Sam and Socks Riding School & Sanctuary
Sam and Socks Riding School, Gilroy, Gilroy, CA 95020
About
Sam and Socks Riding School & Sanctuary offers private and group riding lessons, trail rides, and equine-assisted programs that include groundwork, grooming, and gentle handling. The program also offers Connection & Bonding Sessions, adaptive riding, leadership exercises, and horsemanship with feelings, along with supervised grooming, trail time, and stable management and care of the horses. Seasonal spring and summer camps, birthday parties, sanctuary visits, life-skills groups, and youth mentoring are also part of the program’s activities.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Weekly private or group lessons with flexible scheduling and progress checkpoints, plus seasonal spring and summer camps and a 3-day spring/summer trail riding camp (Trail Riding 1, June 15–17, 10 AM–1 PM)
Sam and Socks Riding School & Sanctuary is a 100% volunteer-run nonprofit program that operates entirely on a strictly voluntary basis, where every lesson taught, stall cleaned, and animal cared for is done by volunteers. The mission of Sam and Socks Riding School & Sanctuary is to help horses and people heal, grow, and thrive through four core commitments: connecting, caring, coaching, and building confidence. The program’s services focus on four principles—connecting, caring, coaching, and confidence building—and are tailored to meet emotional, physical, and developmental goals through trauma-informed equine-assisted programs.
The equine team includes horses that have found a new purpose, including some from rescues, aged out of former sports, abandoned, or outgrown by owners, and the sanctuary provides medical care, rehabilitation, and lifelong homes for rescued horses, with some horses restored, rehabilitated, and rehomed or retired with lifelong care. Horses are trained to become sensitive lesson horses while retaining their own unique personalities, and all services emphasize horse welfare and rider safety.
As a nonprofit organization, Sam and Socks Riding School & Sanctuary welcomes volunteers to assist with stable management and care of the horses, and volunteer programs, educational workshops, and open-days promote humane treatment of animals and create inclusive community connections. Volunteer involvement and in-kind contributions directly lower operational costs and increase impact, and support can also include tax-deductible donations or sponsoring a horse or program. Participants report reduced anxiety, improved social skills, and increased self-esteem, and veterans and individuals with disabilities gain adaptive skills while youth build responsibility and hope.
Sam and Socks Riding School & Sanctuary grew out of the story of a true friendship between Samantha (Sam) and her pony Socks. Contact for lessons, trail rides, volunteering, and sanctuary visits is available by phone and by email through Susan at [email protected]. Families are asked to arrive 15 minutes early for a first session to complete a safety waiver and meet the instructor and horse.
Last updated June 17, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Weekly private or group lessons with flexible scheduling and progress checkpoints, plus seasonal spring and summer camps and a 3-day spring/summer trail riding camp (Trail Riding 1, June 15–17, 10 AM–1 PM)
Sam and Socks Riding School & Sanctuary is a 100% volunteer-run nonprofit program that operates entirely on a strictly voluntary basis, where every lesson taught, stall cleaned, and animal cared for is done by volunteers. The mission of Sam and Socks Riding School & Sanctuary is to help horses and people heal, grow, and thrive through four core commitments: connecting, caring, coaching, and building confidence. The program’s services focus on four principles—connecting, caring, coaching, and confidence building—and are tailored to meet emotional, physical, and developmental goals through trauma-informed equine-assisted programs.
The equine team includes horses that have found a new purpose, including some from rescues, aged out of former sports, abandoned, or outgrown by owners, and the sanctuary provides medical care, rehabilitation, and lifelong homes for rescued horses, with some horses restored, rehabilitated, and rehomed or retired with lifelong care. Horses are trained to become sensitive lesson horses while retaining their own unique personalities, and all services emphasize horse welfare and rider safety.
As a nonprofit organization, Sam and Socks Riding School & Sanctuary welcomes volunteers to assist with stable management and care of the horses, and volunteer programs, educational workshops, and open-days promote humane treatment of animals and create inclusive community connections. Volunteer involvement and in-kind contributions directly lower operational costs and increase impact, and support can also include tax-deductible donations or sponsoring a horse or program. Participants report reduced anxiety, improved social skills, and increased self-esteem, and veterans and individuals with disabilities gain adaptive skills while youth build responsibility and hope.
Sam and Socks Riding School & Sanctuary grew out of the story of a true friendship between Samantha (Sam) and her pony Socks. Contact for lessons, trail rides, volunteering, and sanctuary visits is available by phone and by email through Susan at [email protected]. Families are asked to arrive 15 minutes early for a first session to complete a safety waiver and meet the instructor and horse.
Last updated June 17, 2026.
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