At The Shea Center, our program horses are at the heart of everything we do. Their health, comfort, and well-being are top priorities, and we are committed to providing thoughtful, consistent care that keeps them healthy, happy, and ready to safely support our riders. By ensuring our horses enjoy an exceptional quality of life, we honor the invaluable role they play in transforming lives every day.
The Barn
Our horses spend part of their day in light, airy 12’ x 24’ open stalls that allow them to move freely in a straight line—promoting better joint health compared to traditional box stalls. Each stall features a three-layer foam flooring system that provides a soft, supportive surface to protect their joints while standing.
Cleanliness and comfort are carefully maintained. Water buckets are refreshed daily, and stalls are cleaned twice a day to help minimize flies. The barn is designed for optimal airflow, with skylights, roof vents, large aisle fans, and misters that offer cooling relief on warm days.
The open stall design not only gives every horse a room with a view of outside; it also allows horses to reach one another across the rails, encouraging social interaction and creating a natural, herd-like environment.
Turn-Out Pens
Like people, horses need sunshine, social interaction, and variety to thrive. Turn-out pens provide horses with essential space to move about and provide mental stimulation outside the stall. Regular time in these pens also supports healthy digestion and circulation, both of which are important for hoof health.
The Shea Center horses enjoy access to both shade and sun in their turn-out pens allowing them to soak up Vitamin D, stretch their legs, roll, graze on some hay, and socialize with fellow herd members. Time spent in turn-out pens helps reduce boredom and stress, leading to calmer, healthier and happier horses.
Exercise
Daily movement is an essential part of every horse’s routine at The Shea Center. In addition to participating in client lessons, each horse follows a carefully tailored exercise program designed to promote health, conditioning, and overall well-being. Their daily routines may include schooling sessions with staff, long-line lunging, join-up work in the round pens, trail rides for time away from the arenas and sessions in the motorized Eurowalker, which keeps them moving comfortably for about 30 minutes.
Every 10 weeks, the horses receive a well-deserved two-week break from lessons. During this time, they continue with light exercise and frequent trail rides to maintain their health and fitness, while enjoying a change of pace.
Healthcare
Our horses receive comprehensive, individualized care designed to support their health, comfort and overall well-being. This includes regular veterinary, farrier, chiropractic, dental, and massage services tailored to each horse’s needs.
Nutrition is carefully customized for each horse. Diets may include alfalfa oat cubes or a variety of hays along with supplements to meet individual nutritional requirements. The Shea horses are typically fed three meals per day and, when appropriate, enjoy apple and carrot treats offered by riders at the end of lessons.
Every Shea Center program horse is fitted with its own comfortable, properly fitted tack. Correct saddle fit is essential for distributing weight evenly and maintaining a healthy back. To ensure each horse’s continued comfort and well-being, The Shea Center works with a professional saddle fitter annually to evaluate and adjust saddle fit as needed for every program horse.
Equally important to their physical care is the daily attention The Shea Center program horses receive from riders, staff, and volunteers. Regular grooming, affection, and positive interaction are essential components of their happiness, comfort, and overall quality of life.
The horses at The Shea Center are vital in helping clients achieve their goals. Expenses are required to help keep the herd in excellent condition. To this end, we rely on generous donors to support our horse sponsorship program. The funds are used to acquire feed, shavings, farrier services, tack, veterinary care, and for stall management.
To support a Shea Center horse, please visit our website.
- Platinum Champion Sponsor (full sponsorship gifts of $15,000 and above)
- Gold Champion Sponsor (half sponsorship gifts of $7,500)
- Silver Champion Sponsor (partial sponsorship gifts of $3,750)
- 100% tax-deductible contribution (your gift is restricted to equine care)
- Photo of your horse
- Sponsor’s name(s) placed on a special stall sign in the barn
- Invitation to the Annual Night of Gratitude Event
- Horses sponsored at the Platinum Champion Sponsorship level of $15,000 will also wear a halter with the sponsor’s name(s) on the brass nameplate.