SAN ANGELO, TX – Christmas is looking a little brighter this year thanks to the people of Sonrisas Trails, Stone Arbor Farm & Training Stables, Kountry Korrals & Pony Pals, San Angelo’s Cowboy Church, and the numerous volunteers taking time on Christmas Day to give back to the community in a unique way.
This Sunday, in the hopes of spreading the Christmas cheer, Sonrisas Trails and the Stone Arbor Farm & Training Stables are offering free horseback and carriage rides to people of all ages in the San Angelo Community, as well as picture opportunities with Sunny the miniature horse. This event is an evolvement from Tim Smith’s, owner of Stone Arbor Farm & Training Stables, 2015 Christmas Day event that gave over 350 residents a chance to ride a horse. This year, in the hopes of helping others, Smith has teamed up with Sonrisas Trails and others to not only spread the holiday cheer, but to also help one of San Angelo’s non-profit agencies.
Sonrisas Trails, a non-profit agency, offers therapeutic horseback riding to children and adults with physical, mental, and emotional challenges free of charge. Sonrisas Trails believes that a disability does no have to limit a person from riding a horse. Sonrisas Trails is also the only therapeutic horseback-riding agency in the Concho Valley.
Sunday’s event is scheduled to have around 15-20 horses, according to Marry Coffey, public relations director at Sonrisas Trails and one of the coordinators of the event. Stone Arbor Farms will have some of its horses saddled up along with other horses generously donated by volunteers.
Kountry Korrals & Pony Pals will also be a part of the big day. Kountry Korrals & Pony Pals is a mobile petting zoo that offers pony rides. Kresta Thomas, owner of the petting zoo, will be on site with miniature horses and donkeys, llamas, alpacas, goats, sheep and many more. Thomas will also be there ready to give pony rides to the children.
Coffey said this event is “a way to give back […] to those who have gotten us this far and have been so good to us.”
The event also reached some retail stores in town, and many volunteers from these stores are offering their time and/or money. The local Target store helped by donating $100 to go towards supplies needed for the event, and a local Starbucks donated several hot water dispensers to help serve hot chocolate.
Other community members have also made generous donations leading up to the event. Local churches came together to collect money to buy toy horses/stuffed animals that will be handed to the children attending, and Icon Cinema chipped in as well by donating two 50-Gallon bags of popcorn.
In response to the outpour of generosity, Coffey said, “I have never seen a town like this that [is] just so generous and unselfish of their time and their money; it has really been touching.” For those spending their Christmas day with the horses, Coffey added, “For the people to ‘give up’ their Christmas day to do something for a total stranger is kind of the epitome of what San Angelo does.”
The event is scheduled to take place on Christmas Day from 2:30 - 5:00 p.m. at the 1st Community Federal Credit Union Arena located at 200 West 43rd Street. For more information, and for details on volunteer and donation opportunities, please contact Mary Coffey at Sonrisas Trails at (325) 949 – 4837, or at [email protected].
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