Inspiring Conversations with James Hartley of Heart of a Warrior Farm

Today we’d like to introduce you to James Hartley.

Hi James, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
The journey to Heart of a Warrior Farm began when our son was selected to play tennis for Team Ohio in the USA Special Olympics games in 2018 out in Seattle, Washington. That event would change my wife Lisa and I’s lives forever. On that trip, we were called to a mission. Exactly what that mission was had not been made clear at that time. Slowly, we started to see one blessing from God after another with the purchase of a farm. There was no doubt from all the blessings that we were on the path that God had called us to walk. We started offering therapeutic riding lessons with 2 horses, 1 instructor, and a handful of volunteers. The barn has sense grown to over 60 lessons per week, 6 instructors, and around 80 volunteers to help keep it all running smoothly. In just a short 3.5 years of providing therapeutic riding lessons for the special needs community, we have maxed out our lesson program. In addition to our lesson program, we have several community  events, monthly veterans program, Special Olympics equine team, and so much more.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not been a smooth road, but we have persevered through it all. We have had so much growth in such a short amount of time. With growth comes growing pains. There are always concerns about having enough horses, equipment, volunteers, funds to cover all of these needs, or hours in a day to accomplish all that we stive to.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a therapeutic riding center that teaches children and adults how to ride a horse. Many lessons are learned on the horse; we help them develop core muscle strength, balance, confidence, and self-esteem. They learn how to express themselves and be able to better communicate as well. We strive to develop a deep connection with the riders and the animals. We like for the riders to feel empowered at the end of their lesson. We tell all our riders, families, and volunteers that we are different and unique. We have a family environment and we want everyone to be treated as such. Many of our riders are new to the program while some others have been part of the program since it started.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Biggest thing we learned through that was to keep going. Don’t stop and don’t turn back, we pressed on during the virus, and I believe that was a key to some of our success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/heartofawarriorfarm
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartofawarriorfarm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartofaWarriorFarm/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HeartofaWarriorFarm