History
In 2020, the founder, Jennifer Layton, faced a severe medical condition that rendered her unable to eat, resulting in extreme weakness and a life-threatening situation. As Jennifer contemplated ending her life due to the immense mental and physical challenges, her husband Nick intervened by purchasing a baby horse named Moose. Nick encouraged Jennifer by saying, "You can't go anywhere; you have a baby to raise!" This daily interaction with Moose provided Jennifer with emotional support and a sense of purpose, contributing significantly to her mental health recovery.
Despite previously owning horses, it was Moose who became Jennifer's primary source of therapy. To mitigate the financial impact of ongoing medical expenses, the Laytons initiated riding lessons and a saddle club for children aged 4 to 16. Remarkably, guardians reported notable improvements in their children's behavior and mental well-being, including increases in respectfulness, independence, confidence, assertiveness, and overall positivity.
During this period, the Laytons discovered Equine Assisted Learning, which utilizes interactions with horses to promote mental wellness. Recognizing the financial barriers some participants faced, Jennifer and Nick founded Hearts with Hooves Inc as a nonprofit organization in December 2022. The program has since expanded to serve a diverse group, including adults, children, individuals with developmental disabilities, foster children, and at-risk youth.
The Laytons acquired a 20-acre facility and welcomed 34 animals, including horses, a mule, miniatures, ponies, donkeys, a pig, goats, and a cow. The nonprofit now collaborates with four county SB40 boards, with five additional partnerships expected by 2025. They also have agreements with Show Me Healthy Kids Medicaid insurance and Missouri Children's Foster Care.
Hearts with Hooves Inc has become a leader in equine therapy, now operating a second location in Louisville, KY. The program remains entirely volunteer-driven, creating jobs while highlighting the importance of mental wellness through equine interactions. Jennifer has made a remarkable recovery from her medical trauma and continues to manage PTSD and anxiety. Her experience has shaped a unique approach to traditional equine therapy.
The Laytons are committed to expanding services nationwide, ensuring that mental wellness and life skills programs are accessible to all, regardless of income. Hearts with Hooves Inc invites everyone to contribute, either through donations or volunteering, to foster a supportive community dedicated to mental health. As the saying goes, "It takes a village to raise a child," and we strive to be that village.
Meet Jennifer and Moose!
Despite previously owning horses, it was Moose who became Jennifer's primary source of therapy. To mitigate the financial impact of ongoing medical expenses, the Laytons initiated riding lessons and a saddle club for children aged 4 to 16. Remarkably, guardians reported notable improvements in their children's behavior and mental well-being, including increases in respectfulness, independence, confidence, assertiveness, and overall positivity.
During this period, the Laytons discovered Equine Assisted Learning, which utilizes interactions with horses to promote mental wellness. Recognizing the financial barriers some participants faced, Jennifer and Nick founded Hearts with Hooves Inc as a nonprofit organization in December 2022. The program has since expanded to serve a diverse group, including adults, children, individuals with developmental disabilities, foster children, and at-risk youth.
The Laytons acquired a 20-acre facility and welcomed 34 animals, including horses, a mule, miniatures, ponies, donkeys, a pig, goats, and a cow. The nonprofit now collaborates with four county SB40 boards, with five additional partnerships expected by 2025. They also have agreements with Show Me Healthy Kids Medicaid insurance and Missouri Children's Foster Care.
Hearts with Hooves Inc has become a leader in equine therapy, now operating a second location in Louisville, KY. The program remains entirely volunteer-driven, creating jobs while highlighting the importance of mental wellness through equine interactions. Jennifer has made a remarkable recovery from her medical trauma and continues to manage PTSD and anxiety. Her experience has shaped a unique approach to traditional equine therapy.
The Laytons are committed to expanding services nationwide, ensuring that mental wellness and life skills programs are accessible to all, regardless of income. Hearts with Hooves Inc invites everyone to contribute, either through donations or volunteering, to foster a supportive community dedicated to mental health. As the saying goes, "It takes a village to raise a child," and we strive to be that village.
Meet Jennifer and Moose!
How Equine-assisted Therapy is Helping People with Special Needs
Article by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC
The bond between people and horses is a strong one. Over the millennia, this interspecies relationship has evolved from one of equine servitude as a beast of burden to one in which horses share our lives in a much more intimate and integral way.
Cowboys in the West still rely on their trusty Quarter Horses to wrangle livestock. Equestrians all across the world breed, train, and compete with their four-legged athletic partners. And young children still fall in love with the idea of someday having a pony of their very own. Even people who have never ridden a horse can enjoy the animal’s majestic beauty.
Horses also often take on therapeutic roles. Dating back to Ancient Greece, equine therapy has long been used to treat a variety of physical ailments including cerebral palsy, behavioral tics, motor control issues, and coordination problems.
