RUSH, N.Y. – A Horse’s Friend is dedicated to helping underserved and underprivileged children experience the world of horses. Since 2004, more than 5,000 children have been welcomed into the program.

“I wanted my son and daughter to experience horses just like I did growing up so we bought a couple horses,” said Matthew Doward, founder of A Horse’s Friend. “But with my son really didn’t understand it and thought it was a punishment so we decided to get his cousin involved. And reached out to some other kids and it just grew from there.”

While riding a horse can be fun, that’s not the sole focus of A Horse’s Friend. The program emphasizes the importance of horsemanship and caring for the the 29 horses on site. The kids learn how to clean the stalls, walk a horse and maintain the farm. In the summer, the children are all paired with their own horse. In the winter during extreme cold; the children are still able to be around the horses. They also spend time on arts and crafts.

“A lot of kids from around the city think it’s just about riding horses but there definitely so much more that goes into it so we make sure we instill the fact that they need to be cared for.”

One of the most memorable experiences for the organization was a three-day journey in 2008 from Batavia to Rochester.

“We camped in Batavia at Batavia Downs, camped in Byron Bergen and rode to Genesee Valley Park so it was a long ride but it was very memorable we still talk about it today.”

The program runs year-round on 200 acres at White Springs Farm. Doward’s goal is to promote ‘positive values, increasing social competencies, and teaching children to respect themselves and others through working with horses’.

When asked if there are some children who may go down the wrong path without the extra time and guidance, Doward responded, “Oh definitely and we’ve seen that with some of the kids who do still come out here. The streets have impacted them in a way where I guess I would say more welcoming for them than to be out here so yeah definitely I wish every kid came out here and never looked back but unfortunately that’s not the way it is.”

Doward says the farm is always looking for volunteers. You can find a way to get involved here. There are also several programs to sign up for.

Year-Round 6-week Saturday Program: 9am-1pm ages 7 and up. Applications can be found here

The Villas of Hope: Tuesdays 5pm-7pm, building relationships, connections and confidence for teens

School Break Camps: Week long camps in February, April & Summer. This month’s camp runs Feb 17-21.

Bridging the Gap: Saturdays, enhancing youth perception of law enforcement

Right now, the programs are fee based, but there are grants and scholarships available. Doward said “I would love to see a time where there’s no fees ever attached to our program where a kid just walks in signs up and they’re here on a regular basis so that’s what we’re looking to have happen down the line.”

A future goal of A Horse’s Friend is to partner with the town of Rush to create a space where kids can come from school or rec centers on a daily basis.

Matthew is a former ESL Jefferson Award winner. It has since been renamed the ESL Heart of Service Award. Nominations for this year’s award is now open and can be found here.

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