Ride & RisePony Outreach Text 689-610-5573
A smiling girl standing among four ponies in a sunlit Florida pasture under oak trees
Brush. Bond. Believe.

We bring gentle ponies to the children of Central Florida.

Ride and Rise Foundation Corp is a Winter Garden nonprofit. We bring miniature horses and ponies into neighborhoods, schools and community events so kids can brush them, care for them, and find out what they are capable of.

Book a free visit Volunteer with us
Brush.Every child grooms a pony with their own hands.
Bond.A 300-pound animal chooses to stand still for them.
Believe.They walk away knowing they did that.
What we do

Three ways a child meets a pony

Everything we do happens at ground level, one child and one pony at a time, with our team beside them the whole way.

Community Pony Outreach

We come to you. HOA family days, school festivals, church events, fairs and homeschool co-ops around Winter Garden, Windermere and Horizon West.

  • Meet and greet with gentle ponies
  • Grooming and basic horse care
  • Short lessons in how horses think
  • Photos families keep for years

Youth Horsemanship at the Farm

Supervised programs on our five-acre farm in Winter Garden. Children learn to catch, lead, groom and care for a pony before anyone talks about riding.

  • Care before riding, every time
  • Small groups with close supervision
  • Helmets and equipment provided
  • Ages and schedules by request

Volunteer Program

Adults and teens who want to be around horses and kids. Volunteers help with pony care, barn chores and outreach events, with training for every task.

  • Feeding, grooming and turnout
  • Event setup and pony handling support
  • Hours logged for school and service credit
  • Background check for adults
In development

Equine-assisted wellness

Time with a horse settles people. Horses read a person's breathing and body language and respond honestly, which gives a child or an adult immediate, non-judgmental feedback on how they are showing up. Programs built on that exchange, run by licensed mental health professionals alongside trained equine specialists, are used across the country with children, families, veterans and first responders.

Ride and Rise is building that capacity: a calm herd of small ponies, a private farm, a founder with a lifetime of horsemanship, and a board that includes a treasurer who has built and led businesses for more than a decade. We are seeking licensed clinical partners, equine-assisted certification for our team, and the funding to offer sessions at no cost to families who need them.

What we offer today is ground-based horsemanship and outreach. Sessions with a clinician begin once partners, training and coverage are in place.

Who we want to serve

Children and teens carrying stress, grief or low confidence. Families rebuilding after a hard season. Veterans and first responders, in partnership with the organizations that already serve them.

Who we are looking for

Licensed counselors and social workers interested in equine-assisted work. Schools and agencies that can refer families. Funders who want to see this exist in West Orange County.

Talk to us

info@rideandrisefoundation.com or 689-610-5573.

What a visit looks like

Six stations, every child gets a turn

A typical visit runs about two hours. We bring two or three ponies and a team to handle them. Children rotate through the stations in small groups so nobody waits long and nobody gets rushed.

1
Meet & GreetGet to know our gentle ponies up close.
2
Groom & LearnBrush, care for, and learn about horses.
3
Education & FunHorse care lessons, stories and activities.
4
Build ConfidenceHands-on moments that let kids surprise themselves.
5
Photos & MemoriesPictures with the ponies for every family.
6
Community ConnectionNeighbors meeting neighbors over the love of horses.

Safety comes first. Our team stays with every pony from start to finish. Children need closed-toe shoes to take part.

A young girl rests her forehead against a dark pony's face while holding its lead rope
Book a visit

Bring the ponies to your community

While we launch, we are offering a complimentary introductory visit to local communities and schools. No cost and no obligation. If your residents or students love it, we go from there.

HOAs and lifestyle directorsElementary schools and PTAsChurchesFall festivals and fairsHomeschool co-opsScouts and youth groups
Tell us about your event

Date, location, and roughly how many children.

We confirm the details

Space, shade, water, and parking for the trailer.

