By Britney Grover
Portraits by Brenda Black
Horses were Sarah Ingram’s first love. Now, she regularly watches them bring out the first words and first steps of children with special needs.
“From the time I was 2, I would go crazy for horses and begged my parents for lessons until they found an instructor who took me at 4 years old,” Sarah said. When she was 10, her parents decided she should focus on her other sport passion: golf. “I understood and was grateful for their decision, but my love for horses never wavered. I played D-1 golf in college at Duke University and had a wonderful career at the elite amateur level until I was 30. I credit my first horse, Duke, for helping me play my best golf between 1990 and 1996, as he was the perfect distraction from the rigors of practice and competition on the golf course.”
Duke not only got Sarah back into horses for life, he also played a role in connecting Sarah with the non-profit she has dedicated much of her life to—and which has helped countless children and individuals with special needs, all through horses. Saddle Up! has been serving the Nashville, Tennessee, area as a therapeutic riding center for 34 years. Sarah has been involved for 28 of those, including everything from volunteering weekly as leader and side-walker, serving two three-year terms as board chair, co-chairing the Music Country Grand Prix and Chukkers for Charity fundraisers for many years, and chairing both the Annual Fund and the “Bit by Bit” Capital Campaign, which funded the construction of Saddle Up!’s new facility in the 2000s. Currently, Sarah serves on the advisory committee.
What was your riding life like as you grew up?
I rode from age 4 to 10 years old and had a blast. Sandy Shettle, my instructor, who incidentally, I believe, is also involved in an equine therapy program in Maryland, took me to lots of local horse shows, hunt trials and on many fabulous trail rides. She taught me and her other students everything she knew about horses and farm life. I also went to pony camp at Green Spring Valley Hunt Club a couple of summers, and rode one year at my school, Garrison Forest. I have tons of fun memories from those early days!
Do you still ride or show?
Three months after I bought Duke in 1990, we went to a local schooling show and it just snowballed from there. I have trained and shown with John Roper and Kelly Mullen for about 25 years and am so thankful to have them in my life and my horses’ lives. I currently show in the Adult Amateur division, mainly in Florida during the winter. My horses live at our Duke It Out Farm in Franklin—named for the horse who started the snowball rolling. There we do lots of trail riding, some arena work and a bit of showing at Brownland Farm during the spring, summer and fall.
How did you become involved with Saddle Up!?
I moved to Nashville from Owings Mills, Maryland, in 1989 when I married my Nashville-native husband, David Ingram. David’s brothers, sister and greater family were all involved in the horse world and reintroduced me to horses, which were my first love. About a year later, I purchased a horse and boarded him at a farm across the street from Saddle Up!’s current campus. That farm, formerly known as Schandwin, is where Saddle Up! first began operating in 1991. On borrowed ponies, six to 10 riders would come out for a riding lesson at Schandwin Farm one evening a week for eight weeks in the summer. I was often at the farm in the afternoons with my horse and offered to help lead or side-walk during the lessons. I lost touch with the program for several years after that summer when I moved my horse to a different barn; my journey with Saddle Up! began in earnest in 1997 when I was asked to join the board.
Who takes part in the Saddle Up! programs and for how long?
Saddle Up! serves children and young adults beginning at age 2 with therapy services. Riders graduate from our core Adaptive Riding program at age 18, and can stay with Saddle Up! until age 26 through our Alumni Transitions program. Our core program, Adaptive Riding, offers therapeutic, educational and recreational individualized programming to individuals with a wide range of disabilities.
Saddle Up! collaborates with other non-profits that serve individuals in our community who are differently abled, and at-risk youth. We offer our “From the Ground Up” program, which allows these organizations to bring their participants to Saddle Up! for dedicated groundwork programs.
What has inspired you about working with Saddle Up!?
Watching the children learn, grow and improve while on horseback brings me so much joy. There’s something empowering about being around and riding these beautiful and large creatures, and I love that the Saddle Up! children also get to experience that freedom and sense of accomplishment. The remarkable bond between our therapy horses and their riders is something to behold, as is witnessing children saying their first meaningful words or taking their first steps, or simply smiling atop a horse for the first time.
How many horses does Saddle Up! have and where do they come from?
At the moment, we have a full barn with 29 horses of all breeds and sizes. Horses come to Saddle Up! in many ways: Supporters in the equine community often donate horses to us. We have retired show ponies, world champion ropers, former hunt and event horses and AQHA champions. We also have exceptional horses who came to us through rescue organizations. Many of our horses are on loan, and we offer an excellent free lease option for interested owners. Occasionally, we purchase a horse using funds that have been raised or donated especially for that purpose.
What have been some amazing things that have happened at Saddle Up!?
Over three decades, we’ve experienced many first steps and first words at Saddle Up!. One of our riders, Connor, who is now 25 and has ridden with us since he was 4 years old, took his first steps here. When his name was called at our annual SUPER Show, he pushed his postural walker aside and walked unaided to the judge to get his ribbon.
Many of our riders say the name of their pony or the command “walk on” as their first words. Another rider, Grace, was non-verbal when she began riding with us, but her potential and talent with horses was evident. Grace excelled at horseback riding and became the first special-needs rider to compete in one of the largest dressage shows in the United States! She was also one of only 12 riders in the U.S. accepted to the Winter Intensive Training Program with Lendon Gray.
You can learn more about Connor and Grace, and see many of our riders’ stories, on our YouTube channel.
What’s an achievement that Saddle Up! is proud of?
Saddle Up! is proud of the achievements of all of our riders, and there are so many to brag about! As an organization, Saddle Up! is pleased to have been named as a Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International Premier Accredited Center, which indicates that we operate at the highest standards in the industry. We’re also proud that our team of PATH-certified instructors represents almost 300 years of experience working with riders who are differently abled. Finally, it’s an achievement for any non-profit organization to thrive for over three decades and to have sustained growth year over year. We’ve grown from 10 riders, for one eight-week session per year, in our first years to serving 228 riders, for 40 weeks a year, in our mounted programs in 2024, and 150 riders through our groundwork programs.
What’s the best thing about being involved?
It has been incredibly meaningful to have been involved, on the board level, with an organization that has grown from infancy to one of our country’s finest programs. All of our hardworking founders, volunteers, donors and staff should be proud of what we have accomplished together in our short 34 years.
What are the future goals of the program?
We’re currently engaged in a strategic growth initiative that will allow us to expand our community impact and address some of our two-year waiting list by increasing our program hours by 25 to 30%. This project will include the first capital campaign since Saddle Up! built the facility at our current location almost 25 years ago. The demand for our program continues to grow as many families move to the Middle Tennessee area for the availability of high-quality programs and support systems for children with special needs. It’s our strategic goal to keep pace with the population growth and demand for services in Middle Tennessee.
For more information, visit saddleupnashville.org or follow Saddle Up! on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube @saddleupnashville
Photos by Brenda Black
