It is with a broken heart that I share the news of the passing of our beloved D’Angela. 

She had a strangulating lipoma, which attached itself to her intestine & killed it.  She was in a great deal of pain and the only thing to do for her was to humanely euthanize her.  She is buried here on the ranch out in the pasture.

D’Angela & I have been a team for 26 & ½ years since she was 18 months old. When she first came to me, she was so head shy it took 3 months just to get her to trust me enough to let me put a halter on her easily.  Together we went to many horse-training clinics and spent countless hours learning together.  By the time I had “finished” (you’re never really done) training her, I rode her bareback without bridle/halter/reins of any kind.  D’Angela was an amazing horse. She saved my life at least three times out on the trails. Together we won the Mid-America Paso Fino Trail Horse Championship (taking 1st place in 4 of the 5-class series) when she was just 3 years old.  It was the first time in a show for both of us.  The judges all commented on the bond we had even then. Together we taught many children and a few adults how to ride, often after spending many hours working on the ground to help them work through their fear of horses.  She was always gentle and kind and took care of her rider.

D’Angela helped countless children, youth, families, adults, and corporate groups in her role as a HOPE Ranch therapy horse.  She was a special soul who touched, and healed, the lives of many people.  She loved being a Mom and raised two of her own foals, and raised our therapy horse, Red Hawk, from 6 months after he had to be weaned from his momma early.

Words cannot express how much I appreciate your kind words and support as we all process and work through this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Kit Muellner
Clinical Director & CEO
HOPE Ranch

Restrictions are loosening up and people are getting vaccinated. This means a return to being out in the public and socializing. Do we even remember how to socialize? Even during “normal” times, socializing can be tough but after months and months of isolation, it may seem overwhelming. 

You may be feeling a bit rusty but remember, we are all in the same boat. NPR recently released an article with thoughts and tips about this very subject. NPR: Do we even know how to socialize anymore?

Winter has brought not only cold and snow but an increase in mental health deterioration for many people. 
We continue to help as many people as we can, via animal-assisted psychotherapy, to find light and life each day. Even when the vaccines reach everyone, there will still be so much work to get people back to emotional stability. Your dollars give us H.O.P.E. that we will get there together.

Growing to Meet Your Needs

We are in the middle of a campaign to RAISE H.O.P.E. with an end goal of putting up a Round Pen at our facility. The Round Pen is a training tool that will build on our success with equine-assisted therapy. The Round Pen will allow us to increase the number of clients served while decreasing their symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, bipolar and ADHD. This space will also serve as an area to work with Veterans, Law Enforcement, and other First Responders.

We Need Your Help

Could you give today? $50, $100, $150 would make a huge difference and enable H.O.P.E Ranch to: 

• Build The Round Pen on the farm, where clients and horses will work together as crucial therapy partners.

• Add more Equine Specialists to reach more people and increase our impact. 

• Enable the H.O.P.E Ranch Foundation to provide in-depth services to support healing on our ranch southeast of Rochester

Donate Today! 

Your financial donation is needed now to make an impact yet this spring. We still need $10,000 to make The Round Pen a reality. Your tax-deductible contribution will bring H.O.P.E to many in need of life-saving psychotherapy in our communities.

Please consider using one of these three easy ways to donate today:

1. Online at http://hoperanchteam.com/hope-ranch-foundation/.

2. Call the Foundation office at 507-281-3033 to donate by phone.

 3. Mail a check to:
H.O.P.E. Ranch Foundation,
9145 80th Ave SE, Suite B
Chatfield, MN 55923

Feel free to reach out to us directly at 507-281-3033 with any questions. 

Please donate TODAY to help fulfill our urgent need to expand community mental health.
 

Warm Regards,

Cheryl Kliewer, President of H.O.P.E. Ranch Foundation
Kit Muellner, CEO & Founder of H.O.P.E. Ranch

Did you know that you can designate HOPE Ranch as your charity when you shop on Amazon this holiday season? It doesn’t cost you a penny and it helps us out so much! It’s called Amazon Smiles and it’s really quite simple.

Here’s how it works: Simply go to smile.amazon.com and designate HOPE Ranch Foundation as your charity. 

My name is Brianne and I have been coming to H.O.P.E. Ranch since I was 17 years old. I am now 28 and I can honestly say I would not be who or where I am today without Kit, H.O.P.E. Ranch, and all the animals.

I have had depression most of my life and there were many times it was literally debilitating. I could not get out of bed. I was not eating. I was not showering. I was not functioning or participating in my life. I had 5 different psychotherapists before we were referred to H.O.P.E. Ranch. I remember that first session, I felt like I connected with her and the animals immediately. I told her a lot of things I had not told any of my previous therapists. 

