Happiness Through Horses

What Happiness Through Horses does

Happiness Through Horses is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ranch community organization founded in 2013 and headquartered on a single 15600 County Road 6 working ranch in Fort Lupton, Colorado, owned by Treasurer Chris Swaney and his wife. The organization delivers primarily ground-based, non-clinical equine-assisted mentorship, coaching, and animal-interaction programs organized into four categories: Community & Family (Guided Ranch Connection Days, Hearts & Hooves Family Days), Youth & Mentoring (Ranch Explorer Club, Self-Leadership for Girls, Stables of Hope for Boys), Seniors (Active Seniors Garden Club, Carol's Circle: Senior Memory Connection), and Service & Responsibility (Ranch Responsibility, Youth Volunteer Group). It also operates a Sponsor-A-Horse Program with ten named sponsorable herd members.

The organization serves four primary persona segments — youth, families, seniors (including those with memory loss), and broader community members — with a stated mission of building confidence, life skills, emotional resilience, and a sense of belonging through interactions with horses, sanctuary animals, mentors, gardens, and nature. No technology platform is involved; delivery is entirely in-person at the ranch location and participants must register in advance and attend on-site.

Revenue mechanics combine individual giving, corporate and community sponsorships, grants from multiple foundations (Foundation For The Horse, Colorado Unwanted Horse Alliance, Colorado Garden Foundation, The Weld Trust), in-kind local business support, volunteer service, and program registration fees structured as suggested donations. Go-to-market is direct via the ranch site with light digital presence across Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Constant Contact email, and the WordPress website. Governance is via a six-person Board of Directors including a President, Treasurer, Secretary, Co-Founder, and two additional board members, with a headcount of 1-10.

Name

Happiness Through Horses

Legal name

Happiness Through Horses

Website

https://happinesshorses.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Happiness Through Horses is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a single ranch in Fort Lupton, Colorado that delivers ground-based equine-assisted mentorship and animal-interaction programs to youth, families, seniors, and community members seeking confidence, connection, and emotional growth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equine-Assisted Youth and Community Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Support Activities for Animal Production (11521)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Equine Working Ranch & Trail Operations (non-tourism) (AFAEAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Equine Care & Stable Management (EDAOAOAE)

Keywords

• Equine-assisted mentorship
• Animal-assisted programs
• Youth ranch programs
• Community nonprofit services
• Ranch-based experiential learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Lupton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Happiness Through Horses is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) ranch community that delivers in-person, ground-based equine-assisted mentorship, leadership, and community programs at its Fort Lupton, Colorado ranch. It serves youth, families, seniors, and community members through programs such as Guided Ranch Connection Days, Hearts & Hooves Family Days, Ranch Explorer Club, Self-Leadership for Girls, Stables of Hope for Boys, Active Seniors Garden Club, Carol's Circle: Senior Memory Connection, Ranch Responsibility Program, Youth Volunteer Group, and Sponsor-A-Horse.

Product overview

Happiness Through Horses is a non-profit 501(c)(3) ranch community organization offering primarily ground-based mentorship, coaching, and animal-assisted programs. The organization operates as a collection of interconnected programs rather than a unified software platform. Programs are organized into four main categories: Community & Family (Guided Ranch Connection Days, Hearts & Hooves Family Days), Youth & Mentoring (Ranch Explorer Club, Self-Leadership for Girls, Stables of Hope for Boys), Seniors (Active Seniors Garden Club, Carol's Circle: Senior Memory Connection), and Service & Responsibility (Ranch Responsibility, Youth Volunteer Group). Additionally, the Sponsor-A-Horse Program allows supporters to sponsor individual horses. The organization also maintains mental health and animal care resource pages. These are in-person, experiential programs—not clinical therapy or traditional classroom instruction—designed to build confidence, life skills, and community connection through interactions with horses, sanctuary animals, mentors, gardens, and nature.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guided Ranch Connection Days Guided ranch experiences for teens, adults, seniors, caregivers, families, and community members to connect with horses, sanctuary animals, and the ranch environment.
• Hearts & Hooves Family Days Family-oriented ranch connection experiences welcoming families, parents, children, grandparents, and community supporters for shared activities.
• Ranch Explorer Club A ranch-based learning and exploration program designed for homeschool families, connecting youth with animals, gardens, nature, responsibility, and hands-on discovery.
• Self-Leadership for Girls A youth leadership program designed to help girls build confidence, resilience, responsibility, communication, and self-worth through guided ranch-based experiences.
• Stables of Hope for Boys A young men's program focused on mentorship, responsibility, emotional growth, confidence, and positive connection in a safe ranch environment.
• Active Seniors Garden Club A garden-centered community opportunity for seniors to connect with nature, contribute their experience, build friendships, and enjoy meaningful time at the ranch.
• Carol's Circle: Senior Memory Connection A program created in memory of Carol Laux that brings seniors living with memory loss and their caregivers together with mini horses for gentle connection, companionship, and moments of joy.
• Ranch Responsibility Program A community service and responsibility-based program that gives participants hands-on opportunities to contribute to the care of the ranch, animals, and shared spaces.
• Youth Volunteer Group A feeder program for future ranch leaders, encouraging youth to serve, learn, grow, and become part of the HTH volunteer community.
• Sponsor-A-Horse Program A sponsorship program allowing individuals to support specific horses in the herd, including Cinnamon, Boone, Diamond, Toffee, Chevello, Tonka, Ghost, Dakota, Lavender, and Whiskey.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, support and minor.

