The Harris Training and Riding Academy in Murfreesboro again held a horse-riding camp for foster children this year through its 501C3 nonprofit, the Peppermint Equine Project.
Through the effort, 25 Middle Tennessee foster children were able to attend the Peppermint Equine Project Horse Camp, said Brittany Harris, who owns Harris Riding Academy along with her husband, Will. The Harris family also gives free riding lessons to many foster children throughout the year.
“The Harris Training and Riding Academy is for everyone,” Harris said. “It is our main business. The Peppermint Equine Project is a nonprofit that we started last year as an opportunity to offer riding lessons, and then camp opportunities, to foster families—that includes the foster kids in the family as well as biological children of the family. We offer scholarships for the kids to take riding lessons and go to summer camp.”
The Peppermint Equine Project was born out of a passion for horses and a desire to share their therapeutic benefits with children, according to peppermintequineproject.org. The nonprofit provides equine therapy and teaches horsemanship skills.
“Our summer camp was a week-long day camp,” Harris said. “Each day when the kids arrived, we started grooming the horses. Then we broke up into our groups for the week to go over the brushing and saddling of the horses, which are mostly the American Saddlebred. Throughout the morning at camp, the kids rotate through stations. One of the stations is riding and another would go over a horse-related educational topic.”
The best way the public can help us with the Peppermint Equine Project is just exposure, Harris said.
“We are always looking for ways to help it grow,” she said. “In addition to the camp, right now we do about 15 to 20 lessons a week for foster families. Our lessons continue year-round.”
Harris Riding and Training Academy also offers paid riding lessons for adults and children. They have a show horse division, where they train show horses for children and amateur riders, and the Harris Academy also specifically trains young horses.
The Harris Riding Academy, as well as the base of operations for the Peppermint Equine Project, are located at 1975 Irby Ln., Murfreesboro.
To find out more, visit the academy’s social media pages and peppermintequineproject.org or call 615-556-7370.
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Local resources for those interested in becoming a foster parent, or volunteering to help a child in need of assistance:
StepStone Family & Youth Services – Recruits and trains foster families to provide care for foster children
Monroe Harding – Offers foster care and adoptive services
CASA of Rutherford County – CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) advocates for the best interest of children in foster care within the court system
Bridge Family Ministries – Offers respite care, providing temporary care for foster children to give foster parents a break
Good Shepherd Children’s Home is the children’s home in Murfreesboro. It is a Christian-based home for disadvantaged boys and girls facing difficult circumstances in their lives
Isaiah 117 House – Provides a safe and loving home for children awaiting foster care placement
