Solid Strides

Founder and Director, Alison Weston, has spent her lifetime working with horses. Her passion has been working with horses that have been failed by the human. These horses that have not been offered a good deal or are misunderstood by their handlers go from home to home, and most end up in line for slaughter. Solid Strides provides "life insurance" for these horses that have found themselves in rescues, at no fault of their own. Once they are given the vet's approval for training, after an application process, horses are picked to come to Solid Strides. Alison starts working with them with the end goal of finding them an appropriate, permanent home. Her training philosophy revolves around listening to the horse, learning from the horse, and doing right by them so that they are allowed to think. This approach is so important for horses that have not had the best start previously. It is not a training "method" to offer a quick fix. It is a philosophy to get to the horse's mind so that they are confident, comfortable, and safe for their next owner. The next step is to find a proper home for them. Solid Strides handles screening new owner prospects to assure they will be the right match for each individual horse. Once the right match is found, further training sessions are offered to the new pair. This service is included in the adoption fee. Along with these so very important services, educational opportunities are offered to volunteers at non profit horse rescues so that they may bring this knowledge back to the horses in their care. Solid Strides would like to bring in clinicians that, for some, are financially out of reach. These clinics will be provided at reduced fees to allow a broader range of attendees. Training the horses and educating the public will in turn decrease the amount of unwanted horses that are neglected, abused, auctioned, and eventually sent to slaughter.