how it all began
It Started With a Prayer
While living in Kentucky, founder Gail Wartner prayed that God would show her a way to combine her love of horses and children. After volunteering at a therapeutic riding center, she knew she was being called to begin a ministry of her own when she returned to North Carolina.
Faith became action.
A MINISTRY BUILT ON FAITH
Hope Without Barriers
Rising Hope Farms was founded on one simple belief—that every individual with special needs deserves the opportunity to experience hope, healing, and independence through horses, regardless of a family’s financial circumstances.
We believe that God calls us to love, serve, and care for one another. Through His grace and faithful provision, Rising Hope Farms has become a place where lives are strengthened, burdens are shared, and hope is restored.
Many of the families we serve already carry the emotional, physical, and financial burdens of ongoing medical care, therapies, and adaptive equipment. We believe therapeutic riding should never become another expense they have to worry about.
For more than 20 years, every therapeutic riding session has been provided completely free of charge. We have never had paid staff. Every horse cared for, every arena maintained, every lesson taught, and every life touched has been made possible through God’s faithfulness, dedicated volunteers, generous donors, and families who believe in this ministry.
What began as one family’s step of faith has become a thriving ministry that continues to grow because of God’s grace and the hearts of people willing to serve. We have always believed that while miracles strengthen our faith, it is faith that allows us to recognize God’s miracles all around us. At Rising Hope Farms, we are blessed to witness those miracles every day we ride.
Faith in God. Faith in People. Faith in Possibility.
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
What Makes Rising Hope Farms Different
✓ 100% Volunteer Powered
Every lesson, every horse, every event, and every facility improvement is made possible by dedicated volunteers.
✓ No Rider Ever Pays
Healing should never depend on a family’s ability to pay.
✓ PATH, Intl. Certified Instructors
Internationally certified instructors provide safe, effective equine-assisted therapeutic riding.
✓ Faith at the Center
Our Christian faith guides every lesson, every volunteer, and every act of service.
✓ A Place Where Everyone Belongs
Every rider, volunteer, donor, and visitor becomes part of the Rising Hope Farms family.
OUR FOUNDER
Meet Gail Wartner
What began as one woman’s prayer became a ministry. Gail Wartner envisioned a place where horses, faith, and hope could come together to serve children and adults with special needs. Starting with a small outdoor arena on the her family farm, Rising Hope Farms has grown through God’s faithfulness, dedicated volunteers, and generous supporters into a year-round ministry that has served the special needs community for more than twenty years.
20 YEARS OF MINISTRY
Our Journey of Faith, Hope & Healing
2006
● Founded Rising Hope Farms
Gail, Shadow, and a handful of dedicated volunteers welcomed the very first riders, proving that faith, compassion, and a single horse could begin changing lives.
2008
● Expanding the Herd
As the program grew, additional therapy horses joined the ministry, allowing more children and families to experience hope through horses.
2012
●Growing the Mission
As our riders grew, so did our volunteers. Two volunteers answered God’s call to do more, earning PATH International instructor certification and becoming therapeutic riding instructors. Their dedication allowed Rising Hope Farms to open its gates to even more families.
2014
● Building for the Future
Thanks to generous donors, a covered arena made it possible to provide therapeutic riding year-round, rain or shine.
2019
● Growing Leaders
After joining Rising Hope Farms as a 14-year-old volunteer, one dedicated young woman answered God’s call to serve, becoming a PATH International Certified Instructor. Today, she leads her own classes, inspiring the next generation of riders.
2023
●Investing in Excellence
A new state-of-the-art riding surface created a safer, more comfortable experience for both riders and therapy horses.
2026
●20 Years of Faith, Hope & Healing
Twenty years later, Rising Hope Farms continues proving that faith, volunteers, generous donors, and remarkable horses can change lives—one rider at a time.
MISSION IN ACTION
What Hope Looks Like
Every Ride Builds Confidence
Therapeutic riding helps riders develop strength, balance, confidence, and independence.
Powered by
Volunteers
Every class is made possible by caring volunteers serving with compassion.
More Than
a Lesson
Healing happens when riders, families, volunteers, and horses become one community.
JOIN THE STORY
Hope Begins With People Like You
For more than twenty years, volunteers, donors, riders, families, and faithful supporters have helped write the story of Rising Hope Farms.
Today, that story continues.
Whether you volunteer, donate, pray, or simply share our mission, you can help bring faith, hope, and healing to even more families.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
— 1 Peter 4:10