Today, horses routinely help people across a wide spectrum of special needs including ADD/ADHD, autism, Asperger’s, behavioral disorders, learning difficulties, depression, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, visual and hearing impairments, muscular dystrophy, and more.
What’s especially exciting right now is that, for the first time, data from scientifically designed research into the efficacy of Equine-assisted Therapy (specifically with children who have autism) is showing that the therapy has clear, lasting benefits.
What is Equine-assisted Therapy, Equine Expressive Therapy, Equine Facilitated Learning ?There are many different types of horse-related therapies to address a range of special needs. As a still-emerging area of treatment and study, there are many different labels you might come across, including:
Adaptive Riding (AR) Mounted activities, including traditional riding disciplines (i.e. English, Western) where instruction and/or equipment may be modified by a specially trained riding instructor for a person with a disability to ensure successful progression of equestrian skills. This is sometimes also referred to as Therapeutic Riding. It is generally considered recreational and is not covered by insurance however, Hearts with Hooves Inc is covered by Some Missouri Managed Medicaid Health Plans provide coverage for Expressive Therapies for children who qualify. Children who have complex needs and are diagnosed with autism, major depression, Down Syndrome, drug exposure, or PTSD may be eligible. Prior authorization is required. The Equine Expressive Therapy covers 1 hour sessions up to 20 a year.
How does it help?
Working with horses in a therapy program provides all kinds of physical, emotional, and social benefits.
For people with physical disabilities, riding horses has been shown to improve balance, muscle tone, coordination, and motor control. Horseback riding is an activity that engages a person’s body in all three dimensions: forward and back, up and down, and side to side. This multi-dimensional movement is similar to the way we walk—swinging our arms, moving our hips, and extending our legs forward and back—and it can help the rider build muscle memory that helps with unmounted movement.
For people with autism, Asperger’s, and a variety of behavioral disorders, working with horses can open up the world and encourage new connections and experiences. For instance, children with autism often find it difficult to establish emotional bonds. They find it uncomfortable to make eye contact, and often have challenges around basic communication and self expression. Horses offer an opportunity to connect through non-verbal communication in a calm and non-threatening way. They can also help teach children about non-verbal social cues.
Horse-based activities can also help with the development of cognitive and language skills. Working with horses is a highly engaging activity that inspires focus and attention. Specialists working with learners and horses often integrate specific therapeutic exercises into the equine sessions. For example, children might be asked to perform certain tasks while riding, like throwing a ball or identifying certain objects.
The truth is, we are still learning all the ways equine therapies can help people with special needs. But the more we learn, the more hopeful things look.
In 2015, Robin L. Gabriels—a psychologist working at Children’s Hospital Colorado—ran a groundbreaking study on how therapeutic horseback riding affected children with autism. The study, since published in a medical journal, found that children and teens with autism who rode horses showed improvements in speech, social skills, hyperactivity, and irritability as compared to a control group of study participants who did not ride. Importantly, most of these improvements were still evident six months after the study.
As a result of the findings from this original research and some follow-up studies, Gabriels was recently awarded a $2.5 million federal grant to fund an additional five-year study. The new study, which will run out of riding facilities in Colorado and Maine, will focus on youth who have both autism and a psychiatric condition such as ADHD, depression, or anxiety.
Equine-assisted therapy can be especially beneficial for children and Adults who struggle with:
Balance and coordination
Muscle strength
Sensory processing
Verbal communication
Emotional engagement
Following directions
Increase Self Esteem
development Self Confidence
And Have Fun!!
Our nonprofit is for:
all kids and Adults
at-risk kids
kinship, guardianship, adoption, foster care
kids with struggles in school
For people with autism, Asperger’s, and a variety of behavioral disorders
help with the development of cognitive and language skills
We use a series of activities year-round that help the client learn skills from horses that transfer over into real life.
Our location is certified in Equine Facilitated Learning from the Herd Institute, Horsepower Reading Certified, and Stable Moments Certified.
We follow the Stable Moments Activities to work on life skills utilizing horses, EFL Herd Model, and Horsepowered Reading activities. The participants we serve learn to ride horses independently and help train horses using clicker training, target training, and natural horsemanship, along with riding.
Article by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC
The bond between people and horses is a strong one. Over the millennia, this interspecies relationship has evolved from one of equine servitude as a beast of burden to one in which horses share our lives in a much more intimate and integral way.
Cowboys in the West still rely on their trusty Quarter Horses to wrangle livestock. Equestrians all across the world breed, train, and compete with their four-legged athletic partners. And young children still fall in love with the idea of someday having a pony of their very own. Even people who have never ridden a horse can enjoy the animal’s majestic beauty.
Horses also often take on therapeutic roles. Dating back to Ancient Greece, equine therapy has long been used to treat a variety of physical ailments including cerebral palsy, behavioral tics, motor control issues, and coordination problems.
