“I keep coming to Giant Steps
because I love the people
and the animals,
and the great affection
I witness between both.”
-A Giant Steps Team Member
“I keep coming to Giant Steps
because I love the people
and the animals,
and the great affection
I witness between both.”
-A Giant Steps Team Member
Every year, hundreds of people come to Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center, wanting to break down barriers that may keep them from reaching their full potential. We serve people representing a wide range of ages, disabilities, and needs. Through our equine therapy programs, we assist them in achieving their physical, mental, and social goals to lead richer, more independent lives.
As a nonprofit, we rely on our generous donors and dedicated team of volunteers to create a safe space and provide enriching and enjoyable programs. Joining Giant Steps is ultimately about joining an inclusive community, where different people connect and champion for each other’s success.
Giant Steps is dedicated to enriching lives through the power of horses, team and community. Through the excellence of our equine assisted programs, people of all ages, means, and challenges experience the extraordinary benefits of therapeutic riding and activities.
Giant Steps strives to create a culture of belonging by fostering an inclusive, safe, and affirming community for the people we serve and for our horses. Our commitment to equity and inclusion cuts across ability, race, gender, and backgrounds, ensuring a rich diversity of voices that are respected and fully represented. By bringing together people of different abilities and life experiences, we grow, learn, and make our program and our community stronger.
At Giant Steps, we strongly believe that all people can break down barriers to lead richer, more independent lives, regardless of the disabilities or challenges they may face. We have harnessed the therapeutic power of horses since 1998 to help people of all ages overcome their physical, emotional, behavioral, cognitive and developmental challenges. Since then, the clients we’ve served have represented more than 60 distinct disabilities and challenges as well as members of our military.
At times, people come to Giant Steps for more than therapy. They also want an enjoyable, social activity and a place to connect with others. Programs we offer range from mounted therapeutic riding classes to ground equine facilitated learning lessons that help clients improve their physical strength and also enhance their emotional and social capabilities. Over the years we have experienced many stories of transformation, seen our clients become physically stronger, more socially engaged, and emotionally aware. This is what drives us.
Beyond our quality programming, Giant Steps is also about community. We work to create a safe space where people can come and share their experiences with other families. It’s a place where, regardless of the disabilities or challenges people may be experiencing, they have the opportunity to bond with our horses, our dedicated instructors and volunteers, and other like-minded people who are all championing for their success. Here, one person’s success is a success for the entire Giant Steps community.
We are proud to be accredited as a Premier Accredited Center by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International, aka PATH International. Being accredited by PATH International means that we go above and beyond to hold ourselves to a higher standard of care. We work tirelessly to maintain our accreditation so that our clients feel assured they are getting the possible treatment.
What PATH accreditation ensures:
Cindi Pérez, Chair
Chief Operating Officer; Stifel Investment Services
Debra Beresini, Treasurer
Co-Owner; Black Dog Ranch
CEO: Invencor; inc.
Christina Henkel, Secretary
M. A., Licensed Marriage, Family Therapist
Julie Atwood
Founder & Executive Director; HALTER Project
Karmen Johnson
CEO; Edible, Inc.
Rebecca Kaykas-Wolff
Founder KWH Equestrian, LLC and Technology Executive
Andrea Pfeiffer
Owner; Chocolate Horse Farm
Sarah Ryan
Corporate Strategy & Sustainability; The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc.
Dina Smith
Executive Coach & Owner; Cognitas Coaching & Consulting
The geometric horse in Giant Steps’ logo is a representation of the multi-faceted nature of Giant Steps program – in the types of programming we offer, the range of individuals we serve, the mix of people who make the program possible, and the variety of horses in our barn. The horse has been dubbed “Hero” because each of our clients, horses, and volunteers is a hero. The name has the added benefit of being easy to pronounce, which is a factor for many of our clients.
Robert Pope and Lee Justice were enjoying their retirement after moving from the Bay Area to Montana, where they raised Tennessee Walkers. One day a friend told them about the benefits of horseback riding for children with physical and mental disabilities. Robert and Lee realized they had the time and resources to create a therapeutic riding center, an idea that felt right to them.
In 1996, they sold their ranch and brought their 12 horses to Petaluma. They spent the next two years building three barns, a riding arena and a training arena on 23 acres. They moved their offices into a small home on the property, got their nonprofit status approved, and looked for a staff. “One day, someone — I’ll never know who — put a blurb in a cerebral palsy support group newsletter, and the phone started ringing off the hook,” said Pope.
The program began with 10 riders and 19 volunteers, and today has grown to accommodate over 130 riders per week and now offers programs for veterans and active service member families. For their work with Giant Steps, Bob and Lee were awarded the prestigious “Jefferson Award for Public Service” from the Institute of Nonprofit Leadership in Washington D.C. in 2006. A year later, they received the “Real Heroes” award from the American Red Cross. Robert and Lee remained supportive of the program until their deaths in 2014.