Founded in 2024, Joyful Hooves, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting literacy and creating meaningful connections through the unique companionship of rescued miniature horses. Through its signature Read With Us program, trained miniature horses visit schools and libraries, providing children with a fun, encouraging, and nonjudgmental environment where they can build confidence, improve reading skills, and develop a lifelong love of learning. In addition to its literacy mission, Joyful Hooves serves the community through wellness visits to nursing homes, assisted living communities, first responder agencies, and domestic violence shelters. These special visits bring comfort, emotional support, and moments of joy to individuals facing challenges, helping reduce stress, encourage social interaction, and brighten lives through the gentle presence of the miniature horses. By combining literacy, animal-assisted outreach, and community service, Joyful Hooves is making a lasting difference in the lives of children and adults throughout the community.
Joyful Hooves is dedicated to enriching lives through literacy, compassion, and meaningful connections with our rescued miniature horses. Through our Read With Us literacy program, we inspire children to develop a love of reading while building confidence, fluency, and a strong foundation for lifelong learning. Beyond literacy, Joyful Hooves extends comfort and encouragement through wellness visits to first responders and domestic violence shelters, bringing moments of peace, emotional support, and hope to those facing stress, trauma, and difficult life circumstances. By combining the healing presence of miniature horses with educational and community outreach programs, Joyful Hooves strives to create positive, lasting impacts for children, families, and individuals throughout the communities we serve.
Donations to Joyful Hooves directly support the programs and services that bring literacy, comfort, and connection to children and communities throughout the region. Contributions help provide children’s books, reading materials, educational resources, and literacy incentives used in our Read With Us program. Donations also help cover the daily care of our rescued miniature horses, including feed, veterinary care, farrier services, training, and equipment necessary to keep them healthy and ready to serve. Financial support allows us to sponsor visits to schools, libraries, nursing homes, domestic violence shelters, and first responder agencies that may not otherwise have the resources to participate in our programs. In addition, donations help maintain our horse trailer and transportation equipment, ensuring our miniature horses can safely travel to outreach events and literacy programs. Every gift helps Joyful Hooves expand its impact, making it possible to inspire young readers, support vulnerable populations, and continue providing meaningful animal-assisted experiences throughout the community.
At Joyful Hooves, we believe every person deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and experience the comfort and connection that animals can provide. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, welcoming, and equitable environment where individuals of all backgrounds, abilities, ages, identities, and life experiences are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.
Through our literacy programs, wellness visits, and community outreach initiatives, we strive to remove barriers to participation and ensure that our services are accessible to all members of the communities we serve. We recognize that access to educational resources and supportive experiences is not always equal, and we are dedicated to expanding opportunities for underserved and under-resourced populations.
Joyful Hooves values diversity and believes that our differences strengthen our organization and enrich the lives of those we serve. We are committed to treating volunteers, participants, partners, and community members fairly and without discrimination. By promoting kindness, respect, inclusion, and understanding, we seek to create positive experiences where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered.
Through our work, we strive to build stronger, more connected communities where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.
Organization name
Joyful Hooves
Causes
Education - Early Childhood
Operating Budget
Less than $100,000
Counties Served
Denton, Tarrant
BIPOC Leadership
Neither/None
Address
9285 HILLTOP RD