Harrisburg, Pa. – February 9, 2026 – The Pennsylvania National Horse Show Foundation is proud to announce the distribution of $125,000 in grant funding for 2025, marking the largest annual grant total in the Foundation’s history. The funding will support a wide range of horse rescues and therapeutic riding programs, furthering the Foundation’s commitment to “Enriching Lives Through Equestrian Sport.”

Since 2021, the PNHS Foundation has been able to increase its charitable impact each year, and the 2025 record-setting total is only made possible thanks to sponsors, donors and all supporters of the Pennsylvania National Horse Show.

“We are incredibly proud to reach this milestone,” said Susie Shirk, Executive Director of the PNHS Foundation. “The Pennsylvania National Horse Show has always been about more than sport. These grants represent our belief in the profound impact horses have – on those who ride and enjoy them, on those who care for and rescue them and on those whose lives are changed through therapeutic riding programs.”

Shirk continued, “Being able to continue to allocate increased grant funding each year is highly rewarding and is something that each and every person that has supported the Pennsylvania National Horse Show can be proud to have played a part in.”

Since its inception in 1999, the PNHS Foundation has provided grant funding to organizations focused on equine rescue and rehabilitation and to therapeutic riding centers that provide physical, emotional and cognitive benefits to individuals of all ages and abilities.

The 59 equine rescue and therapeutic riding programs receiving grant funding for the 2025 application year are as follows:

• A Broken Spur Riding Academy | Beaver, WV
• Avenues Schuylkill County Therapeutic Riding Program | Pottsville, PA
• Bridlepath Equine Center | Quarryville, PA
• Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center | Buffalo, NY
• Capital Area Therapeutic Riding Assoc. | Grantville, PA
• Centaur Stride, Inc. | Sherman, NY
• Charleston Area Therapeutic Riding | Johns Island, SC
• Cloverleaf Equine Center | Clifton, VA
• Days End Farm Horse Rescue | Woodbine, MD
• Dream Catchers | Williamsburg, Va
• Eos Therapeutic Riding Center | Bloomsburg, PA
• Equine Assisted Living of South Florida | Coconut Creek, FL
• Equi-Kids Therapeutic Riding Program | Virginia Beach, VA
• Equi-Team Support Services | Dallastown, PA
• February Star Sanctuary, Inc. | Knoxville, MD
• Franklin County 4-H Therapeutic Riding Center | Chambersburg, PA
• GAIT Equine Assisted Services | Milford, PA
• GallopNYC | Howard Beach, NY
• Glenayre Equestrian Program | Lumberton, NJ
• Graceful Acres | Halifax, PA
• Greystone Manor Therapeutic Riding Center | Lancaster, PA
• Harmony Farms, Inc. | Cocoa, FL
• High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, Inc. | Old Lyme, CT
• Hope Springs | Chester Springs, PA
• Hooves of Hope Equestrian Center | Lancaster, KY
• Horses & Horizons | New Ringgold, PA
• Horses with Hope | Bethel Park, PA
• Kent Association of Riding Therapy, Inc. | Worton, MD
• Lee-Mar Ranch Equine Center, Inc. | Granite Falls, MN
• Leg Up Farm | Mt. Wolf, PA
• Lift Me Up! | Great Falls, VA
• Lone Oak Animal-Assisted Therapy & Education Services | Lancaster, PA
• Mane Stream Therapeutic Riding | Oldwick, NJ
• Manito Life Center | Allentown, PA
• Maryland Therapeutic Riding | Crownsville, MD
• Mountainview Horse Rescue | New Tripoli, PA
• Olive’s Branch Healing | Dover, PA
• Omega Horse Rescue | Airville, PA
• Pal-O-Mine | Islandia, NY
• Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Academy | Philadelphia, PA
• Prancing Horse Therapeutic Riding Center | Southern Pines, NC
• Reins of Life | Landenberg, PA
• Reins of Rhythm | Fayetteville, PA
• Riding to the Top Therapeutic Riding Center | Windham, ME
• Right Foot Ranch, Inc. | Lewisberry, PA
• Sebastian Riding Associates | Collegeville, PA
• Shining Stars Therapeutic Riding | Gettysburg, PA
• Slippery Rock Foundation, Inc. | Slippery Rock, PA
• Southern Reins Center for Equine Therapy | Collierville, TN
• Special Equestrians | Warrington, PA
• Special Strides | Monroe, NJ
• Southern Tier Alternative Therapies STAT | Ligonier, PA
• The Children’s TherAplay Foundation, Inc. | Carmel, IN
• The Helping Horseshoe Therapeutic Riding Club | Andover, NJ
• Therapeutic Riding at Centenary University | Hackettstown, NJ
• Thorncroft Equestrian Center | Malvern, PA
• US Horse Welfare & Rescue Organization | Avon, CT
• Victory Hill Therapeutic Horsemanship | Port Jervis, NJ
• WEAAAT (Wildstar Eq Asst & Therapeutic) | Sherborn, MA

