Loading...
Hope Reins Academy2026-09-02T12:38:34-04:00

An online learning community designed to walk alongside you as you organize, plan or strengthen your equine ministry.

We founded Hope Reins as a nonprofit ranch ministry in 2010, and we remember how it feels to start with just a big vision. To help you move forward, we packaged our operational expertise and lessons from 30,000+ mentorship sessions into step-by-step online courses.

We designed Hope Reins Academy to meet you exactly where you are today. The heart for serving kids comes naturally. However, managing structural details and daily logistics can feel overwhelming at first. You don’t need a finalized plan to get started, just a willingness to take the first step. Let’s start the journey together.

Proven. Validated. Accessible.

Hope Reins’ Pathway to Resilience has been independently validated by the University of Kentucky.

“Hope Reins has processes to evaluate and deliver meaningful evidence that healing is occurring for children in crisis.”
– Center for Innovation in Population Health, University of Kentucky

The Academy takes what Hope Reins has learned through years of ministry, and what research has validated, and equips you to put those same principles into practice in your community. Our curriculum centers on three pillars necessary for a sustainable equine mentorship ministry.

Business & Leadership

Master 501(c)(3) compliance, board governance and fundraising.

Relational Healing

Implement a faith-based, trauma-informed approach to mentorship.

Ranch Operations

Learn site setup, volunteer culture and horse readiness.

Inside the Academy

Choose Your Training Courses

Essentials

Build and strengthen your nonprofit ranch ministry. This course covers business, leadership and operations for new or existing programs. It includes practical templates and foundational resources from our strategic partner, Mission Triangle.

Healing-Based Horsemanship 1: You and the horse

This course focuses on the specialized methodology and philosophy required to train horses as true relational partners in trauma recovery.

Healing-Based Horsemanship 2: You, the horse and the client

This course focuses entirely on facilitating live sessions, featuring real demonstration videos that center on the client-horse connection.

(Completion of Healing-Based Horsemanship 1 is required to enroll.)

Academy Membership

When you join Hope Reins Academy, you gain access to a dedicated community of ministry founders who share your heart for this work. We provide the tools, guidance and peer support you need to reach every milestone:

Clarity for
Your Calling

Map your path forward using the interactive Academy Roadmap tool.

Exclusive
Resources

Access downloadable planning blueprints and templates.

Community
Connection

Share insights with a network of like-minded founders.

Special
Events

Join live group coaching, interactive Q&As and direct onboarding support.

Your first year of membership is included free with the purchase of a course, and renews for $50 annually.

What Our Learners Say

“I initially had no idea really where to start; this course has truly helped me, and will continue to as I move forward”

Mary, MO

“It was a comprehensive overview of the elements needed to start a center.”

Sarah, VA

“The content was exactly what new and aspiring similar ministries need in a training course such as this.”

Juliana, FL

“There was a feeling of encouragement, support and caring.”

Avery, OK

“This was like having a conversation with a like minded friend.”

Katrina, SC

“The videos that I watched were informative and inspirational.”

Cindy, NC

Frequently Asked Questions:

Hope Reins Academy is an online learning community that equips people to turn their equine mentorship ministry dream into a reality.

Academy courses contain valuable knowledge, tools, and resources that Hope Reins has developed as a leading nonprofit equine mentorship ministry since 2010. The Academy’s mission is to train others to bring hope and healing to their communities, which is an extension of Hope Reins’ vision to provide true hope and real healing for every child.

You can learn more about Hope Reins at hopereins.org.

As the nation’s leading equine mentorship ministry, Hope Reins has a proven, replicable model for helping children heal from trauma.

When Hope Reins maxed out the capacity of clients we could serve at our ranch in Raleigh, NC, we considered different ways to continue towards our vision of hope and healing for every child. Feeling a clear calling from God, our board and leadership team decided expand our impact by providing a comprehensive training program to equip others to offer hope and healing in their own communities.

Through Hope Reins Academy, we are able to steward the gifts, resources, and knowledge the Lord has so generously provided to our team.

The Academy officially launched in March 2024 with the release of Essentials.

An equine mentorship ministry brings together a client, a mentor, and a horse with the ultimate goal of healing for the client, all within a faith-based environment.

Through mentorship, discipleship, and horsemanship tools, mentors model healthy relationship and provide opportunities for clients to build the resiliency skills of trust, communication, boundaries, and leadership.

Because of the healing opportunities provided in healthy relationships, connection is the most important priority within a session. Mentors connect with both the client and the horse, and they help facilitate a connection between the horse and the client.

This approach differs from other equine-assisted strategies in a few ways:

1. No clinical or licensed therapy is offered. Clients are mentored, not treated or trained.

2. Although mentors are not licensed, they are well-trained for their role of facilitating sessions with clients who have experienced trauma.

3. Because relationship is at the core of this approach, horses that participate in sessions are treated as partners and their feedback is intentionally sought out and honored.

Our goal is to provide high-value content at a low price point to enable as many participants as possible to enroll.

Courses are priced at $300 each, and with the purchase of a course, learners receive a free year of Academy membership.

The $300 course fee includes access to the course content, an online community of learners, and additional events and resources for one year. Continued course access can be purchased through an Academy membership priced at $50/year.

Course bundles are also available.

Please note that course fees are not considered a tax-deductible donation.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Let’s replace the uncertainty of getting started with a clear plan, so you can focus entirely on your calling.

Have a few questions first? Email us at academy@hopereins.org or schedule a virtual meeting.



Contributions or gifts to Hope Reins, a 501(c)(3) organization, are tax deductible as charitable contributions. Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the North Carolina State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 919.807.2214.  EIN #27-1074966  |   © Copyright 2018-     |   All Rights Reserved. Click here to see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Digital Storytelling by:

FacebookInstagram
Go to Top