The ponies arrive

We set up, run the stations, and leave the space cleaner than we found it.

Ride and Rise Pony Outreach flyer
Sharing this with your board or principal?
Open the one-page flyer and forward it along.
Contact us
689-610-5573
Email
info@rideandrisefoundation.com

We reply within two business days. Requests are not confirmed until you hear from us.

Volunteer

Come be part of it

Our volunteers are the reason a small farm can show up for a whole community. You do not need horse experience. You need to be patient, reliable, and happy to get a little dirty.

  • Help with feeding, grooming, turnout and barn chores at the farm
  • Support outreach events: setup, lines, photos, pony handling with our team
  • Training on every task before you do it alone
  • Hours logged by program, so students can use them for school service requirements
  • Adults complete a background check because our programs serve children
  • Teens are welcome with a parent or guardian's signature

Two children in a sandy arena, one riding a small pony while the other leads it
Give

Help a child rise

Ride and Rise is funded by neighbors, families and local businesses. Every gift goes toward the ponies' care, the equipment that keeps children safe, and the fuel that gets us to the next school.

Ride and Rise Foundation Corp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Sponsor a visit

Cover the cost of bringing the ponies to a school or community that could not otherwise book us. Ask us about naming a visit for your family or business.

Give supplies

Riding helmets, grooming kits, hay and feed, and fly spray are always needed. Email us before buying so we can tell you what fits our ponies.

Make a gift

Email info@rideandrisefoundation.com or text 689-610-5573 and we will send you the simplest way to give. We reply personally to every donor.

Good to know

Questions we get before a visit

What do you need from us on site?

A flat, shaded spot about the size of two parking spaces for the ponies, access to water, and room to park a truck and trailer nearby. Grass is best. We bring everything else.

How many children can you handle?

A typical visit runs about two hours with two or three ponies, and children rotate through the stations in small groups. Tell us your headcount when you request a visit and we will size the team to it.

What ages is this for?

Most of our visits are for ages four to twelve. Younger children take part with a parent alongside. Teens and adults are welcome at the grooming stations.

Do children need to sign anything?

Yes. Every child needs a short digital release signed by their own parent or guardian before they touch a pony. We send the link ahead of the event so families can do it from their phone.

What should kids wear?

Closed-toe shoes, always. Long pants for anyone riding. We supply the helmets.

What happens if it rains?

Light rain does not stop a visit. Lightning, flooding or heat that is unsafe for the animals does, and we will reschedule at no cost.

Are the ponies safe around kids?

Our ponies are small, calm and handled daily. A trained handler stays with each pony the entire time, and children are shown how to approach before they do.

Is the visit really free?

Introductory visits for local communities and schools are complimentary while we launch. If you would like to sponsor a visit for a school that could not otherwise book one, see the Give section.

About

A small farm with a big front gate

Ride and Rise started on a five-acre family farm in Winter Garden, Florida, where a small herd of ponies lives under the oaks. Founder Louis Ngom has spent his life with horses and watched what happens when a child who is nervous, quiet or convinced they cannot do hard things is handed a brush and a lead rope. They stand a little taller. The pony notices. So does everyone else.

Most families in our community will never own a horse. We decided that should not stop their children from knowing one. In 2025 we formed the foundation so we could bring the ponies out to where the kids already are, at no cost to the families who need it most.

Ride and Rise Foundation Corp operates in collaboration with Teranga Stables LLC, which cares for the horses and shares its farm with our programs.

Board of directors
Louis NgomPresident
Rachel NgomTreasurer
Vanessa VicekSecretary
Charles HendersonDirector
Elizabeth HendersonDirector
Legal nameRide and Rise Foundation Corp
StatusFlorida not-for-profit, 501(c)(3)
FoundedSeptember 2025
EIN39-4306359
HomeWinter Garden, Florida
A girl in a red sweater leads a small brown and white pony along a shaded farm path A young girl rests her forehead against a dark pony