For many of the therapeutic riding organizations, the PNHS Foundation grant allocations will help to fund specific offerings.

At Mane Stream in Oldwick, N.J., funding will go toward Horses for Healing, a program that offers a unique and vital lifeline for individuals living with cancer or Parkinson’s disease.

In their grant application, Mane Stream shared, “More than just an adaptive riding, ‘H4H’ is a sanctuary where participants find strength, joy and community. We recognize that while their diagnoses are different, the social and emotional burdens of living with a chronic illness are often the same.

“Our program addresses these shared experiences directly, fostering a sense of belonging and mutual support that is critical for well-being. We see firsthand how participants experience remarkable physical, emotional and social transformations…We are committed to keeping this life-changing program free of charge for participants, with only a nominal administration fee to ensure commitment. The support from the PNHS Foundation is fundamental to this promise and directly funds the exceptional care our horses receive and provides the expert staff and resources necessary to deliver a high-quality, deeply meaningful program.”

At Therapeutic Riding at Centenary, the PNHS Foundation funds will benefit both their Therapeutic Riding Instructor Training and Education program and Equine-Assisted Learning for Special Populations.

“Equine-Assisted Learning is educational and uplifting, and the feedback from the groups we have served, including veterans and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities, has been exceptionally positive,” explained TRAC in their grant application. “Past grants from the PNHS Foundation supported this program expansion. In 2024 –25, we served over 93 individuals through these programs. This is a 23% percent increase in the number served, thanks to your support!”

The application continued, “Specifically, funding from the PNHS Foundation allows us to offer groups that benefit from these services a full or partial scholarship to participate, making it feasible for them to have these experiences. Groups have included residents of senior living facilities, teens participating in alternative high school programming/GED, veterans and special populations (such as peer mentors working in addiction recovery services). Targeted groups typically do not have the funding to attend, so the grant support will directly cover their costs and enable them to have the transformative experience of equine-assisted learning.”

While these are just two examples of the dozens of ways that the 2025 PNHS Foundation grant funds are slated to be put to use, many needs still remain. For non-profit organizations in need of funding, applications for the 2026 PNHS Foundation grants will be made available in July 2026. For individuals interested in supporting the PNHS Foundation through a sponsorship or donation, contact Susie Shirk at susie@panational.org.

In addition to providing grant funding, the PNHS Foundation hosts the LifeVac Therapeutic Riding Championships each year on “Foundation Friday” during the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. To learn more about the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, visit panational.org.

About the Pennsylvania National Horse Show
For 80 years, the Pennsylvania National Horse Show has hosted top horses and riders from across the country and around the world for high-caliber hunter, jumper and equitation competition at the historic Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa. As one of the longest-standing indoor horse shows in the United States, US Equestrian has honored the championship event with the prestigious Heritage Competition classification. The horse show serves as the largest source of funding for the PNHS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to “Enriching Lives Through Equestrian Sport.” Learn more at panational.org.