2025-2026 Annual Appeal
Please scroll to read Chloe and Rosalia’s stories
Dear Friends,
Each year, we highlight the story of one Equi-librium participant that truly embodies the mission of our organization. This year, we are honored to share not one, but two stories that belong to a mother and daughter duo who have not only benefitted from Equi-librium services, but who have truly made a difference in our community and to our horses.
When you make a donation to Equi-librium, your gift helps to partially subsidize program costs for every single participant in order to keep our services accessible. Donations assist in maintaining the care and keeping of our therapy horses, acquiring accessible equipment and tack, and providing continuing education and certifications to our instructors to best meet the needs of our community. Thank you for your generosity.
With Gratitude,
Jessie Shappell, Executive Director
CHLOE’s STORY
Chloe is an Equi-librium Adaptive Riding participant who gives back through volunteering at community events. When she’s not at the barn, Chloe is on stage performing in musical theatre productions.
My name is Chloe Grace, and I am currently 15 years old. I was born in 2010 with a congenital birth defect called Spina-Bifida (Myelomenigocele). I was also born with Arnold Chiari (Type 2), Hydrocephalus, Bi-lateral Clubbed Feet, and Neurogenic Bladder. In addition, in my early teens, I was diagnosed with Scoliosis and Lordosis.
I have been a participant rider at Equi-librium for one year. Within a short amount of time receiving equine-assisted services, I can confidently say that it has had a positive impact on my physical, mental, and emotional health. Ever since I was young, I’ve always had a love for horses and animals in general. Equi-librium holds a special place in my heart because I am able to share my love for these horses with other people.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I experienced a huge decline in my strength and stamina due to a lack of therapeutic services and many hours of virtual learning. I went from being able to accompany my mom to a full food shopping to not being able to stand for more than five minutes without getting exhausted. As a result of this decline, I ended up needing a custom pediatric wheelchair to get around.
In 2024, my family and I moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. At the time it was very scary and overwhelming to make such a big change. This was because I did not know what life would be like in this new environment. I had to leave all my family and friends, and I was terrified I wasn’t going to be able to connect with anyone new.
My mom discovered Equi-librium while researching the area. She was overjoyed with the idea of a therapeutic farm being located right in the town we were buying a house. We were aware of the benefits of equine therapy, but we had not had luck finding a farm prior to discovering Equi-librium.
Within my first 10 weeks of riding at Equi-librium, my parents and I were able to see physical changes in my strength and body. For example, I was able to walk longer without getting tired, and I started to depend on my wheelchair less. I could walk from the parking lot to the classroom. The only therapy that has allowed me to regain my strength and stamina, and actually exceed where I was pre-COVID, has been the services I have received at Equi-librium. Thanks to these services, I was able to start walking without crutches this past summer for short distances.
Lessons at Equi-librium are always the highlight of my week and something I look forward to all the time. I’ve had the absolute please to work with and learn from multiple kind and talented instructors. I’ve worked with Karin, Sarah, Christina, Donna, and Pam. Each instructor is special and creative in their own way. In lessons, each instructor creates a fun obstacle course to challenge the rider. Personally, the obstacle courses are my favorite part of the lessons! Even if the weather is unsafe to ride in, we still receive valuable and creative activities to be a part of, like bathing the horse.
Some of my favorite classes have been breakout sessions with Christina. I love how she helps me to be a better rider and build my confidence. She also pushes me to be my very best and encourages me to believe in myself, even when I don’t. Breakout sessions are really beneficial because it is just 1:1, with the instructor and the rider.
This past May, I participated in my first horse show, and won my first three ribbons. It was a memorable day, and I was really grateful for my instructor, Sarah, who helped me prepare for the show.
When I started the program, one of my main goals was to become an independent rider in addition to graduating from needing a side helper. I am happy to share that I have been able to achieve these goals! I believe that one day I could even be an instructor myself.
