About Us
Overview
In 1998, Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding, Inc. began offering therapeutic riding lessons to a hand full of participants in our founders’ backyard. Although much has changed since those early days, we are proud that our little but mighty organization has been able to stay true to its original mission and grow into an organization that has helped enrich thousands of lives over the past two and a half decades.
Now in our 25th year, we have reached what we believe to be an opportune moment to multiply our impact and serve our community better than ever before by expanding upon our mission, refocusing our vision, and reenergizing our brand. Therefore, while holding close to core values such as faithful stewardship, servant leadership, courageous integrity, and unshakeable hope we ask for your continued support as we take a leap of faith forward into the next quarter century as “Herd of Hope Equine-Assisted Therapies.”
Therapeutic riding programs are offered Monday – Friday. We also offer a broad array of equine-facilitated learning programs, including workshops, field trips, camps, and corporate programs.
We look forward to seeing you at the barn!
Meet The Meeks’
A Letter from our Executive Director
Hello friend! My name is Matthew Meeks and I am the Chief Servant-Leadership Officer here at Herd of Hope. I am a sinner saved by grace and could not feel more blessed to have the opportunity to earn a living and provide for my beautiful wife, Emma, and our baby girl, Josephine by working with my favorite animal to serve people in need. A couple decades ago, the area between Carmel and Zionsville was full of private horse farms, and I had the privilege of growing up on one of them. I learned early on about the beauty and power of horses, and the great satisfaction one can experience when working on a farm. My wife, Emma, brings 25 years of equestrian experience and serves as our organization’s Director of Equine Operations & Programs. She is the absolute best in the business with respect to recruiting, training, and caring for therapy horses, and has a proven track record of ideating, developing, and implementing safe and effective equine-assisted programming. Together, we are passionate about this organization’s mission and completely dedicated to serving our community. In every sense, harnessing the power of the horse to help people live better, more satisfying lives is our family’s calling. If you are interested in donating, volunteering, or learning more about ways you can support and help our mission, please do not hesitate to reach out to Emma or myself.