What Began with Horses Became Something Much Bigger.

LUCK was founded in 2016 during a time of growing division and distrust in Cleveland and across the country. We asked a different question:

Safety
Trust
Choice & Agency
Collaboration
Empowerment
Purpose
Safety
Trust
Choice & Agency
Collaboration
Empowerment
Purpose

What if healing began with relationships?

Our founders had seen the remarkable impact horses could have on children experiencing anxiety and emotional distress. Time with horses helped them slow down, build confidence, regulate emotions, and learn to trust.

But there was a problem.

The children benefiting from these experiences already had access to horses. Many young people carrying some of the greatest burdens did not.

Programs were often outside the city, financially out of reach, or limited to children with specific diagnoses. We believed every child deserved opportunities to experience safety, build confidence, develop healthy relationships, and discover their strengths.

?

So we brought the experience closer to the community.

From access and trust to confidence and competence, the earliest LUCK experiences established the relationship-centered approach that still guides the organization today.

Relationships and Trust Came First.

Working with the Cleveland Mounted Police, LUCK created opportunities for young people to interact with horses, officers, and caring adults in an environment designed to build relationships and trust.

From the Beginning, LUCK Was Different.

Our experiences were built around principles of physical and emotional safety, trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and meaningful relationships.

Rather than defining people by what has happened to them, we focus on their strengths, their potential, and what is possible.

Horses Became Extraordinary Partners.

They don't respond to labels, titles, diagnoses, or assumptions. They respond to presence, consistency, communication, and trust.

Through caring for and working alongside horses, participants experience what healthy relationships can feel like. They build confidence through competence, practicing responsibility, and discovering the satisfaction of caring for another living being.

We realized the lessons that began with horses didn't end at the barn.

Caring for horses led naturally to caring for each other and the land that sustains us all. Confidence gained while riding a horse opened doors to leadership. Curiosity about horses became curiosity about careers, agriculture, business, construction, conservation, food systems, and entrepreneurship.

Today, LUCK experiences extend into agriculture, leadership, entrepreneurship, workforce development, community service, and career exploration.

The horse is often the beginning—not the destination.

Leadership

Confidence gained around horses opens doors to responsibility, teamwork, communication, and leadership.

01

Agriculture

Caring for horses creates a natural connection to land, food, ecosystems, and stewardship.

02

Entrepreneurship

Curiosity grows into career exploration, workplace skills, business thinking, and problem-solving.

03

Community

Meaningful work expands into service, workforce development, and stronger community connection.

04 Healing Begins with Relationships.

People grow when they feel safe enough to try, supported enough to take risks, and valued enough to believe their contributions matter.

That’s why every LUCK experience is grounded in:

Safety

Creating physical and emotional environments where people can grow.

Trust

Building relationships through consistency, respect, and authenticity.

Choice & Agency

Giving people meaningful choices and a voice in their experience.

Collaboration

Learning and accomplishing things alongside others.

Empowerment

Building confidence through competence and discovering new strengths.

Purpose

Creating opportunities to contribute, care, build, grow, and give back.

Honest, immediate feedback without judgment.

Horses offer something remarkably simple: honest, immediate feedback without judgment.

Working alongside them gives people opportunities to slow down, read nonverbal cues, earn trust, communicate clearly, care for another living being, and work together.

And those experiences carry into life.

01 The confidence to lead a horse can become confidence to lead a team.

02 Caring for an animal can inspire stewardship of the land.

03 Trust built with a horse can make trusting people feel possible again.

Why Horses?

Presence. Communication. Trust. Connection.

Trauma-informed doesn't mean therapy.

It means recognizing that difficult experiences can shape how people respond to the world—and creating environments grounded in safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.

Horses are not therapists. They are partners in experiences that allow people to participate at their own pace, build on their strengths, develop practical skills, and experience success.

Some experiences involve riding. Many happen with both feet firmly on the ground.

Horses are not therapists.

Our audiences have grown. Our experiences have expanded.

Today, LUCK welcomes children, teens, families, veterans, older adults, educators, organizations, and community partners.

Our audiences have grown. Our experiences have expanded.

But our purpose hasn’t changed.

We believe everyone deserves opportunities to build confidence, experience belonging, discover purpose, and imagine new possibilities.

People may first come to LUCK because of the horses. They stay because they discover what is possible in themselves.

Confidence. Belonging. Purpose. New possibilities.

See where the story can take you.

The next step might be meeting the herd, finding an experience, or finding your place in the LUCK community.

Meet the Horses

Discover Lucy, Oliver, Freya, and Earl—and the lessons each horse brings to LUCK.

Choose Your Experience

Explore equine, agriculture, and entrepreneurship experiences grounded in relationships and growth.

Find Your Place at LUCK

Participate, volunteer, contribute resources, support the work, or build a partnership.

Let’s create something meaningful together.

Businesses, schools, nonprofits, community organizations, and other partners help LUCK reach more people and create new possibilities. Partnerships can include programming, sponsorships, donated goods or services, volunteer projects, and collaborative community initiatives.