• Mentor ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership organization supporting mentoring programs and youth development initiatives in Colorado. Listed as a community membership and affiliation for HTH.
• Carbon Valley Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal chamber of commerce supporting community businesses and organizations in the Carbon Valley area. HTH maintains membership for community visibility and engagement.
• Colorado Unwanted HorsemajorOthersGrant provider supporting equine welfare and care programs. Helps fund animal care operations at HTH.
• Colorado Garden FoundationmajorOthersGrant provider supporting garden and grounds development. Funds HTH's garden programs and horticultural activities.
• Foundation For The HorsemajorOthersNational foundation providing grants for equine welfare. Supports HTH's horse care and sanctuary animal programs.
• The Weld TrustmajorOthersLocal foundation supporting community organizations in Weld County. Provides funding support for HTH operations and programs.
• Oskar Blues BrewerysupportOthersLocal craft brewery operating a taproom in Longmont. Corporate partner supporting HTH through potential sponsorship and community events.
• Flour & FlowerminorOthersLocal business providing in-kind support or services to HTH.
• Western Border & CominorOthersLocal business providing in-kind support or services to HTH.
• Rau-D Goat YogaminorOthersLocal business providing in-kind support or services to HTH.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• StableStrides: Colorado equine-assisted therapy and learning center providing ground-based and mounted programming for youth, veterans, and individuals with special needs. Directly comparable service mix, donor-funded nonprofit model, and Colorado regional footprint.
• Hearts & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center: Loveland, Colorado-based nonprofit offering equine-assisted activities, hippotherapy, and therapeutic riding for people with disabilities and life challenges. Highly comparable to HTH as a Colorado-anchored equine nonprofit serving youth, families, and seniors through horse-based programs.
• BINA Farm Center for Horsemanship: Boulder County, Colorado nonprofit providing equine-facilitated psychotherapy, learning, and wellness programs. Comparable ranch-based, donor-funded nonprofit model serving youth and adult mental-health and personal-growth needs.

Broad incumbents

• PATH International (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship): National accrediting body and member network for equine-assisted services and therapeutic riding centers. Larger, established umbrella covering credentialing, standards, and member centers that compete with or certify programs like HTH's.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado: Statewide youth mentoring nonprofit operating across Colorado, including the Weld County area where HTH operates. Comparable youth-mentorship mission, donor-funded nonprofit model, and overlapping beneficiary base (at-risk youth, confidence building).
• Boys & Girls Club of Weld County: Weld County youth development nonprofit serving children and teens with after-school programming. Comparable youth-development mission and Colorado geographic overlap, though using facility-based rather than ranch-based delivery.

Others

• Mentor Colorado: Statewide mentoring advocacy and capacity-building organization, already a formal community partner of HTH. Ecosystem peer rather than direct competitor; comparable youth-mentorship mission and overlapping funder/donor network.

Regional players

• Front Range Equine Rescue: Northern Colorado equine welfare and rescue nonprofit with overlapping donor pool and geographic base. Comparable mission in equine stewardship but operates in welfare/rescue rather than human-services delivery.
• Hope Center for Horses: Colorado equine welfare and education nonprofit with overlapping equine-care costs, donor base, and regional footprint. Adjacent peer in equine stewardship rather than direct human-services competitor.

Emerging players

• Dreams Alive Equine Assisted Therapy: Smaller-scale equine-assisted therapy nonprofit with comparable experiential, ground-based programming for youth and families. Niche and emerging but operates in similar human-services-through-horses category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/happinesshorses.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/happiness-through-horses
• TikToktiktok.com/@hthnonprofit?_r=1&_t=ZT-94kahFra6By

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Happiness Through Horses