Second chances begin on the ground.
Saved by the Saddle is a new nonprofit at Ocean View Stables in Daly City. Free horsemanship programs are open now: Mavericks for at-promise youth, and Heroes and Horses for military veterans. R&R, our rescue and rehab program for horses, is being built with care before its first horse arrives.
Where would you like to start?
Next at the barn
Every session is free. Places are limited so the barn stays calm for the horses.
Mon 19 Oct
Mavericks
For young people, with the adult who signs them up
4:00 to 7:00 PM
Mon 26 Oct
Coffee and Horsemanship
Heroes and Horses, for veterans
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Fri 30 Oct
Mavericks Preview
For counselors and educators, before you refer anyone
4:30 to 6:00 PM
Wed 4 Nov
Volunteer Orientation
Required before a first program or horse care shift
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
One approach, three ways in
All three are non-clinical, and all three are taught from Leyden Horsemanship, the established horsemanship program at Ocean View Stables.
Open now
Mavericks
Helping at-promise youth through horsemanship
Horsemanship from the ground up, alongside the team: groundwork, grooming and caring for the horses. A school, counselor, organization or parent signs young people up, and a responsible adult stays for the whole session.
When: Twice a month, 4:00 to 7:00 PM
Cost: Free for families, schools and organizations
Riding: None. All of the work happens on the ground.
Open now
Heroes and Horses
Coffee, other veterans, and horses
Our program for veterans starts with Coffee and Horsemanship: two unhurried hours at the barn. Groom a horse, learn from the rail, or just talk. No riding, no cost, no commitment.
Who: Any branch, any era, any length of service. Guard and Reserve included.
When: Second and fourth Mondays, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Cost: Always free for veterans
In development
R&R: Rescue and Rehab
No horse is in our own care yet. These four things come before any intake, and none of them is in place yet. We will not take on a horse we cannot keep.
- Veterinary and farrier coverNot yet in place
- Space to settleNot yet in place
- A written intake standardNot yet in place
- Funding that outlasts the rescueNot yet in place
The horse sets the pace. No force, no performance: patient work on the ground, and in the saddle where riding is offered.
A horse that is not ready to work with people is not asked to. That standard comes before every session. Our safety and ethics standards
Care, connection, possibility.
What happens at the barn, from start to finish. The approach is the same whether the visitor is twelve or seventy; the details differ.
1. The barn is ready first
Before anyone arrives, stalls are mucked, water is checked and hay is down. A settled barn is a safe barn, and the routine belongs to the horses.
Mavericks: young people learn this routine too, alongside the team.
Heroes and Horses: the coffee is on and there is a place to sit. Nobody has to do anything to belong.
2. Meeting a horse, respectfully
Approach at the shoulder, let the horse see you, keep your hand flat and still. Before asking anything of a horse, visitors learn to read its ears, eyes and feet.
Mavericks: how to move safely around a thousand-pound animal, in the first hour.
Heroes and Horses: stand at the rail as long as you like. Some people never touch a horse, and that is a good morning too.
3. Guided work on the ground
Leading, halting, grooming, picking out a hoof. Small, clear requests get honest answers from the horse. Someone from the team stays alongside, and each person chooses how far to go.
4. What supporters make possible
The sessions are free for everyone who comes. Gifts pay for running them well, for training and safety, and for building the rescue program properly before its first horse. How gifts are used
What is real today, and what is still being built
Saved by the Saddle was recognized as a 501(c)(3) public charity in 2026. This is the honest picture, and it will change as the work grows.
- Open or done
- In development
- Not yet
- Open now
Mavericks and Heroes and Horses
Free programs for at-promise youth and for veterans, each meeting twice a month, open for registration.
- Happening now
Riding, at special events and with partners
Special events and programs built with partner organizations can include riding. Ride, stay on the ground, or do a bit of both: nobody has to ride.
- October 6, 2026
Fleet Week at the Barn
More than 30 uniformed military members came to the barn for the day. Read about the day
- Open now
Volunteering
Four volunteer tracks, including five unpaid board seats, with an orientation every month.
- In development
An eight-week youth cohort and weekly Heroes and Horses sessions
Being designed. Register your interest in the youth cohort or the weekly sessions and we will tell you when they open.
- Not yet
R&R: Rescue and Rehab
No horse is in our own care. The prerequisites come first.
- Not yet
Results to report
No program has finished a full cycle, so we publish no outcome figures. When there is something to count, it will appear on The Work Ahead.
At Ocean View Stables, on the coast in Daly City
2152 Olympic Way
Daly City, CA 94015
Our sessions take place at Ocean View Stables under a written facilities agreement. Ocean View Stables is a privately owned business, and the horses you meet there belong to it.
Saved by the Saddle is a separate nonprofit with its own board and its own accounts. Donations fund its charitable programs only and are not used to support or improve the private business.
Ways to take part
Volunteer
Board, skilled professional, program and horse care tracks. Every role is unpaid, and volunteer orientation runs once a month.
Visit
Open Barn: Meet the Herd runs four times a year. It is an hour to walk the barn and meet the horses, and families are welcome.
Partner
Schools, counselors, veteran organizations and local groups: tell us how your work connects with ours.
Help build it properly.
Gifts fund free sessions, the training and safety work behind them, and the groundwork for a rescue program done right.
Healing horses. Healing people. Creating second chances.
2152 Olympic Way
Daly City, CA 94015
[email protected]
Get involved
Saved by the Saddle is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation organized for charitable and educational purposes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, EIN 41-3846131. It is a separate legal entity from Ocean View Stables, a privately owned business, and operates at Ocean View Stables under a written facilities agreement. Donations to Saved by the Saddle fund its charitable programs only and are not used to support or improve the private business.
Photographs show Ocean View Stables in Daly City and the horses that live there.
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Copyright 2026 Saved by the Saddle.