CHAPS Receives National Award 

CHAPS Equine Assisted Services announced it received a national award March 5 from The Courage Project recognizing organizations that provide services to their communities.

According to CHAPS, the Sheridan-based nonprofit was one of 18 organizations across the country honored by The Courage Project. 

The Courage Project is a collaborative initiative supported by several philanthropic organizations and accepts public nominations on a rolling basis.

CHAPS provides equine-assisted programs that use structured interaction with horses to support physical, mental, social and emotional development for people of various ages and abilities.

CHAPS offers programs that include adaptive riding and carriage driving, equine-assisted learning and equine-facilitated psychotherapy. Participants include children, adults, caregivers, women, survivors of domestic violence and veterans. The organization said it prioritizes access to services by providing scholarships to most participants while expanding programs and research partnerships.

“Being awarded by The Courage Project means we can offer more scholarships for participants to get the services they need,” CHAPS Equine Assisted Services Executive Director Kristen Marcus said. “From riding or driving to mental health, we will be able to focus on quality services instead of focusing on fundraising. This award will provide 100 mental health sessions or 136 riding/driving lessons. This is a huge blessing and we couldn’t be more grateful.”

The Courage Project launched in May 2025 with an initial $5 million commitment to recognize acts of service and highlight organizations working in their communities. According to the initiative, it has honored 74 awardees from 48 states and Puerto Rico since its launch.

Learn more about CHAPS Equine Assisted Services by clicking here.