Saddle Up for Hope

08/22/2026

This might seem small to some people… but to us, it’s huge. 🥹💙

Saddle Up for Hope officially has our own event tent and more things to go along with it are on the way too!

There’s something really special about watching the little pieces of a dream start becoming real, one at a time.

Every event. Every partnership. Every child we serve. Every person who stops by and asks, “What is Saddle Up for Hope?”

It all matters.

We’re also incredibly grateful that we were able to purchase this tent at cost. It wasn’t free, but that generosity made it much more affordable for our nonprofit and helped us stretch our dollars further toward the kids and programs we serve.

We don’t take any of it for granted.

To some, it may just look like a tent.

To us, it represents growth. It represents showing up. It represents having a place in the community where people can find us, learn about our mission, and hopefully become part of it.

We’re here.
We’re growing.
And we’re going to keep showing up for kids who need us.

One step at a time. One child at a time. One community at a time. 💙🐴

saddleupforhope.org

08/21/2026

We’re thrilled to share this news!! Dawson Co. is officially a Foster Friendly community! 🙌❤️

We have exciting news to share for Dawson County! 🎉
Last night, the Dawson County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 to officially declare Dawson County Foster Friendly. This unanimous decision, made during the Board of Commissioners Voting Session, marks a meaningful step toward supporting foster families and children in our community.
Thank you to our commissioners and everyone who champions the needs of foster families. Together, we’re building a stronger, more supportive Dawson County! 💙🏡

08/20/2026

A little local paper moment for Saddle Up for Hope’s very own Keelan Jenkins with 706 Horsemanship.

Thanks, Dawson County News for catching this sweet moment at The Dawson County Family Connection Family Fair! 🐴💙☀️

08/13/2026

Saddle Up for Hope bridges the gap between foster, adopted, and at-risk youth and life-changing equine experiences that provide mentorship, connection, and meaningful mental health support.

Want to get involved? Maybe your company matches charitable donations, your business is looking for a meaningful community partnership, or you simply want to support a child who needs an opportunity like this.

We’d love to connect.

Send us a DM or visit www.SaddleUpforHope.org to learn more.

08/04/2026

📚🍎 Welcome Back, Dawson County! 🍎📚

As the first day of school comes to an end, we hope it was filled with new friendships, smiling faces, exciting opportunities, and moments that made each student feel seen and valued.

We also know that for some children, today may have been difficult. New schools, new teachers, anxiety, uncertainty, or challenges at home can make the first day feel overwhelming.

To every student…

We hope you know that you are capable.
You are loved.
You are valuable.
And you are never alone.

At Saddle Up for Hope, we are praying over every child, every family, every teacher, every administrator, every bus driver, every counselor, and every member of the school staff as this new year begins. We pray for protection, wisdom, kindness, courage, and hope to fill every classroom and every hallway throughout Dawson County.

To our incredible teachers and school staff—thank you. Never underestimate the impact you have on a young person’s life. A kind word, a listening ear, or simply believing in a child can change their future in ways you may never fully realize.

If you know of a student who could benefit from encouragement, connection, confidence, or simply a place where they feel like they belong, we would love to be a resource. Saddle Up for Hope exists to walk alongside youth and families through the challenges life brings, reminding them they are seen, valued, and deeply loved.

💙 If we can support a student or family this school year, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d be honored to help.

Here’s to a wonderful school year filled with growth, resilience, and hope.

🐴 With love,
The Saddle Up for Hope Family

08/03/2026

💛 August will always be special to us.💛

This month marks one year since Saddle Up for Hope officially became a nonprofit. Looking at these pictures, it’s hard to believe everything that’s happened in just twelve short months.

If we’re honest… this year has been beautiful, heartbreaking, exciting, exhausting, humbling, and incredibly rewarding, all at the same time.

We’ve celebrated wins we never imagined.
We’ve faced challenges we never expected.
We’ve laughed together, cried together, and learned that building something that truly matters isn’t always easy.

But through every high and every low, one thing has never changed…

The reason we started.

Every single youth that we serve reminds us why this mission truly matters.

Throughout August, we’re going to look back on the moments that shaped our first year, celebrate the people and businesses who have believed in us, prayed for us, donated, sponsored, and also share where we believe God is leading Saddle Up for Hope in year TWO.

Whether you’ve been here since day one or you just found us today…

Thank you. Thank you for believing in this mission. Thank you for being here and supporting the youth that will be leading our communities in the future.

Here’s to Year ONE……and to whatever God has planned for Year TWO. 💛🐴

www.saddleupforhope.org

07/28/2026

It’s almost midnight and today has been nothing but grants, emails, planning, and working on new projects and collaborations for Saddle Up for Hope.

Not every day is exciting enough for pictures, but a whole lot is happening behind the scenes.🙌

We’re working hard to create more opportunities for kids and families, and I’m really excited about what’s coming next. 💙🐴

07/27/2026

As this Sunday comes to a close, my heart is full.

This week stretched us in ways we didn’t expect.

We said “see you later” to a horse we loved dearly. 💔 We laughed with children and adult’s from the saddle. We celebrated victories that most people will never see. We reorganized our tack room. We gave riding lessons and we learned lessons we didn’t expect to learn. And through it all, God reminded us why we started all this.

One thing many people don’t realize is that Saddle Up for Hope is led entirely by volunteers.

There isn’t a staff clocking in and out each day. My husband and I aren’t a paid team behind the scenes making everything happen. This mission moves forward because people continue to say “yes”, yes to serving, yes to donating, and yes to believing that every child deserves the opportunity to find hope through the healing powers of horses.

Some weeks are heavy.

Some weeks are beautiful.

Most weeks are both.

What many people also don’t realize is that while our home is in Dawson County, we currently serve children and families from Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Hall, Forsyth, and Gilmer Counties. Every week, we have the privilege of watching confidence grow, friendships form, and hope begin to replace fear and doubt.

God didn’t call us because the road would be easy.

He called us to be faithful.

Whether anyone notices or not… we’ll keep planting seeds, loving people well, and trusting Him with the rest.

Thank you to every volunteer, donor, sponsor, parent, prayer warrior, and supporter who has become part of this story. You are helping create opportunities that are changing lives in ways that can’t always be measured or shared publicly.

We’re grateful.😭🙌

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9

Here’s to another week of choosing to show up. 💙🐴

07/26/2026

Supporter Saturday 💛

If you’ve ever wondered what a Jeep full of generosity looks like… this is it. 😂🐴

Hardly any space was left.💛

Keelan and I picking up donated horse tack a few weeks ago, and our hearts were just as full as our Jeep. 💛

Every saddle, bridle, helmet, pair of boots, saddle pad, and piece of tack that gets donated has the opportunity to change a child’s life. 💛

Many of the youth who come to Saddle Up for Hope don’t own riding gear. That’s why we’ve created our Hope Tack Closet, a place where youth can borrow what they need to ride safely and confidently. When we’re able, we also gift equipment to participants so they can continue pursuing their passion beyond our program.💛

To everyone who has donated tack, equipment, or riding apparel… thank you.💛

You may have been cleaning out your barn, but what you gave us was so much more than “stuff.”💛

You removed financial barriers for a family.
You helped make riding horses accessible to someone who may have never had the opportunity otherwise.💛

If your tack room is overflowing or you’re closet of western or equestrian clothing is taking up space, we’d love to give those items a second purpose. Your donations truly make a difference.💛

Thank you for helping us saddle up more youth with hope. 💙🐴