A riding program for children and youth in foster care and a youth camping trip known as STAR Camp are among the programs listed as grant recipients by the Woodside-area Horse Owners Association, known as WHOA. The group's Woodside Day of the Horse Progressive Trail Ride, which raises money for its community projects, takes place on Saturday, October 10, 2026, with staging at the Horse Park at Woodside.
WHOA, a Woodside horse community association, announced in May 2025 that it had become an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It makes grants and puts on Woodside Day of the Horse. Its program pages list how much each project received but not the year the money was given.
Riding for youth in foster care
WHOA lists $18,150 in funding for Healing Hearts with Horses, a riding program for children and youth in foster care who are served by CASA of San Mateo County. According to WHOA's page, the Community Horse Advocacy Program for San Mateo County, or CHAPS, manages the program at Jasper Ridge Farm at Webb Ranch in Portola Valley.
That page gives no schedule, and CASA's own homepage does not mention the riding program. CASA of San Mateo County, based in Redwood City, recruits volunteers to mentor and advocate for young people involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. It is marking its 20th anniversary and reports serving 2,145 children in that time.
WHOA also lists $12,500 for Jasper Ridge Farm, once called Riley's Place. The Webb Ranch nonprofit says it offers therapeutic visits with animals to local children, teens and adults dealing with emotional or physical challenges, and adaptive riding is among its programs.
A week outdoors at STAR Camp
WHOA lists $41,575 in funding for the Sheriff's Training and Recreation Camp, known as STAR Camp. A San Mateo County page on youth programs in the North Fair Oaks community describes STAR Camp as a yearly week-long camping trip at YMCA Camp Loma Mar that gives young people facing barriers a chance to spend time outdoors. That county listing dates from 2023, and WHOA's page lists no camp dates.
WHOA lists $1,000 for Bay Area Urban Riderz, which aims to open equestrian and cultural learning to young people in historically underserved communities in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. It has no permanent facility and works with partner ranches, rodeos and museums to offer riding lessons, ranch and agricultural education, mentoring, rodeo outings and programs on the history and culture of Black horsemen and horsewomen.
WHOA's projects page also lists the California Riding Club, a STEM and horsemanship program; Woodside Junior Riders, for children ages 6 to 16; the San Mateo County Sheriff's Activities League; Westwind Riding Institute, which WHOA says has offered riding classes to children with disabilities for more than four decades; and a donation to the National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy (NCEFT) in Woodside.
A larger scholarship
In a news post dated Monday, July 20, 2026, WHOA reported that the $13,000 Equestrian Merit Scholarship had been split between two recipients. WHOA sponsors the award with the Mounted Patrol Foundation and the San Mateo County Horsemen's Association. It was worth $10,000 in 2025.
If you go
WHOA says ride proceeds help pay for Woodside Day of the Horse and for the group's community projects.
- When: Saturday, October 10, 2026. The trail ride runs from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and an after party runs from 1:30 to 4:30 PM.
- Where: Staging is at the Horse Park at Woodside, 3674 Sand Hill Road, Woodside. Riders can start at any point along the route on the town's trails.
- Cost: Riders under 18 pay $40. Adults who register on the day of the ride pay $130. Lunch and a free day stall are included.
- Registration: Online registration was set to close at 5:00 PM on Friday, October 9, according to the event page. After that, riders sign up at the WHOA help desk at the Horse Park on Saturday. Riders must bring their own horse.
How to get involved
CASA of San Mateo County looks for volunteers through its website, and Jasper Ridge Farm's site has volunteer and job pages and takes donations through Givebutter. For youth-serving nonprofits, WHOA posted on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, that it welcomed 2026 grant requests and that its funding committee would consider applications from 501(c)(3) organizations.
From Saved by the Saddle
Mavericks, Saved by the Saddle's free program for at-promise youth, meets twice a month at Ocean View Stables in Daly City. Young people signed up by a school, counselor, case worker, youth organization or parent learn to read, lead, groom and care for horses from the ground. There is no riding, and a responsible adult stays for the whole session.
See dates and register For counselors and educators
Sources: WHOA, "Progressive Trail Ride" event page (undated); WHOA, "Projects and Programs" (undated); WHOA, "Healing Hearts with Horses" program page (undated); WHOA, "Sheriff's Training and Recreation Camp" program page (undated); WHOA, "Riley's Place" program page (undated); WHOA, "Bay Area Urban Riderz" program page (undated); WHOA, News (posts from May 2025 to July 2026); CASA of San Mateo County, homepage (undated); Jasper Ridge Farm, homepage (undated); Bay Area Urban Riderz, homepage (undated); San Mateo County, "Youth Programs," North Fair Oaks Community (2023)