Today, horses routinely help people across a wide spectrum of special needs including ADD/ADHD, autism, Asperger’s, behavioral disorders, learning difficulties, depression, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, visual and hearing impairments, muscular dystrophy, and more.
What’s especially exciting right now is that, for the first time, data from scientifically designed research into the efficacy of Equine-assisted Therapy (specifically with children who have autism) is showing that the therapy has clear, lasting benefits.
What is Equine-assisted Therapy, Equine Expressive Therapy, Equine Facilitated Learning ?There are many different types of horse-related therapies to address a range of special needs. As a still-emerging area of treatment and study, there are many different labels you might come across, including:
- therapeutic horseback riding;
- hippotherapy (“hippo” is the Ancient Greek word for horse)
- Equine-assisted Therapy (EAT) Equine Facilitated Learning; (Hearts with Hooves Program)
- You may also hear the term “Equine-assisted Activities” (EAA) as an umbrella term to cover a range of horse-related therapeutic practices. Each of these terms refers to a nuanced approach to working with horses in a therapeutic way.
Adaptive Riding (AR) Mounted activities, including traditional riding disciplines (i.e. English, Western) where instruction and/or equipment may be modified by a specially trained riding instructor for a person with a disability to ensure successful progression of equestrian skills. This is sometimes also referred to as Therapeutic Riding. It is generally considered recreational and is not covered by insurance however, Hearts with Hooves Inc is covered by Some Missouri Managed Medicaid Health Plans provide coverage for Expressive Therapies for children who qualify. Children who have complex needs and are diagnosed with autism, major depression, Down Syndrome, drug exposure, or PTSD may be eligible. Prior authorization is required. The Equine Expressive Therapy covers 1 hour sessions up to 20 a year.
How does it help?
Working with horses in a therapy program provides all kinds of physical, emotional, and social benefits.
For people with physical disabilities, riding horses has been shown to improve balance, muscle tone, coordination, and motor control. Horseback riding is an activity that engages a person’s body in all three dimensions: forward and back, up and down, and side to side. This multi-dimensional movement is similar to the way we walk—swinging our arms, moving our hips, and extending our legs forward and back—and it can help the rider build muscle memory that helps with unmounted movement.
For people with autism, Asperger’s, and a variety of behavioral disorders, working with horses can open up the world and encourage new connections and experiences. For instance, children with autism often find it difficult to establish emotional bonds. They find it uncomfortable to make eye contact, and often have challenges around basic communication and self expression. Horses offer an opportunity to connect through non-verbal communication in a calm and non-threatening way. They can also help teach children about non-verbal social cues.
Horse-based activities can also help with the development of cognitive and language skills. Working with horses is a highly engaging activity that inspires focus and attention. Specialists working with learners and horses often integrate specific therapeutic exercises into the equine sessions. For example, children might be asked to perform certain tasks while riding, like throwing a ball or identifying certain objects.
The truth is, we are still learning all the ways equine therapies can help people with special needs. But the more we learn, the more hopeful things look.
In 2015, Robin L. Gabriels—a psychologist working at Children’s Hospital Colorado—ran a groundbreaking study on how therapeutic horseback riding affected children with autism. The study, since published in a medical journal, found that children and teens with autism who rode horses showed improvements in speech, social skills, hyperactivity, and irritability as compared to a control group of study participants who did not ride. Importantly, most of these improvements were still evident six months after the study.
As a result of the findings from this original research and some follow-up studies, Gabriels was recently awarded a $2.5 million federal grant to fund an additional five-year study. The new study, which will run out of riding facilities in Colorado and Maine, will focus on youth who have both autism and a psychiatric condition such as ADHD, depression, or anxiety.
Equine-assisted therapy can be especially beneficial for children and Adults who struggle with:
Balance and coordination
Muscle strength
Sensory processing
Verbal communication
Emotional engagement
Following directions
Increase Self Esteem
development Self Confidence
And Have Fun!!
Our nonprofit is for:
all kids and Adults
at-risk kids
kinship, guardianship, adoption, foster care
kids with struggles in school
For people with autism, Asperger’s, and a variety of behavioral disorders
help with the development of cognitive and language skills
We use a series of activities year-round that help the client learn skills from horses that transfer over into real life.
Our location is certified in Equine Facilitated Learning from the Herd Institute, Horsepower Reading Certified, and Stable Moments Certified.
We follow the Stable Moments Activities to work on life skills utilizing horses, EFL Herd Model, and Horsepowered Reading activities. The participants we serve learn to ride horses independently and help train horses using clicker training, target training, and natural horsemanship, along with riding.
Education and training
Equine Expressive Therapy and Horsemanship for all for Able-Bodied Participants and Groundwork only for Physically Disable .
Equine Expressive Therapy Life Skills for all
Stable Moments
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Horse Powered Reading
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Herd Institute
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Missouri School Age Conference
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