I love the animals being available for sessions. I was very connected to their old therapy dog, Honey. I would spend a lot of time on the floor either brushing her, massaging her back, or just petting her – especially if a day was really rough. Being in the fresh air in the country is a huge factor in my self-care. 

When I first came to H.O.P.E. Ranch, a lot of my issues were very big. Kit and I would work through scenarios with the horses and it helped me immensely. I used that information and the coping skills I learned in my everyday life. There is a lot of stigma about mental health and the animals never judge me, I always feel completely accepted there. I never used to tell anybody if anything was bothering me. I used to say, “I’m fine, I’m okay”. Now I am more assertive and can say if something is bothering me or if I need something, I can handle confrontation, I have more confidence in general.

My family including my parents, my younger brother, my husband, and my daughter have all been supportive of me when I have needed a helping hand. Mental health affects more than the person with a diagnosis. It affects those around that person, daily.

I am a much stronger person than I was when I first started coming here. I have had a lot of success talking with Kit and being around all the animals. I will always continue to go there. It helps settle me. I always leave feeling much calmer and stronger.

Would you like to help H.O.P.E Ranch? Consider donating today!

When families need us, we answer that call. Our current needs are greater than our funding streams. COVID-19 has stretched many of us to our limits. Anxiety, depression, isolation stress is affecting us all. We are here to help you and many others who need support via animal-assisted psychotherapy.

We Need Your Help!
Could you give today? $50, $100, $150 would make a huge difference!!
Our horses need $240 of farrier services to trim hooves every 6 weeks.
We have families who need funding – One family of six needs immediate scholarship funding totaling $1620 for psychotherapy to help them heal from the trauma of losing their home to a fire along with everything else they are dealing with related to COVID-19.

Our Stories are Your Stories
We all share in our mission to promote and heal through partnering with animals for clients of all ages who could benefit from animal-assisted psychological services regardless of their ability to pay. We all can promote healing individually and as a community. The H.O.P.E Ranch Foundation provides in-depth services to support healing on our ranch southeast of Rochester.

Donate Today
Your financial donations are used in many important ways that impact H.O.P.E. Ranch and our clients. Scholarships to clients, underwriting the cost of provided programming, care of the animals, and expansion/maintenance of the facilities are just a few of the ways your donations are put to work.

Please consider using one of 3 easy ways to donate today:

1. Donate online
2. Call the Foundation office at 507-281-3033 to donate by phone
3. Mail a check made out to: H.O.P.E. Ranch Foundation
9145 80th Ave SE, Suite B, Chatfield, MN 55923

Reach out to us directly at 507-281-3033 with any questions.
Please donate TODAY to help fulfill our urgent need to restore community mental health.

Warm Regards,

Cheryl Kliewer
President of H.O.P.E. Ranch Foundation
&
Kit Muellner
CEO & Founder of H.O.P.E. Ranch

NOTHING WORKED.
THEN I FOUND H.O.P.E. 

BRIANNE’S STORY

My name is Brianne and I have been coming to H.O.P.E. Ranch since I was 17 years old. I am now 28 and I can honestly say I would not be who or where I am today without Kit, H.O.P.E. Ranch, and all the animals.

I have had depression most of my life and there were many times it was literally debilitating. I could not get out of bed. I was not eating. I was not showering. I was not functioning or participating in my life. I had 5 different psychotherapists before we were referred to H.O.P.E. Ranch. I remember that first session, I felt like I connected with her and the animals immediately. I told her a lot of things I had not told any of my previous therapists. 

I love the animals being available for sessions. I was very connected to their old therapy dog, Honey. I would spend a lot of time on the floor either brushing her, massaging her back, or just petting her – especially if a day was really rough. Being in the fresh air in the country is a huge factor in my self-care. 

When I first came to H.O.P.E. Ranch, a lot of my issues were very big. Kit and I would work through scenarios with the horses and it helped me immensely. I used that information and the coping skills I learned in my everyday life. There is a lot of stigma about mental health and the animals never judge me, I always feel completely accepted there. I never used to tell anybody if anything was bothering me. I used to say, “I’m fine, I’m okay”. Now I am more assertive and can say if something is bothering me or if I need something, I can handle confrontation, I have more confidence in general.

My family including my parents, my younger brother, my husband, and my daughter have all been supportive of me when I have needed a helping hand. Mental health affects more than the person with a diagnosis. It affects those around that person, daily.

I am a much stronger person than I was when I first started coming here. I have had a lot of success talking with Kit and being around all the animals. I will always continue to go there. It helps settle me. I always leave feeling much calmer and stronger.

Would you like to help H.O.P.E Ranch? Consider donating today!