Heartland Horse Heroes
Buckingham, Virginia
Heartland Horse Heroes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers therapeutic riding at Sprouse's Corner Ranch in Buckingham, Virginia. Its programs include weekly group and private lessons, a riding program with Buckingham County schools, a transition-to-work program for young adults and an at-risk youth program. It serves children and adults with physical, mental, emotional or social challenges.
- Group therapeutic riding lessons
- Private therapeutic riding lessons
- School riding and horsemanship program
- Transition to Work program for young adults
- At-Risk Youth program
- Horsemanship, grooming and tacking instruction
- Children and adults with disabilities
- Buckingham County students
- Young adults moving into the workplace
- At-risk youth
- Children in foster care or under CPS supervision
- People facing a terminal illness
More about this center
About the Program
Lessons are taught by a PATH Certified Instructor and are tailored to each rider, covering horsemanship, grooming, tacking and mounted skills with the goal of greater independence. Lessons run weekly and last about an hour. The center describes the ranch as a PATH Intl. accredited center.
The school program brings Buckingham County students to the ranch for ten-week sessions in spring and fall, with lessons on barn safety, tack and grooming. The At-Risk Youth program combines classroom learning, stable management, horsemanship safety and riding, and students earn riding time through behavior and participation. Those sessions usually last 1.5 to 2 hours.
Getting Started
The center lists eligibility as a physician-diagnosed physical, mental or emotional disability; facing or being treated for a terminal illness within the last three years; or social challenges such as CPS or APS supervision, foster care, or living in a domestic violence shelter now or within the past three years.
New riders complete a Participant Packet (application, physician's statement, waiver and emergency medical consent), and parents or guardians read the Policy Manual. A roughly 30-minute assessment with PATH certified instructors then sets the rider's mounting method, tack or adaptive equipment, helmet fit, volunteer needs and horse.
The Horses and Staff
LaRue Sprouse Dowd is the head instructor, trainer and operations manager and is a CHA and PATH certified instructor. Lynn Owen, a registered nurse with a degree in elementary education, teaches in the Buckingham County school program. Both serve on the board. The herd page lists eight horses and ponies, including Quarter Horses, a Paint, a Standardbred and a Welsh/Shetland pony cross.
History
Heartland Horse Heroes began in 2002 as a division of Healing Paws and Claws, Inc., a pet therapy organization in Central and Southside Virginia. After a pilot riding program, the organization took the Heartland Horse Heroes name and focused on therapeutic riding. It became a PATH Premier Accredited Center in November 2009 and added Sprouse's Corner Ranch in 2010.
Location
Heartland Horse Heroes is based at Sprouse's Corner Ranch, 16680 W James Anderson Hwy, Buckingham, VA 23921. The ranch has a hunter ring and trails. The organization says it serves a ten-county region of Central and Southside Virginia.
From public records, not yet reviewed by the center · Last updated Oct 2026 Suggest an edit
Common Questions
Answered from the center’s own website and public records.
How do I enroll a rider?
Complete the Participant Packet from the center's website, including a physician's statement, then schedule a 30-minute assessment with a PATH certified instructor. Call 434-983-8181 to start.
When are lessons held?
The center runs fall and spring sessions for children in Buckingham County and offers private lessons year-round. Lessons meet weekly for about an hour.
How much do lessons cost?
Call 434-983-8181 or email heartlandhorseheroes@ymail.com to ask about current rates. The center says donations help keep lessons affordable.
How can I volunteer?
Read the Volunteer Handbook and Policy Manual on the website, then email horseheroesvolunteers@gmail.com to reserve a spot at a volunteer orientation. No horse experience is needed.
Location
Buckingham, Virginia 23921
Questions to Ask When You Call
The center is the best source for these answers.
- Are you running now, and taking new riders?Start here. We couldn’t confirm a current schedule.
- Which ages and needs do you work with?Ask about experience with your rider’s specific condition.
- Is a licensed PT, OT or speech therapist involved?Therapist-led hippotherapy is usually the only kind insurance may cover.
- What does a session cost, and are there scholarships?Many nonprofit programs offer sliding scales or sponsored spots.
- Do you have a mounting ramp or lift?Important for riders who use a wheelchair or need help mounting.