Saddle Of Love
Changing Lives
Saddle of Love is a 501(c)(3), non-profit Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy program located in Park City, Utah. Our mission is to instill trust, self- love, and life coping skills to youth through Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy.
Click to watch video of our work in action
Who We Serve
Saddle of Love serves ages 5-24 who struggle with issues such as low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, anger management, abuse, trauma, autism, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, neglect, bullying, family problems, adoption, foster care, LGBTQ struggles or lack of self-love. According to the CDC, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-24. We start at age 5 for early intervention before children enter their tween years, when risks increase. Our long term vision is to teach at-risk young people to be mentally healthy and to love themselves.
Saddle of Love partners with horses for the exploration of self - awareness, connection, confidence and love to gain new perspectives on life. Participants attend one hour sessions, once weekly, for either 7 0r 14 week programs. Each session is led by a licensed psychotherapist who is also a certified equine interaction specialist teaching psychotherapy techniques and horsemanship skills. We also provide EMDR Therapy. Participants can sign up for continued sessions once they complete the initial 7 or 14 weeks. There are also several group opportunities in order to foster positive friendships. We offer culinary therapy, summer camps, suicide prevention workshops, horticulture therapy and volunteer programs
Building Social Connectedness
CDC research has found that social connectedness serves as a protective factor that promotes positive mental health.
Camps
We offer therapeutic equine group summer camps and suicide prevention workshops for ages 5 -18. Our camps and workshops weave together therapy, horsemanship skills, yoga, drum circles, positive life coping skills, cooking, wilderness skills, gardening, arts and much more! Our 2024 summer camp dates have not been released yet. Email saddleoflove@gmail.com for more details.
"The cooking experience with for Peter brought him good energy to the point where he now likes to experiment, and cook things, at home. Being exposed to cooking like you’ve done has been good for him and opened up that new frontier for him". ~ J.K.
Volunteer
"Volunteering at SOL is a blast! They make me feel comforatable with every animal. Its nice to be outside with nature and other teens and knowing I am helping a worthy cause" ~ K.F.
Cooking
"No hour of life is lost that is spent in the saddle".
~ Winston Churchhill
Meet Our Team
Season Cain, LCSW, CEIP
Founder/CEO, Psychotherapist
Certified Equine Interaction Mental Health Specialist
Season was born on a farm in Utah with many horses that she learned to ride and care for at a young age. Although a farm girl at heart, she left Utah and earned a BA in Social Work at San Francisco State University. Season then went on to receive her MS in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University in New York. She holds Board Certification as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and she has over 20 years of experience providing mental health services. Season is also a certified Equine Interaction Mental Health Professional.
Alejandra Lara, EAL, ESMHL
Certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health
Alejandra is on of our equine specialist contractors. She is a native of the mountains of Chile, where her lifelong partnership with horses began. She brings ten years of experience in the equine based learning field in the US. She is founder and owner of Park City Horse Experience LLC, as well as founder and EAL Coordinator of the Equine Assisted Learning Program {EAL}. She is a credentialed by Path International as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor and an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL).
Mindi McFadden, ACMHC
Psychotherapist
Mindy’s love for horses started at a very young age. When she was 10 years old her parents got her into horse riding lessons where her love and knowledge for horses grew. She learned how to ride, train, show, and care for her horse. In college she earned a BA in Interdisciplinary Degree, focusing on Social Work and Psychology. She then received a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Phoenix. She has been providing trauma focused psychotherapy and EMDR for over 7 years.
"Saddle of Love is the most amazing program and Season Cain is the most amazing therapist. Season’s natural ability to connect with children is a true gift. Add, her natural ability to connect with horses and merge the two, to help individuals, is pure magic. We have seen what Saddle of Love has done for our daughter and see the absolute value it could have for other children, especially in this time of COVID-related mental health effects. We owe so much to Season and her amazing program Saddle of Love". ~ E.R.
Testimonials
"SOL is such an incredible means of helping individuals who struggle with a range of issues in a unique and beneficial way. My daughter struggles with anxiety, and this program has helped teach her how to deal with her feelings in a calm and effective manner. This program is unlike any other, and Season truly has a gift for helping individuals cope with their struggles. You can tell she truly cares about her clients". ~S.P.
"As an educator, School psychologist, mother, and community member, I cannot recommend this organization highly enough. This is a piece of mental health that has been missing in our community. SOL offers a safe place for our most vulnerable population of children, teens, and young adults. Somewhere to go for one on one therapy, horse therapy, or to "volunteer" just needing a safe sound place to spend time in nature with horses and a "mom" who is always home and available". ~ L.M.
Meet Anna
Anna is a 12-year-old girl who started Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy sessions at SOL to help with her anxiety. She was shy, timid at school and social situations. She was initially scared of our horses and was apprehensive to even approach them. Throughout the course of her therapy sessions, she gained confidence, trust, and assertiveness. She began to see her anxiety decrease and became more assertive and confident. She practiced all the stress reduction and positive coping we taught her in life situations. By the time she graduated from SOL’s 14-week program her anxiety was replaced with positive self -talk, self-love and beaming confidence. She even rode her therapy horse up to the top of the mountain maneuvering difficult terrain all by herself.
Board of Directors
Jill Fellow
Jill is the mother of four children in Park City schools, youth soccer coach and administrator at Western Governors University. She currently serves as the chair of the Utah Women’s Democratic Caucus for the state party and as a policy director for the Women’s Democratic Club of Utah. She serves as a a board member for EATS Park City and Big Brothers Big Sisters. and a volunteer for Planned Parenthood. She works in nonprofit higher education, where she builds alternative pathways to opportunity for underserved adults. She started her career in journalism and media literacy, and continued to write and publish in academia. She is especially passionate about women’s issues and gender equality in the beehive state.
Dr. Jennifer Cassatly
Dr. Cassatly has over 15 years of experience providing individual and family therapy, as well as psycho-educational assessments with children, adolescents, and adults. She utilizes Animal-Assisted Therapy with her clients. She has extensive training and expertise in treating symptoms of anxiety/depression, academic challenges, and low self-esteem. Dr. Cassatly has been and remains committed to community service and has been involved in A Home Within, Venice Family Clinic, and The Housing and Education Program at the YMCA. Jennifer earned a BA in Major- Psychology from University of Miami, a MA in Counseling from Seton Hall University and a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University in California.
Jeffrey Cain
Jeff currently manages a Solar Energy Division of Farmland Reserve Inc. ("FRI"). He has over fifteen years of finance, business development, construction and management experience. He worked in executive management positions for various solar energy companies including Martifer Solar USA and PermaCity Solar Inc. Previously, he was a co-founder of Camden Capital Management LLC and a Principal and Senior Trader at Klein Investment Group. Jeff was also Analyst in the Strategic Planning and Business Development department of Deutsche Bank. Jeff holds a BS in Business Administration from Long Island University, C.W. Post.
Contact
Contact Saddle of Love to learn more about our program, how you can enroll, volunteer and/or donate. Your support will make scholarships available for low income at-risk youth.
For more information please complete the form below or email: saddleoflove@gmail.com