save a generation,'” Richardson said.
How it can help
The program is intended to help girls and women ages 12 and up. At the grand opening, there will be a ribbon cutting, food and a mock lesson.
“Basically, we’ll have one of our instructors in the arena with the horses that will show what goes hand in hand with the lessons, the habits, and how we incorporate the equine side of it,” Sellers said.
The program follows horsemanship and leadership principles outlined in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey.
“They teach you how to take control of your life, how to have vision for where you want to go, who you want to be, as well as strengthening relationships, seeking to understand or celebrating differences, and then the habits really teach you to take care of yourself,” said Richardson.
The horses help with that, too.
“It’s like a 1,200-pound object lesson, where the horses teach you to build that confidence and to take the reins into your hands and to recognize what you have control over and to keep your eyes forward and have a vision for where you want your horse to go,” Richardson said. “We often talk about the person you want to be for the horse. Do you want to be kind, a leader, and respectful?”
The cost and scholarships
There are eight instructors total at the Idaho Falls location. The program is 14 weeks long for girls at $1,500 and seven weeks long for women at $1,000.
“We’ve had 14 girls successfully go through our program. I would say my favorite part is our ending results. It’s really fun to see the girls develop, blossom, and build their self-confidence through the 14 weeks. The confidence just radiates off of these girls,” Sellers said.
There are scholarship opportunities as well. You can email Sellers at emilys@champsheart.org for more information. Sellers hopes to reach more girls and women who need the program to build their confidence.
“Everybody knows someone or multiple people who could benefit from this program,” she said.
Click here to learn more about the Idaho Falls location.
According to Bridle Up Hope’s website, more than 3,500 girls and women have completed the program across the various locations. The vision is to partner with 1,000 barns to bring hope to millions of girls and women worldwide.
