Red Horse Center is an organizational member of Arenas for Change, and our co-founders, Ulla and Fred, are also part of the ARCH Creators team. Among other things, this means we’ve had a front row seat to the formation of Horses for Mental Health and the Seen Through Horses Campaign. Red Horse has participated in every one of the four campaigns, but this year was certainly unlike any other!
In the ARCH Framework of facilitation, we have the concept of ARCH Moments, which are pivotal points in a story of transformation. For Red Horse, 2025 has already experienced several ARCH Moments; yet, this campaign has held space for the biggest shift since our formation as a nonprofit. In early May, a supporter of ours, sat with us to talk about our plans for the future and some of the challenges we were facing as an organization. It was a delightful conversation filled with curiosity and good intentions. Before that conversation was over, this generous donor had pledged over half a million dollars to help Red Horse pursue our mission and vision. It was a stunning experience, to say the least, and perhaps the most remarkable part is that it never really felt like a conversation about money. It felt like an expression of love and trust mixed with creative problem-solving.
It is a fresh and developing story, still unfolding. When we discussed whether it should be counted in our Seen Through Horses Spring Support Drive, we thought about how this gift and the announcement of it could do the highest amount of good for the most people. We thought about how it could feel to charity partners with smaller outcomes, although it’s pretty tricky to imagine charity partners much smaller than us! Alongside that, we considered the collaborative, “convening” spirit that we align with so much, which is truly the rootstock of Horses for Mental Health and the Seen Through Horses Campaign. We’ve been in so many conversations about tempering competitive instincts and leaning into the rooting interest of collaborating for the improvement and success of the movement that’s bigger than us; bigger than one organization.
After pondering it a bit, we felt this experience was an authentic outcome of not only this year’s effort, but also of our ongoing learning curve, vision shaping, and messaging that has been developed over the five years we’ve been a nonprofit. We realized that navigating the process we were in – before, during, and after the campaign and this major pledge – drew on insights and skills we’ve learned from many mentors and coaching moments from several people and organizations, including Horses for Mental Health. As a tiny organization that has been both growing and struggling through extremely challenging times, perhaps our story could demonstrate that it is possible (whatever “it” is). You never know what transformational moments lie ahead.
You may notice a lack of detail in certain aspects of this story, which is an intentional choice to hold space for things to unfold naturally to their completion. We’ll share more when the time is right, but are starting with the big picture, which is immense gratitude for everyone that has been part of our story, and helped us walk intentionally with humans, horses, dogs and cats, making a path clear enough and welcoming enough for others to join with their own stories of support and transformation.
Below are a few elements of the Red Horse Center story, as it relates to the Seen Through Horses Campaign 2025:
Why did Red Horse Center participate in the Seen Through Horses campaign?
The Red Horse Center is a charter organizational member of Arenas for Change and has been connected to the origin story of Seen Through Horses, both as a facilitation concept for mental health and as a Horses for Mental Health campaign. We are deeply committed to the cause of spreading awareness for equine-assisted services, and creating opportunities for wellness and healing transformation through partnership and collaboration with horses, charity partners, community organizations, and colleague facilitators, horse and human alike.
Our mission and values are aligned with the purpose and mission of Horses for Mental Health and the Seen Through Horses campaign. From the inaugural campaign to now, our participation is a natural fit and has been integrated into Red Horse’s Giving Circle’s annual efforts to engage supporters, volunteers, and donors.
What have you learned through your years participating in the Seen Through Horses Campaigns?
Red Horse is a start-up, still in our first five years as a nonprofit. From the beginning, one thing the campaign has been helpful with is encouraging and shaping how we share our story, and how we connect our fundraising efforts to both our story and values, while leaving room for the desires and wishes of potential donors. We firmly believe that as we’ve grown and listened to mentor organizations, including Horses for Mental Health, our invitation to support has become more organic, authentic, and information-rich, with big, open gates for supporters to walk through. This work has been a positive influence on being “good gardeners,” nurturing a healthy and fertile environment for new relationships and opportunities for growth.
How did the big donation come about?
This gift was offered by a former social worker, who had participated in Red Horse’s Herd Meditations after being invited by a Red Horse Giving Circle member who has been a client, donor, volunteer, and horse sponsor over the years. This gift was inspired by a developing story of community support, an investment in sustaining what Red Horse calls “Peaceful Space for Powerful Work.”
How will these funds be used to support your mission?
Ultimately, this gift helps us support the original purpose of adopting a nonprofit structure, which is to look to the future with an empowering mindset and to sustain this work, enabling it to continue in this space, well into the future – long after we’re gone.
In what ways did the campaign contribute to your fundraising success or visibility?
The campaign provided us support that inspired us to shape our message, time our focus periods into support drives, and helped connect our work to a movement that is much bigger than a single organization or community. It helped connect our work and story to a national movement and broader vision; believing that everyone deserves opportunities for healing transformation through the wisdom and power of horses.
Any words for your fellow Charity Partners?
Thank you for your work and for being part of this multifaceted community. We’re rooting for everyone in our Horses for Mental Health community to receive what they need in order for them to thrive as individuals, horses, herds, organizations, clients, and facilitators. We encourage all of us to continue to listen, especially to the horses, while you keep sharing your voice. Keep envisioning, shaping, and editing your story, while holding space for the possibility of plot twists and transformations to bring us places we never expected.
