About Us

At the heart of our foundation is the welfare of both horses and humans, and how they can impact each other to heal and thrive in incredible ways.

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Horse for mental health logo

Who We Are

Horses for Mental Health is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to increase awareness, public engagement, funds, and access to programs incorporating horses for mental health and personal growth.  

We partner with nonprofit organizations, philanthropists, celebrities, influencers, and companies to realize our collective vision of a world where all mental health needs are met – together.

We seek to strengthen engagement to create a community of inclusivity and diversity while increasing access to quality mental health programs incorporating horses that serve all groups of people.

Horses for Mental Health Objectives:

17-Human Resources

Serve as a resource, advocate, and thought leader to support legislative and policy initiatives globally.

9-Human Resources

Convene industry and program partners worldwide to collaborate on common objectives to uplift and support global mental health and personal growth through horses.

29-Human Resources

Build and implement campaigns to support industry and public awareness of resources and benefits.

8-Human Resources

Raise funding to support worldwide mental health and well-being services incorporating horses.

6-Human Resources

Establish high standard systems and collaborative partners for funding distribution, accountability and outcomes to raise the standard of services and to maximize efficient and accountable use of funds.

23-Human Resources

Establish a system of data collection to build the evidence base for mental health and personal growth services incorporating horses.

Our Team

Our team consists of world-class thought leaders with expertise in varying disciplines ranging from: mental health, horsemanship, brand development and strategy, fundraising and awareness modeling, talent acquisition, sponsorship consulting, creative scripting and design, program management, impact reporting and analysis, among other engagements in the social impact realm.

Our team involves and engages with experts and leaders in the equine-assisted services industry, and specifically with psychotherapy and counseling incorporating horses, who help advise our work.

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Melissa Kitchen, Director

Melissa Kitchen is a lifelong horsewoman, who has loved horses for as long as she can remember, and strives to bring awareness to all of the ways horses complement our lives. She has been in the digital media industry for her entire career, and is currently the Vice President of Video and Creative Services for the Equine Network, LLC. Melissa grew up in Wisconsin, and moved to Colorado to attend Colorado State University and obtain a degree in Equine Sciences. She and her husband are raising three sons in rural Colorado.

Addie Crook, Director/Treasurer

Addie received her Bachelor of Accounting from the University of Utah and her Master of Accounting from Brigham Young University. She works as an auditor at a CPA firm in Scottsdale, Arizona that specializes in auditing nonprofit organizations and employee benefit plans.

Connie Maningas, Program Manager

Connie graduated from the City University of Staten Island and focused primarily on elementary education. She taught in several cities including New York City and Busan, South Korea before settling in Madrid, Spain. She continued to be an educator for 10 years before pursuing a career in social impact.

Autumn Alden, Assistant Campaign Producer

After graduating from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communications and a minor in Environmental Science, Autumn moved to New York City and has since worked for TED Conferences and Global Citizen.
Her passion for social impact and mental health led her to becoming the Assistant Producer of the Seen Through Horses Campaign.

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