Hooves & Heroes

06/22/2026

We are excited to partner with Shannon Polito of Help For The Headset July 13th - 15th for an immersive wellness retreat for First Responders.

Please email Shannon at [email protected] with questions!

Course Overview:
This immersive three-day experience is designed specifically for first responders seeking sustainable ways to understand stress and restore balance so they can create and experience resilience both professionally and personally.

Day One: Foundation & Education
Participants receive evidence-informed education on cumulative stress, nervous system responses, anxiety, and the unique demands of emergency services and communications work, with practical tools that support personal well-being and responsible peer support integration.

Days Two & Three: Experiential Restoration
Guided experiential learning includes art therapy, movement, equine-assisted experiences, K9-supported interactions, grounding practices, sound bath, earthing/nature engagement, and a reiki/meditation session. These experiences use a combination of techniques designed to reduce stress, release held tension, improve emotional regulation, and support clarity, focus, and a greater sense of calm.

Especially valuable for peer support team members who can take this information, shared language, and lived experience back to their teams and agency.

Dates: July 13–15, 2026 Location: Stanwood, Washington Cost: $395 a student
Registration & Questions: Space is limited

To register, email [email protected] with the following information:
• Student name(s)
• Agency
• Email address
• Preferred method of payment (check or credit card)

Once registered, students will receive an email with address and instructions

06/17/2026

Session day today was wonderful. Oso and Phineas did a beautiful job, and Oso even demonstrated the rope twirl activity at the end 😅 after all his nap time of course (lots of yawning today from both!).

06/16/2026

We're excited to announce a new fundraising opportunity with the Washington Wolfpack, Everett's professional arena football team!

Join us **July 3rd, 2026 at 7pm** for a fun night of football to celebrate our military and our country's 250th birthday AND get discount tickets that give back to our organization!!

This fundraiser is simple, fun, and requires no upfront costs. For every $15 ticket purchased through our fundraiser, our organization receives $5 back. That's a 33% return on every ticket sold!

Why participate?

🏈 Support our organization
🏈 Enjoy an exciting night of professional arena football
🏈 Spend time with family and friends
🏈 Help us reach our fundraising goals

How it works:

⭐Purchase your tickets through our exclusive fundraising link.
⭐Attend the Washington Wolfpack game and enjoy the action.
⭐Our organization earns $5 for every ticket sold.

The best part? The Washington Wolfpack handles all ticket sales online, so there is no cash to collect, no inventory to manage, and no risk involved.

As part of our fundraising experience, our group may also receive:
• Group seating together at the game
• Recognition on the video board during the game
• A post-game group photo on the field
• Special youth team experiences, including the opportunity to participate in a pregame high-five tunnel

This is a great opportunity to support our organization while enjoying an affordable, family-friendly event.

🎟 Purchase Tickets Here:
https://www.gofevo.com/event/Hoovesandheroes
Thank you for supporting our organization. We hope to see you at the game!

06/09/2026

Register with the link below! We will be there August 15th. This is an amazing ride with a big turnout for a good cause.

We would love for everyone to share our upcoming event August 15th at Sound Harley in Marysville. We also have a PDF version for those that want to hang up at a business, (Ride Stops, Bars, Gyms, Coffee Shops, Motorcycle Shops, Motorcycle Clubs etc)

Here is our event page as well for all the information https://xcgif.org/events/RideForOurTroops/seattle/index.php

06/03/2026

**NOT a Hooves & Heroes event, just boosting signal**

🇺🇸 WOMEN VETERANS — THIS RETREAT NEEDS YOU 🇺🇸

Operation Second Chance’s All-Female Veterans Retreat is in danger of being canceled due to low registration.

📅 New Dates: August 13–16, 2026 (*dates were just changed to this weekend)
📍 Heroes Ridge at Raven Rock near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

This is more than a retreat. It is a chance to step away, reconnect, focus on your well-being, and spend time with other women veterans who truly understand the military experience.

💜 Travel covered
💜 Lodging provided
💜 Meals included
💜 No cost to attend

This retreat offers opportunities for connection, stress relief, self-care, reflection, wellness activities, and building a supportive network that can last long after the weekend ends.

If you have ever said women veterans need more opportunities to connect, heal, and support one another — this is one of those opportunities.

Let’s show Operation Second Chance that this retreat matters and that women veterans want these programs to continue.

🌐 Learn more:

Helping Heroes Move On

05/25/2026

Speech delivered today by one of our participants and long time supporters Sean Connolly perfectly captures what today is about:

Thank you all for gathering here today. We come together on this Memorial Day to fulfill a sacred duty of remembrance. We stand in unity to honor those who answered the nation’s call and paid the ultimate price.

