Location: Monroe, Louisiana, United States
Bright Star Ranch is a nonprofit equine-assisted services organization in Monroe, Louisiana, founded in 2018 by Debbie Bright-Chunn, a former health information director who spent 30 years in the hospital field before pursuing her lifelong vision of opening a therapeutic riding facility.
The ranch is both a PATH International member center and a CHA (Certified Horsemanship Association) member center, with two certified therapeutic riding instructors on staff. It operates a fully handicap-accessible facility and serves a wide range of individuals across physical, cognitive, social, and emotional needs.
About This Program
Bright Star Ranch offers a deliberately broad range of equine-assisted programming, recognizing that not every person who can benefit from horses is a candidate for mounted riding. Groundwork-based sessions are available for participants whose needs are primarily social, emotional, or cognitive, with activities involving grooming, feeding, tacking, leading, and interactive games tied directly to life skills application.
The therapeutic riding program serves individuals with physical disabilities who can benefit from the three-dimensional movement of the horse, which closely mimics human walking gait and provides sensory and neuromotor input that supports strength, balance, and range of motion. The facility is equipped with a wheelchair-accessible ramp and a Sure Hands lift to assist clients in mounting.
For those who cannot or prefer not to ride, Bright Star Ranch offers sessions on an Equicizer — a mechanical horse that provides the same movement, exercise, and physical benefits as a live horse. This makes participation accessible to individuals with contraindications to riding or significant apprehension about horses.
The Freedom to Flourish program uses ground-based equine activities to address a wide range of mental, social, and emotional needs. The Connecting in the Moment program is specifically designed for individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia, using gentle, structured horse interaction to provide sensory engagement and emotional connection. The Silver Star Riders program targets senior participants dealing with mobility challenges, balance issues, and chronic joint pain.
The ranch also runs Books in the Barn, a community literacy program in which children bring a favorite book and spend time reading alongside a horse of their choice.
Services Offered
- Therapeutic riding (physical disabilities)
- Groundwork-based equine-assisted activities (Freedom to Flourish program)
- Equicizer sessions (mechanical horse for those who cannot ride)
- Connecting in the Moment (Alzheimer’s and dementia program)
- Silver Star Riders (senior mobility and balance program)
- Books in the Barn (literacy program)
- Individual and group classes
- Community events and holiday programming
- Volunteer program
Who They Serve
Bright Star Ranch may be a good fit for:
- Children and adults with physical disabilities
- Individuals with autism spectrum disorder
- Individuals with cerebral palsy
- Individuals with Down syndrome
- Individuals with developmental delays
- Individuals with learning disabilities
- Individuals with hearing or speech impairments
- Individuals with visual impairment
- Individuals with paralysis
- Stroke and CVA survivors
- Individuals with depression or anxiety
- Individuals with emotional challenges
- Individuals who have experienced trauma
- Seniors with mobility challenges, balance issues, or chronic joint pain
- Individuals with Alzheimer’s or dementia
Facility and Setting
Bright Star Ranch is located at 1416 Rowland Road in Monroe, Louisiana, in Ouachita Parish in northeast Louisiana.
The facility is fully handicap accessible and includes a covered riding arena equipped with a wheelchair-accessible ramp and a Sure Hands mechanical lift, along with a 4-stall barn. The ranch has partnered with Building Futures Pediatric Therapy to expand hippotherapy services for children with special needs.
- Monroe, Louisiana location (Ouachita Parish, northeast Louisiana)
- 1416 Rowland Road, Monroe, LA
- Fully handicap-accessible facility
- Covered riding arena with wheelchair ramp and Sure Hands lift
- 4-stall barn
- PATH International member center
- CHA (Certified Horsemanship Association) member center
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
What Makes Them Unique
Bright Star Ranch’s programming stands out for the intentional range of populations it has built specific programs to serve.
Rather than defaulting to a single therapeutic riding model, the ranch has developed distinct named programs for seniors, dementia patients, trauma survivors, and children who are not yet ready — or not appropriate — for mounted work. The Equicizer is a particularly thoughtful inclusion, ensuring that the physical benefits of equine movement remain accessible even to individuals with contraindications to riding.
The ranch’s founder brings a healthcare background that shapes how it thinks about outcomes and service delivery — and her choice to leave a 30-year hospital career to build something she had envisioned for years gives the program a personal authenticity that resonates with the families and individuals it serves in northeast Louisiana.