Touching Smiles Equine Rescue and Therapy is an animal welfare organization specializing in the rescue of miniature horses and other equines that would otherwise face uncertain and often dismal futures. We're set in a beautiful natural wetlands environment, and enhance the lives of emotionally or physically challenged individuals through intimate communication and contact with equines while experiencing the peaceful beauty of nature.
In 2005, a nurse fell in love with a photo she saw of a six week old brown and white miniature horse. The breeder told her about how he would load up one of the smaller horses into his trailer and take him to area nursing homes. That is when the nurse decided that she would create a nonprofit organization that would provide equine assisted visits using miniature horses to those with special needs. Following the adoption of additional miniature horses, Touching Smiles Equine Therapy, Inc. was born.
Your small contribution will make a huge difference! 100% of proceeds are used towards the animals care. We thank you in advance
We are entirely dependent upon fundraising and private donations and we are in desperate need of a vehicle to tow our horse trailer.
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A $25 sponsorship of an animal earns a certificate, a plush pony toy, and a photograph of the animal.
We're always looking for people that have a passion for horses to volunteer their time with us!
Contact UsWe have a variety of horses that are well groomed, trained, loved, and taken care of.
Bambi was adopted from the same breeder as Blaze in Mauston, Wisconsin. He was so named because he resembled a baby deer when he was a foal.
He has gone from being timid around people to being a wonderful therapy horse.
Dottie was rescued by a family in northern Wisconsin; when they found her, she was neglected, skinny, and pregnant. After gaining weight and delivering a healthy foal, Dottie was donated to Touching Smiles. As she becomes more trusting of people, she will hopefully be ready to join our therapy herd. For now, she’s keeping a blind mare company as her pasture-buddy.
Our "Our Story" page discusses the breeder we bought Blaze from, who was taking a small horse to nursing homes. Guess what? That small horse has joined our herd! Nine year old Half Pint was adopted from the same breeder as Blaze and Bambi; in fact, Half Pint and Blaze are half brothers. Half Pint comes with animal-assisted therapy experience; he is the mini who was visiting nursing homes in the Mauston area when Blaze was adopted. Half Pint inspired Touching Smiles.
Blaze was adopted from a breeder in Mauston, Wisconsin. His foal photo with his fuzzy coat and one blue eye stole our hearts! He is one of our most popular therapy horses.
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To raise awareness and fulfill our mission to save animals and help others, we need your help! Remember, everything is tax-deductible as we are a non-profit.
Purchase products on Amazon by clicking the link and Amazon automatically donates .5% of your purchase total to us from Amazon. All you have to do is choose Touching Smiles Equine Therapy as the charity of choice and your charity is saved.
We can always use items to help enrich the lives of our loving animals.
Contact Us for a current list and instructions.
We offer more than just horses for you!
At Touching Smiles Equine Therapy, we love to work with our horses and help bring smiles to peoples faces.
Sheryl G had a passion to help individuals based on her 35 years in the health care field. She fell in love with horses at an early age and became certified in animal assisted thearpy to help others.
Here are some testimonials from our customers.
Dear Mrs. Griffin and Kaelyn, Thanks so much for showing us around the place and for letting us play with the ponies. I had so much fun there I real like going around and petting and seeing all of the horses...Also I told my mom about you and she would like to make a private donation to the ranch! : D Thanks once again for having us. Thanks Very Much,
Dear Sheryl, On behalf of myself and my students, a HUGE thank you to yourself and your wonderful assistant for a great fieldtrip. It was absolutely terrific that Kaelyn was there and could show us around as well. The kids couldn't stop talking about how much fun it was, what they learned, the names of the horses, how beautiful the location was and what an overall terrific experience they had. You are fortunate to have such an exceptional daughter who also understands the unique needs of certain students and can relate so easily to them. Kaelyn was just outstanding!! Thanks for making the end of the year so special. Please accept this small donation as a token of my appreciation. Very sincerely,
Dear Mrs. Griffin, Thank you for [spending] your time to show us how to take care of a horse and feed them. It was really nice feeding them and walking them. It was also really nice of Kaelyn to [spend] her school time to also teach us about horses. Sincerely,
Dear Mrs. Griffin and your assistant, Thank you for taking the time to teach me about horses. I never knew anything about horses. I now know a lot about horses. It is neat how carefully you have to watch them. I learned that horses have two inner stomachs. I also learned that horses get stressed out a lot. I also had a lot of fun. I will love to come back again. Thank you so much. From,
To All of You at Touching Smiles, Thank you so very much for the wonderful time you gave our Group on Tuesday, Aug. 19. The people were so excited to share with the rest of the group. We hope to visit again. Thank you again for making this possible. Bless your hearts and your new program.
Help support our partners in their missions as well.
Feel free to contact us to schedule a visit or for any additional information.