Today, our gratitude spans across oceans and generations, recognizing a profound truth: the cost of freedom is measured in human lives.The Dual Fronts of Sacrifice - When we speak of our fallen heroes, we look to the distant shores where so many of our bravest fought and died. We remember those we lost to the wars abroad—in the mud of Europe, the jungles of Asia, and the deserts of the Middle East. They faced hostile fire, braved unimaginable dangers, and gave their last full measure of devotion on foreign soil. Their bravery is etched into our history, and their names are forever engraved on monuments of stone.

But today, we must also speak an uncomfortable, yet vital truth. The battles of military service do not always end when a deployment is over, or when a uniform is put away. Today, we also carry in our hearts those we lost to the war at home. Honoring the Invisible Wounds. For many of our service members, the battlefield followed them back across the ocean. They returned home carrying heavy, unseen burdens—the deep psychological wounds of trauma, post-traumatic stress, and moral injury. Too many of these brave souls fought silent, agonizing wars in their own minds and hearts right here on American soil, eventually succumbing to wounds just as fatal as any sustained in combat.

To their families, we say this: your loved ones are heroes. Their struggles do not diminish their service, nor do they diminish their sacrifice. They gave everything they had to this country. Today, we break the silence. We honor their pain, we remember their lives, and we include them fully in our nation's collective embrace.

Our Sacred Obligation - Remembering those lost abroad and at home requires more than just grieving; it requires action. To truly honor those lost abroad, we must guard the freedom they died to protect. To truly honor those lost at home, we must do better by the ones who are still here with us. We must commit ourselves to being a community that listens, supports, and ensures no Veteran ever has to fight their battles alone in the dark. Our gratitude must manifest as unconditional support for our living veterans and their families.

In conclusion, let us leave this place with a widened perspective on sacrifice. Let us remember every soldier, sailor, airman, marine, and guardian who gave their life—whether on a foreign field of battle or in a quiet room at home. They are all our brothers and sisters. They are all our heroes. May we keep faith with them all, wrap our arms around the families they left behind, and build a nation worthy of their immense sacrifice.

Thank you, and may peace be with you all.

~Sean Connolly, USN Retired

05/25/2026

We had the sweetest visit today from the rainbow girls troop from Port Angeles! They made fresh molasses and oat treats for the horses and one of their members and her family hand delivered them! We took them on a tour and they got to feed each of the horses their special treats.

We always appreciate these kind gestures for the herd who takes such good care of our Vets and First Responders! 💕

Thank you for making the connection!

05/22/2026

We are honored to partner with the Washington Wolfpack professional arena football team!

They are having a Hometown Heroes appreciation night at the Angel Of The Winds Arena THIS Saturday, May 23rd where the Wolfpack takes on the Beaumont (TX) Renegades.

**There will be a special salute to all Hometown Heroes, and the Wolfpack has provided us with an exclusive special link for group tickets at a 45% discount. This discount is available to all members of Hooves & Heroes as well as their families and friends.**

The Washington Wolfpack arena football team is Western Washington’s newest professional sports team franchise. They are members of the Arena Football One League, and their home field is in Everett’s Angel Of The Winds Arena. Their inaugural season was in 2024, and they have drawn thousands of fans from all over Snohomish County, North King County, and South Skagit County.

Arena football is fast paced, hi-octane matchup between elite professional athletes, and the events are designed to be fun and entertaining for the whole family. Kids and adults love these games!

Please click the link below, grab your discounted tickets and help us represent our Hometown Heroes.

https://www.gofevo.com/event/hometownheroesnight

05/05/2026

We would really appreciate your support today!

Hooves & Heroes was born out of a desire to serve those who serve us. That sacrifice, however big or small, comes with a certain level of exposure to traumatizing and high stress environments.

This exposure rewires the nervous system for survival. Those coping skills are helpful when in the face of danger, but when the system creates a new default setting, it can no longer tell the difference between a live fire situation and a crowded store on a typical Sunday afternoon (as a generalized example, each person's individual experience will differ).

Horses have a unique combination of a nervous system which is designed similarly to ours, AND a culture which encourages being fully present in the moment in a grounded and regulated state. This helps humans rewire their nervous system simply being in their presence, and taking feedback from the horses as they build relationships built on trust, awareness, stillness, and softness.

This exposure combined with tools and techniques taught in session creates a container of healing where the capacity of the nervous system can be reset through building resilience to stressors via co regulated, rhythmic, patterned, repeatable practices based in research.

If you are curious to learn more, I would love to personally invite you to our next demo day on June 5th at 1pm. Registration is found on our website: www.hoovesandheroes.org/sign-up

To give today, please see wagives.org/hooves-and-heroes or our website

Thank you,

~Sonia, Founder and President

Today is GiveBIG! ✨🐴

From quiet moments with our herd to powerful breakthroughs in our sessions, our programs are made possible thanks to our wonderful community. Your support today helps keep our programs free and accessible for veterans, first responders, and their families. Donate on our website or visit wagives.org/hooves-and-heroes

If giving isn’t in the cards today, sharing this post or telling a friend about Hooves & Heroes truly goes a long way. Thank you for being part of our community