Grace Rides

10/08/2026

Or any of our friends avid TikTok followers? If you are, please consider nominating GRACE Rides for charitable funding. If you need photos or video clips, send your request to us by text to 850–259–9195, or email your request to us through [email protected]. For more info about our Center in its programs, see our page and website www.gracerides.net. Thank you for your great support! ❤️🐴❤️.

10/02/2026

Fun Facts Friday … Interesting info!

A recent experiment examined whether the way people interact with horses and donkeys matters for both the animals’ behaviour and the person’s emotional experience.

The study brought together 61 adolescents for a three-minute encounter with miniature horses and donkeys at an animal sanctuary in California.

Before going in, all participants were taught to recognise two clear equine behaviours: “lip wiggling”, which is seen as a friendly, positive sign, and “walking away”, which signals that the animal is choosing to disengage.

They were then split into two groups. One group was told to pet the equine’s back, while the other was told to scratch the neck with small, repetitive movements that mimic how horses and donkeys groom each other.

Emotional state was measured just before and just after the interaction, and participants later reported what they had seen the animals do.

The first clear finding was that even a very short interaction with these miniature equines was linked to better emotional state across the board.

After only three minutes, adolescents reported feeling less nervous and anxious, less sad, and less lonely. They also felt less “amped up” (lower excitement) and more calm.

These changes happened in both the petting and scratching groups, suggesting that brief, structured contact with equines can give a quick emotional lift to young people, including some who were neurodivergent.

The second key finding was that the way participants touched the animals changed how the animals behaved.

Those who used the neck-scratching technique, designed to mimic natural allogrooming, saw much less disengagement from the equines.

In the petting group, 88.9% of participants reported that an equine walked away at some point, compared with only 41.7% in the scratching group.

They also reported more lip wiggling, a friendly affiliative behaviour, with rates rising from 48.1% in the petting condition to 75.0% in the scratching condition.

This shows that a small change in how humans touch equines, from gentle stroking on the back to firmer scratching on the neck, can make the animals more likely to stay engaged and show positive cues.

The third important result was that these differences in animal behaviour were linked to differences in how the participants felt afterwards.

Adolescents who observed lip wiggling reported a larger drop in loneliness than those who did not. Therefore showing when the equine seemed affiliative and engaged, the young person tended to feel a greater reduction in loneliness.

More surprisingly, participants who saw an equine walk away from them reported a larger reduction in sadness than those who did not.

The authors suggest that this may have been caused by the participant perceiving the animal’s choice and autonomy, or by the brief interruption in contact, which could have made the interaction feel more authentic and less pressured.

Full study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-65168-2

09/29/2026

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Horse ridding benefits in autism

09/24/2026

Thankful Thursday friends. The following is borrowed from Take The Reins ministry in Mississippi - a center much like GRACE Rides here in Defuniak Springs. Read it, ponder on it, live it! And thank you to all the awesome volunteers and financial supporters that keep our GRACE Rides equine-assisted therapeutic ministry going, to serve special-needs kids and veterans in our area. ❤️🐴❤️
🐴 Daily Devotional 🐴
When the day doesn’t go as planned, living and working with horses and livestock teaches you one thing pretty quickly: never count on everything going smoothly! 😂
Animals have a way of rocking your world and rattling your peace. A fence gets torn down, equipment decides to quit, a horse gets injured, the gate mysteriously ends up open, or something happens that you never saw coming.
There are days when I make it through and think, “Lord, thank You! Not one mishap today!” And on those days, I’m grateful.
Then there are the days when everything seems to happen at once, and I feel stretched thinner than the reins on a green c**t pulling against the bit.
But that’s when I have to stop, take a breath, and remember Who is really holding the reins.
The trail of life isn't always smooth. Sometimes there are unexpected obstacles, steep hills, rough ground, and turns we never saw coming. Even in the rodeo arena, you don't always get the ride you expected. But our God is never surprised by the next turn.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” — Philippians 4:13
And when the worry starts creeping in, God gives us another promise:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” — Philippians 4:6
So when your day gets sideways, don't let go of your faith. Let go of the reins and let God REIGN in your life.
Bring Him the broken fence, the sick animal, the unexpected bill, the difficult relationship, the exhausting day, and every worry that's weighing you down.
You don't have to have the whole trail figured out. You just need to trust the One who already knows where the trail leads.
Lord, when life feels out of control, help me remember that You are still in control. Give me strength when I'm tired, peace when I'm anxious, and faith when I can't see what's ahead. Help me surrender my reins to You and trust You with every step of the trail. Amen. 🙏🐴
Happy trails y’all! Let go of the reins and let God REIGN in your life.

Please share this post on your page and invite others to like and follow the GRACE Rides ministry page. Thank you and God bless you. ❤️🐴❤️

09/22/2026

Still looking for the right friend to join our team. ❤️🐴❤️

GRACE Rides in Defuniak Springs has a part-time paid position open for a person experienced with handling and caring for horses. Position requires availability in the mornings 3 to 4 days per week (including Saturdays), to be present for Barn Chores from 8:15 through at least about noon, and on one evening (5-6:30 or so) per week. Must be reliable, with good physical condition, and must work well with a team. If you are interested, please email us with a description of your experience and interests to [email protected]. ❤️🐴❤️

09/18/2026

GRACE Rides has just a few class spots open for starting Fall Term. If you have a participant candidate (ages 4 years and up) with special needs (physical, cognitive, or emotional.) who may be interested, please get with us quickly to complete your application forms before the spots are gone. Contact us by call or text at 850–259–9195. ❤️🐴❤️

Horse therapy has been such a blessing for my daughter.

There’s something special about the connection between a child and a horse that is hard to explain until you experience it.

I’ve heard all kinds of incredible things about how sensitive horses are to our heartbeat, emotions and energy. What I found even more interesting is that researchers have actually measured physiological synchronization between horses and humans, including changes and similarities in heart rate patterns.

Research into equine assisted therapy is still developing, so I’m careful not to make claims that science hasn’t fully proven yet. But studies involving children with autism have reported promising improvements in areas like communication, social interaction, behavior, movement and emotional regulation.

But beyond any study, I know what I see in my own daughter.

The confidence. The connection. The focus. The calmness. The smile on her face when she gets on that horse.

Not every child will respond the same way, and I would never pretend one therapy is the answer for everyone.

I just believe in giving our kids opportunities to move, connect, experience new things and discover what brings out the best in them.

Keep exposing them to life. Keep learning. Keep believing in their potential. ❤️🐴

09/16/2026

Keeping horses healthy is not cheap… Please consider becoming a monthly sponsor for a GRACE Rides horse, at $250 per month. You can have special time with your horse if you’d like, and when they’re not with you they’ll be doing the very special job of providing healing therapeutic time to veterans and kids with special needs. If you might be interested in joining our team, as a volunteer or financial sponsor or even a participant in our programs, contact us by call or text at 850–259–9195. ❤️🐴❤️

09/11/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19DR15aHU3/

The beauty and challenge of our community on this hill.