BENTONVILLE, AR-- The 6th Annual Horses for Healing Benefit Golf Tournament will be held on Friday May 9, 2014 at Kingswood Golf Course in Bella Vista.  The Tournament is a best ball 4-man scramble with a shotgun starts at 8:00 am and 1 pm.  Plaques will be awarded for the top 3 teams with low scores and great door prizes for all.   For more information or to sign up, contact: Stafford Wilson at (479) 254-3200 Ext.  3253, or 479-225-8699, or [email protected]

About Horses for Healing

Horses for Healing is a non-profit therapeutic riding center that serves as many as 400 children with special needs each year and is heavily dependent upon volunteers. Volunteers are needed Monday through Friday mornings and Tuesday through Friday evenings.  For more information, contact Linda Brown at (479) 795-0570 or visit www.horsesforhealingnwa.org.

Fort Smith has a rich Western heritage that the community has decided to promote by hosting a month-long series of events beginning with the Hangin' Judge & Old Fort Day NCHA Cutting Horse Show May 2-4 at Kay Rodgers Park.

A Western heritage art show, Judge Parker's Rope War, the Old Fort Barrel Futurity and Derby and a demonstration of cowboy mounted shooting are also on the agenda.

Events culminate with the Old Fort Days Rodeo parade and Colordash on May 26 and the Old Fort Days Rodeo, set for May 26-31.

For more information about these events and the many historic sites, buildings, tours and fun to be had in Fort Smith, pick up a copy of April's Horsemen's Roundup. You can also read our entire April issue here on our website!

BENTONVILLE, AR- Horses for Healing (HfH) is hosting an advanced training workshop for volunteers.  Topics are designed to enhance understanding of the many challenges faced by our exceptional riders and will cover:  Physical Disabilities, Therapeutic Riding and Hippotherapy -  a demonstration by Linda Steadman, Physical Therapist and Certified Path Intl. Hippotherapist, Supporting the Child with Hearing Loss - a discussion led by Lou Honderich, long-time HfH Volunteer and author of “Ricki”. Understanding Cognitive Disabilities presented by Hannah Shepard, NBCT, Special Education Teacher from Bentonville Schools. A Ride-a-Long interactive activity with Path Int’l. Certified Riding Instructors Karen Davis and Polly Canez will guide participants in experiencing, first hand, some of the disabilities seen at Horses for Healing.  

“Volunteering at Horses for Healing is such a unique experience,” said Executive Director Linda Brown. “Our volunteers get to see so many life-changing moments. We enjoy hearing children say their first words while riding a horse and seeing children take their first steps because of the physical strength, balance, and coordination they gain from riding.

Horses for Healing provides therapeutic riding lessons for children with special needs across the region.  HfH has five (5) full time staff and more than 80 active volunteers, who are vital in providing area children with special needs the opportunity to participate.  

The training is Thursday, March 13th at the therapeutic riding facility in Bentonville from 9:00-12:00.  Horses for Healing is located at 14673 Daniels Road in Bentonville. For more information about the program contact Debbie Studyvin at (479) 795-0570 or visit www.horsesforhealignwa.org.

Hearts & Hooves therapeutic riding center will hold a tack and equipment yard sale April 5 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The sale is a matching fundraiser for the center's scholarship program.

The center is located at 2308 Kellogg Acres Rd., Sherwood, Ark. For more information about the sale, or to donate items or volunteer, contact the center at 501-834-8509 or visit www.heartsandhooves.com.

On April 12  Beyond Boundaries, an equine assisted therapy facility located in Ward, Ark., will host the 8th Annual Boot Scootin’ 5k Dash. This is a fundraiser focused on raising awareness of this organization by actively engaging the community that it serves. Participants can choose from two registration options. There is a $20 Option A registration fee for 5k participants that includes a runner’s gift bag and cotton race shirt. The $25 Option B registration includes the registration fee, runner’s gift bag and an Under Armour t-shirt. The race begins at the Beyond Boundaries facility, 2195 Peyton St., Ward, Ark., at 8 a.m. Online registration is available at www.beyondboundariesar.com or visit their Facebook page for more details about the race and the center's program. Beyond Boundaries is a non-profit therapy center that was established in 2003 and gained non-profit status in 2004. Beyond Boundaries offers a productive environment where certified physical, occupational and speech therapists can treat clients. The program boasts an indoor arena, as well as an outdoor riding area that serves as a “sensory garden” for therapy. 

Check out this cute little cowboy all dressed up for his photo shoot! This is four-month-old Rustin. Check out the March issue of Horsemen's Roundup to find out what he has been up to at J.R.'s Hobby Horse in Conway, Ark.

The arena at Back Achers Ranch in Conway, Ark., was full Friday evening of riders warming up for barrel racing! If you just want to ride out of the weather, come by for open arena days! Legends Restaurant, at the top right of the photo, is a great place to watch the action and enjoy some great food. There is also a full-featured meeting room available and construction is now underway at the end of the building (not shown) on the JAG Feed & Tack Store. For more information on the facility and coming events visit www.backachersranch.com. Check out the March issue of Horsemen's Roundup for more photos and a story about the exciting changes at Back Achers Ranch!

Here's a small sample of the activity going on today at the Saline County Fairgrounds in Benton, Ark., at the finals of the Southern Junior Rodeo Association. Hundreds of youngsters were there to compete in everything from "goat un-decorating" to barrels and poles to bull riding. Watch for the April issue of Horsemen's Roundup to see the full story about SJRA!

Welcome to our new website! Our goal was to create a really simple site that would be easy to navigate, plus give us the option of helping to promote upcoming events here on our blog page. You now can purchase a subscription on our site, read our current issue online and view and submit events on our Calendar of events page. We hope you like it; please feel free to share a comment or suggestion!