Connected Horse wins grant to expand dementia support program

Connected Horse received a 2026 Community Health Impact Grant from Three Valleys Community Foundation to grow its social prescribing program for people living with dementia and their care partners in the East Bay. The funding will expand in-person, home-based and virtual engagement tools designed to reduce isolation and support emotional wellbeing.

Why it matters: - The grant expands access to non-clinical support for families affected by dementia in the greater East Bay. - Connected Horse’s program is designed to help reduce isolation, support emotional regulation and strengthen caregiver relationships. - The funding adds more ways for people living with dementia to engage with community-based resources that support healthier aging.

What happened: - Connected Horse received a 2026 Community Health Impact Grant from Three Valleys Community Foundation. - The Pleasanton-based foundation selected Connected Horse to expand its Social Prescribing Engagement Program. - The nonprofit works with people living with dementia and their care partners through equine-assisted programming.

The details: - The expanded program includes in-person weekly barn workshops. - Each workshop series runs three weekly sessions and totals nine hours per person. - Workshop activities include sensory exercises, mindfulness walks, group support, observing the herd, grooming and at-liberty work with horses. - The grant also supports a Barn at Home Sensory Engagement Program. - The at-home kit includes sensory activities tied to the barn environment, including hay, leather and oats. - The kit also includes storytelling prompts, photos, coloring, crafts and physical activities using barn items such as lead ropes, grooming brushes and saddles. - A third component is Virtual World Barn Access, developed with Mentia Health. - The virtual program lets participants use an avatar to clean the barn, listen to music, halter and groom a horse, and watch the horse in the pasture with goats and dogs. - Connected Horse says the grant will help it reach more families looking for this kind of support. - Paula Hertel, MSW, said horses can meet people where they are without judgment or pressure.

Between the lines: - Social prescribing is getting more attention as health systems look for ways to support wellbeing outside the clinic. - Connected Horse is pairing that model with animal-assisted engagement, which may appeal to families who need both emotional connection and practical support. - The mix of in-person, home-based and virtual options suggests the program is trying to reach people at different stages of dementia and caregiving.

What's next: - Connected Horse will use the grant to expand program access in the East Bay. - The organization is likely to serve more individuals and families through workshops, home kits and virtual engagement. - Three Valleys Community Foundation will continue funding Community Health Impact Grants through its Power of Collaboration Corporate Challenge campaign.

The bottom line: - The grant gives Connected Horse new resources to broaden dementia support beyond traditional care settings and into the home, barn and digital space.

More information: Connected Horse