Stride Ahead Inc.

Nash loves our awesome volunteers

Stride Ahead is happy to spotlight long time, dedicated volunteer Ann Mittelstead. Ann came to us after retiring and with a wealth of experience having volunteered with another equine therapy program. We are delighted Ann is a part of our volunteer force.

A life-long animal lover, Ann has done everything from feeding baby birds to volunteering with cat and dog organizations for decades, which she reports can be challenging because she wants to take every dog and cat home. She also loves horses but didn’t think she could bring one home, so she went online, found Stride Ahead and has been volunteering since 2022.

Ann has done just about every volunteer job there is to do at
Stride Ahead including lessons, blanketing, med-giver, farrier
assistant and rainy day walker. Her wisdom and input are always welcomed and invaluable because it’s always about making the program better for volunteers, riders and our horses.

Ann says the best part of volunteering with Stride Ahead is bonding with the horses as well as making new friends with other Stride Ahead volunteers. She has been particularly delighted to discover the beauties and intricacies of the horse’s behavior and body language, and learn about their capacity to connect with humans.

She mentioned a magical time when Teddy rested his chin on her shoulder during a nighttime trip to the barn, by herself, for blanketing, as well as getting voluntary hugs from Tigo, and Nash using her cheek to rest on during a recent Masterson session. These things only happen when a horse feels safe and has bonded with its caregiver, which was nothing she ever anticipated when she came to Stride Ahead.

We like to ask people how Stride Ahead has impacted the community, and wanted to share Ann’s inciteful answer. She says Stride Ahead provides a place of acceptance for everyone. It also provides an opportunity to give back and feel, maybe for an hour during a lesson, you made a rider feel “seen,” cared for and special. It’s also therapy for volunteers looking for some relief from their demanding lives. Quoting another volunteer, Ann says “When you’re here, you don’t think about anything else.”

We appreciate you Ann and all you do for Stride Ahead. Thank you!!!

If you would like to support Stride Ahead's programs, horses and mission please DONATE. Your gift will be greatly appreciated!

To keep up with Stride's programs and other activities, check out our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and tweet us .

Please welcome Stride Ahead’s new PATH certified instructor, Maddy Alley. She will be teaching our Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday lessons.

Maddy grew up on Martha’s Vineyard and trained at a dressage barn where she competed through the FEI junior/young rider levels. She started teaching about 10 years ago and ran a summer pony camp for many years.

Maddy graduated from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, then earned a Masters in Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin. She lived in London for three years before moving back to the states.

Outside the barn, Maddy spends time walking her puppy, Maple, who she rescued from the Golden Rescue of Atlanta. She runs marathons, bakes sourdough, loves ice cream. In her day job she works as a research scientist at a healthcare company where she writes and researches about diagnostic testing.

Maddy moved to Atlanta about a year ago. As she tells it, she didn’t know anyone or anything about Atlanta but drove past Little Creek one day and shouted PONIES like an excited kid. She immediately reached out and asked how she could get involved. The rest is history. For the past some months she has been working with Pam and Claire teaching lessons to finish her PATH certification. We are thrilled she’s now certified and we officially welcome her to our Stride Ahead family.

We have happy news about Maddy some of you may not know, she and her fiancé will be getting married in June!

We love our happy riders!

It’s always great to see one of our Stride Ahead horses, Cupid, and her owner. Have a great ride.
Thank you for being such a great part of our program!

So happy to have Scout back in service after his injury. He’s such a sweetheart with his riders, and an after-lesson treat is always welcomed.

Final adjustments before the lesson. Thank you instructor Claire!

Stride Ahead recently had a Rainy Day Waker Training led by SA Volunteer Coordinator, Mary Brunton. Thank you SA volunteers for being willing to learn and practice how to independently walk our horses. It gives our friends an opportunity to stretch their legs when they have to be in their stalls due to weather or other reasons.

Sarah’s all about a hug and a snack!

Stride Ahead offers our volunteers a Horsemanship Class the third Tuesday of every month, 6:30-8:30 pm. The class delves into a different aspect of horsemanship each month. We’d love to have you join us! If you’re interested sign up on VicNet