Another gift the farm has given my family and I are friendships. I was really excited to learn that I would have opportunities to volunteer as well! Through the events that the farm hosts throughout the year, I like to sign up with my Mom and Dad and give back to the farm and our community. I’m also very thankful, because it has been very good for my Mom to also participate in different programs.
Equine-assisted services have also benefited my love for theatre by allowing me to use my newfound strength and stamina to participate in productions! While participating in a rehearsal for a Spring musical, I was able to be on my feet practicing choreography for over an hour before I needed rest. This was nor something I had ever achieved before, and again knew it was because of equine services.
Lastly, there is one really important being I would like to recognize, and that’s my equine partner, Libby. Without Libby, none of this would have been possible. It’s hard to put into words how much this horse means to me, and she is more than just a horse; she is my friend and my partner. I will forever be grateful for how Libby has helped me through many transitions, feelings, big and small, and physically changed my life for the better.
rosalia’s STORY
Rosalia volunteers as a leader and side-helper and assists with special events and miniature horse outreach visits. She is also an Equi-librium HOPE participant and the loving mother the Chloe.
Equi-librium has become a place of refuge for my heart. Every moment spent in the presence of the horses is a moment of healing. An opportunity to reconnect with myself and my heart in a way that I have never experienced before, because of the horse. A quieting of my mind that has not been achievable by any other modality of care.
It has been a privilege to be welcomed into the Equi-librium Family. The embrace has changed my life forever and for the better. I have had the honor to become a volunteer, serving our communities and those in need of reconnecting to their hearts and bodies with the help of our equine friends.
I am a mother, caregiver, and advocate to my incredible 15-year-old daughter born with a congenital physical disability. I am the daughter and caregiver to loving aging parents. I am the niece and caregiver to a sweet aging uncle, and I am a devoted wife, sister, and friend. In supporting and serving those I love, it often requires a tremendous amount of advocacy, problem solving, physical and emotional support, coordination of complex care, and transportation to copious medical appointments and tests. I am always in search of holistic solutions to manage my stress and anxiety. Yoga, dance, talk therapy, exercise, nothing I have ever tried has offered me the gift of stillness like being in the presence of the horse.
I participated in the HOPE program at Equi-librium, and I began my journey of connection to mindfulness with my first equine partner, Rosie, with her sparkly boots. I understood why once you experience being the presence of a horse you forget what time it is, and you never want to leave the barn, or you count down the days until you get to come back. Eventually I worked with Libby, too, who offered new lessons on leadership, connection, and communication. Rosie and Libby helped me graduate from a side-helper to a leader.
Thanks to the program, I have learned to be more confident, find peace in stillness, and joy in giving back. My equine partners have mirrored my energy and have taught me to be present, breathe, and be confident in my choices. I love the challenge of learning new skills which contributes to my newfound confidence and calm. Volunteering has also been incredibly rewarding. The mini horse visits are some of my most cherished and rewarding ways to volunteer. From elementary-aged children to our respected elderly and everyone in between, the horses bring smiles, laughter, excitement, enrichment, and joy.
The staff at Equi-librium are truly dedicated and exemplary individuals who care for the horses, barn, animals, land, and mission with unparalleled care and dedication. The instructors lead with compassion, kindness, skill, creativitiy, and respect. The volunteers are truly special, generous individuals, who are the backbone of the program, without whom the mission could not be the success that it is. Continuing education and volunteer enrichments are the heartbeat of the program, bridging the importance of equine partnerships, safety, supporting participants, and programs.
The horses are extraordinary and sentient beings, that offer more than a ride, their strength for pulling, or their bodies for grooming. They offer their heats, their whole selves, their spirit, and their divine knowing for the beauty of unspoken connection. The time in their presence is a present. It’s living in the moment and the beauty of letting everything else go.
This is what Equi-libtium and its mission mean to me. It’s healing. It’s holistic. It’s life-changing.
