Author page: Cindy

8News Just Covered Our Story!

8News Just Covered Our Story!

The Fox Moon Farm Project and its Healing with Horses program, aims to get children with special needs or trauma out in nature. This can impact emotional regulation, anger management and anxiety along with depression management.

Wild Wellness

Wild Wellness

In the wild, herds of horses will synchronize their heartbeats to sense danger more effectively; if one pulse rate jumps up, they all feel it. When dealing with trusted humans, studies have shown, horses can also sync with people, which can, in turn, help the human calm down. According to experts, this makes horses uniquely equipped for therapeutic purposes.

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What an incredible day at Duckfest with the Autism Society of Central Virginia! From the moment we set up our booth at CarMax Park, families poured in — laughing, playing our duck pond game, and stopping to learn about equine and farm-based learning at The Fox Moon Farm Project.

The real magic of the day, though, came from two of our own: Paisley and Trevor. Both are clients here at the farm, and both stepped up to help run our booth and share their own stories — in their own words — about the work they do with our horses, donkeys, and other farm animals. They talked about what they've learned, how they've grown, and how these animals have helped them along the way.

Watching them connect with other children and adults, speaking openly and confidently about their journey, was one of the most heartwarming things we've witnessed. These are two young people who've worked hard to find their voice — and on Saturday, they used it to help other families understand, from a child's perspective, exactly what Healing with Horses can offer. We are so incredibly proud of them for standing up and speaking out.

Thanks to conversations like these, we now have a growing list of families interested in joining us for Healing with Horses and our Family Gatherings program. Moments like this are exactly why we do what we do.

Stay tuned — we'll be announcing upcoming Open House days soon, where prospective families can tour the farm, meet our animals, and see this healing work in action for themselves. 🐴🌿

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, played a round of duck pond with us, and took the time to listen. And thank you to the Autism Society of Central Virginia for such a beautiful, joyful event.
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What an incredible day at Duckfest with the Autism Society of Central Virginia! From the moment we set up our booth at CarMax Park, families poured in — laughing, playing our duck pond game, and stopping to learn about equine and farm-based learning at The Fox Moon Farm Project.The real magic of the day, though, came from two of our own: Paisley and Trevor. Both are clients here at the farm, and both stepped up to help run our booth and share their own stories — in their own words — about the work they do with our horses, donkeys, and other farm animals. They talked about what theyve learned, how theyve grown, and how these animals have helped them along the way.Watching them connect with other children and adults, speaking openly and confidently about their journey, was one of the most heartwarming things weve witnessed. These are two young people whove worked hard to find their voice — and on Saturday, they used it to help other families understand, from a childs perspective, exactly what Healing with Horses can offer. We are so incredibly proud of them for standing up and speaking out.Thanks to conversations like these, we now have a growing list of families interested in joining us for Healing with Horses and our Family Gatherings program. Moments like this are exactly why we do what we do.Stay tuned — well be announcing upcoming Open House days soon, where prospective families can tour the farm, meet our animals, and see this healing work in action for themselves. 🐴🌿Thank you to everyone who stopped by, played a round of duck pond with us, and took the time to listen. And thank you to the Autism Society of Central Virginia for such a beautiful, joyful event.Image attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment

Matt's Story — Hay Bales & Hard-Won Confidence

Some of you may already know Matt.

He's been with our Healing with Horses program for almost three years now. He's autistic, he's non-verbal, and he is an absolute sweetheart. Over these three years, we've worked together on so much — following multi-step directions, strategic thinking, verbal communication, gross and fine motor skills, reducing anxiety, building self-confidence. He rides the horses once a week now. He helps with farm chores. He hikes our trails. He drives the tractor — which, if you know Matt, is a genuinely huge accomplishment.

This past week, Matt and I had a big job ahead of us: get six bales of hay out of the hay barn, load them into my truck, drive them over, and unload them into the horse barn. That's a hard task for any child. For Matt, it's harder still.

We loaded the truck together. But when we got to the horse barn to unload, I decided to try something — I gave him gloves to protect his hands, showed him how to grip the bales by their strings, and then I stood back. I wanted to see what he could do on his own.

I was not prepared for what happened next.

Matt unloaded all six bales — by himself — and stacked every single one in the barn. On his own. No help. I just stood there, honestly a little stunned, watching him do something I wasn't sure he'd be able to do a year ago.

Matt didn't just finish the job. He did it well. And in doing it, he showed both of us something bigger than hay bales: what happens when you challenge someone and truly believe in them.

Those bales were heavy. So is life, some days — especially for Matt, who works harder than most of us will ever know just to move through a world that wasn't built with him in mind. This week, he learned he can carry that weight. On his own.

We are so proud of you, Matt. Look how far you've come.

#FoxMoonFarmProject #HealingWithHorses #AutismJourney #ClientSpotlight #NonverbalAutism #ProudMoment #FarmTherapy #TraumaInformedCare
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Matts Story — Hay Bales & Hard-Won ConfidenceSome of you may already know Matt.Hes been with our Healing with Horses program for almost three years now. Hes autistic, hes non-verbal, and he is an absolute sweetheart. Over these three years, weve worked together on so much — following multi-step directions, strategic thinking, verbal communication, gross and fine motor skills, reducing anxiety, building self-confidence. He rides the horses once a week now. He helps with farm chores. He hikes our trails. He drives the tractor — which, if you know Matt, is a genuinely huge accomplishment.This past week, Matt and I had a big job ahead of us: get six bales of hay out of the hay barn, load them into my truck, drive them over, and unload them into the horse barn. Thats a hard task for any child. For Matt, its harder still.We loaded the truck together. But when we got to the horse barn to unload, I decided to try something — I gave him gloves to protect his hands, showed him how to grip the bales by their strings, and then I stood back. I wanted to see what he could do on his own.I was not prepared for what happened next.Matt unloaded all six bales — by himself — and stacked every single one in the barn. On his own. No help. I just stood there, honestly a little stunned, watching him do something I wasnt sure hed be able to do a year ago.Matt didnt just finish the job. He did it well. And in doing it, he showed both of us something bigger than hay bales: what happens when you challenge someone and truly believe in them.Those bales were heavy. So is life, some days — especially for Matt, who works harder than most of us will ever know just to move through a world that wasnt built with him in mind. This week, he learned he can carry that weight. On his own.We are so proud of you, Matt. Look how far youve come.#FoxMoonFarmProject #HealingWithHorses #AutismJourney #ClientSpotlight #NonverbalAutism #ProudMoment #FarmTherapy #TraumaInformedCareImage attachment
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Healing, Learning, and Growing Together: Empowering Lives through Horses, Community, and Wellness.