Riders Up! Scholarship Program
A riding lesson can be an important point of connection for a low-income, autistic, or military-family participant in East Texas.
LFWhat you’re funding
A riding lesson can be an important point of connection for a low-income, autistic, or military-family participant in East Texas. This campaign would provide discounted lessons and equine-assisted therapy. Funding would be used over six months for access scholarships that provide instruction and helps cover supplies required for program operations.
Impact
120 East Texas riders from low-income, autistic, and military families would receive a subsidized lesson-and-therapy plan during a six-month program period.
Activation point
This project gets underway once it reaches $4,500 — the minimum needed to begin the work.
Ways to give
Project milestones
- Secure the launch threshold and confirm the first scholarship participantsMonth 1$3,000 needed
- Cover the first half of scholarship-supported lessons and therapy sessionsMonth 3$6,000 needed
- Complete six months of subsidized access and replenish required program suppliesMonth 6$10,000 needed
Budget breakdown
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Riding lessons and equine-assisted therapy scholarships | $5,000 |
| Instructional, tack, and participant safety supplies | $3,000 |
| Program coordination and participant support | $2,000 |
Got a question — or an idea — for the team?
Send a note and we’ll pass it along to Lake Fork Stables.
About Lake Fork Stables
At Lake Fork Stables in Yantis, free and discounted riding lessons help East Texas children and adults learn riding, horsemanship, horse care, and stable management. The organization serves low-income, autistic, military, foster, and older community members, while retired Thoroughbreds receive sanctuary, rehabilitation, retraining, and new careers as lesson, therapy, show, or family horses. In 2025, the Riders Up! program provided weekly sessions to five children with autism or other learning disabilities, and therapeutic riding lessons served 15 children each week.
Lake Fork Stables is described as the only Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited organization in East Texas. Its retired racehorses do not simply retire from racing, they may go on to become lesson, therapy, show, or family horses while participants learn alongside them.
About this work
Mission
Lake Fork Stables provides free and discounted riding lessons and equine-assisted activities for low-income, autistic, military, foster, and other community families in East Texas, while giving retired Thoroughbreds sanctuary, rehabilitation, retraining, and careers after racing. Participants learn riding, horsemanship, horse care, and stable management.
Who they serve
Children and adults in East Texas, especially low-income families, children on the autism spectrum or with other learning disabilities, military and veteran families, foster families, and older adults. The organization serves children from Wood, Hopkins, and Rains Counties through the Riders Up! program.
Their impact
- In 2025, the Riders Up! program provided weekly riding sessions to 5 children on the autism spectrum or with other learning disabilities.
- In 2025, therapeutic riding lessons provided weekly sessions to 15 children.
- In 2020, Lake Fork Stables raised $742 through East Texas Giving Day.
- In 2020, the organization raised $582 through its Run for the Roses Virtual Gala.
- In 2020, the first Farm Fall Festival raised $4,000.
- In 2020, Facebook fundraisers raised more than $2,500.
How your donation helps
- Feed, hay, tack, farrier services, veterinary care, and other care for retired racehorses
- Free and discounted riding lessons, therapy sessions, and scholarships for children and families
- Retraining and rehabilitation of retired racehorses
- Facility improvements and program operations
- A covered arena, with a stated fundraising goal of $200,000
Programs
Riders Up! Program
Free and discounted private riding sessions for children on the autism spectrum and children with other learning disabilities, including Horse Boy Method-inspired sessions.
Therapeutic riding lessons
Weekly riding sessions that use horsemanship and equine-assisted activities to support children and adults, including low-income, military, foster, and autistic families.
Thoroughbred aftercare
Sanctuary, rehabilitation, retraining, adoption, and second-career support for retired racehorses. Horses may become lesson, therapy, show, or family horses.
Horse Powered Reading
Equine-assisted learning sessions built around individual educational needs, including reading and other educational activities.
Horsemanship courses and clinics
Monthly clinics, workshops, memberships, and educational experiences covering horse behavior, groundwork, riding, training, safety, and horse care.
Horseback riding excursions
By-appointment, hands-on riding experiences in which participants groom and tack a retired racehorse before riding in the arena.
Equine bodywork services
Public PEMF therapy, craniosacral therapy, and kinesiology taping services for horses.
Riding school and show team
Private and semi-private riding lessons, show preparation, and opportunities to participate in dressage and other horse shows.
Volunteer program
Volunteer roles include barn support, facility maintenance, administrative work, community outreach, fundraising, and special events.
Intern and working student programs
Unpaid fundraising, marketing, and equine working-student opportunities that provide practical nonprofit, horsemanship, riding, horse-care, and equine-assisted-services experience.
Horse sponsorships and adoption
Opportunities to sponsor a child or horse, foster a retired horse, or adopt an approved Thoroughbred.
Stories
Need help?
Families can contact Lake Fork Stables at valerie@ridersup.org or (903) 366-3052. Riding lessons are by appointment, and prospective Riders Up! participants complete an enrollment form that asks about the student’s age, school, household, medical information, diagnosis, riding experience, and educational needs. Scholarship assistance is available through the program when funds permit, and the organization states that it serves low-income, autistic, military, foster, and other community families.
Ways to help
Current needs
- Funding for a covered arena and related improvements, with a stated total goal of $200,000
- Financial support for free and discounted riding lessons and scholarships
- Feed, hay, tack, and other horse-care supplies
- Horse sponsorships to support feed, hay, farrier services, and veterinary care
- Volunteers for facility maintenance, barn support, administration, outreach, fundraising, and special events
Volunteer opportunities
- Barn Buddies, including checking horses and water, feeding barn cats, grooming, cleaning tack, and general barn tasks
- Facility maintenance, including mowing, weed eating, grounds work, arena dragging, and other projects
- Administrative and office support, including donor thank-you notes, social media, and graphic design
- Community outreach and fundraising at vendor events and local activities
- Special-event support for the Farm Fall Festival, birthday parties, and other events
- Fundraising and marketing internships
- Working student positions assisting with horse care, riding lessons, excursions, events, and retired racehorse retraining
Recognition & press
Awards & recognition
- Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance accreditation, described as the only such accredited program in East Texas and one of three in Texas.
- Grant from the Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation for a septic system and bathroom at the barn.
- Grant of $4,000 from the Texas Racing Commission through the Texas Thoroughbred Association for retired racehorse care.