It started with a little girl who loved horses.

I have always loved working with and being around horses. Since I was a little girl, I have felt a deep connection to them and a passion for seeing horses that have experienced neglect, fear, or hardship find restoration.

But over the years, I began to realize that my connection with horses was about more than simply loving animals.

There was something about being around them that made me feel safe. Something about their ability to communicate without words. Something about earning their trust and watching them slowly become confident again.

I would eventually discover that the restoration I longed to see in horses was also something I needed in my own life.

My own journey

I experienced an attack that changed the way I saw myself and the world around me. I walked through seasons of anxiety, hardship, fear, and pain.

During that time, I found myself turning toward horses.

They became a place where I could slow down, breathe, and simply be. As I worked with them, I began learning lessons about trust, boundaries, patience, confidence, and vulnerability.

But most importantly, I began to understand something about identity.

I began to see that what had happened to me was part of my story, but it did not have to become who I was.

Through my relationship with horses and through my faith, the Lord began showing me how to see myself through truth rather than through the experiences that had wounded me.

I began to understand that restoration isn't about pretending the past never happened. It is about discovering that the past does not have the final word.

From restoration to a calling

As my love for horses continued to grow, so did my desire to help horses who had experienced neglect and hardship.

I saw how a horse that had been afraid could learn to trust again. How a horse that had been neglected could learn to receive care. How a horse that had lost confidence could begin to find it again.

And I began to see a beautiful parallel. People can experience that kind of restoration too.

The same horses who were learning to trust again were teaching me about trust. The same horses who were learning that they were safe were reminding me that people can learn to feel safe again. The same horses who were discovering that their past did not determine their future were helping me understand that truth for myself.

That is where the vision for Little Patch of Heaven began to take shape.

Why Little Patch of Heaven exists

Little Patch of Heaven was created around a simple belief:

Past experiences do not define true identity. Not for horses. Not for people.

We believe that every person carries a story, but that story does not have to define their identity.

Our goal is to create a safe and intentional environment where individuals can slow down, connect with horses, explore the beliefs they carry about themselves, and begin discovering the truth of who they were created to be.

Through equine-assisted experiences, identity-focused work, and the restoration of horses, we want to create opportunities for people to experience something they may not have experienced in a long time: hope.

The role of Identity Exchange

A significant part of the vision for Little Patch of Heaven is rooted in the principles of Identity Exchange®.

Identity Exchange, developed by Jamie and Donna Winship, focuses on helping individuals recognize false or fear-based beliefs and exchange them for truth about who they were created to be.

These principles have deeply influenced the way we think about restoration and identity.

At Little Patch of Heaven, we are bringing these ideas into our work with horses, creating experiences where individuals can begin exploring identity in a tangible and meaningful way.

Because sometimes we don't simply need someone to tell us that we are different. Sometimes we need an experience that helps us see it for ourselves.

Restoring horses. Restoring people.

Today, Little Patch of Heaven carries both sides of this calling.

We rescue and rehabilitate horses who have experienced neglect and hardship. And we are building a place where people who have experienced hardship can come and discover that they are not defined by what happened to them.

We believe these two parts of our mission belong together. Because restoration is restoration.

A frightened horse can learn to trust. A neglected horse can learn that it is safe. A broken relationship can be rebuilt. A person who has lost sight of their worth can begin to see themselves differently.

And sometimes, a horse can become part of the bridge between where someone has been and where they are going.

Where we are going

Little Patch of Heaven is currently in a season of preparation.

We are working to complete our facility so that we can begin welcoming the people we were created to serve.

There is still work to be done, but the vision is clear.

We want to create a place where people can come and breathe. A place where horses can be restored. A place where people can be seen. A place where trust can be rebuilt. A place where identity can be rediscovered. A place where someone can begin to believe that their future can look different from their past.

Welcome to Little Patch of Heaven.

What started with a little girl who loved horses has grown into a calling to create a place of restoration for both horses and people.

We don't believe that healing always happens overnight. We don't believe that one experience erases the past. But we do believe that restoration is possible.

We believe that identity matters. We believe that truth changes everything.

And we believe there is something powerful about creating a place where both horses and people can be given the opportunity to discover what is possible when they are met with patience, compassion, truth, and love.

This is Little Patch of Heaven.