Horse of the Sun Ranch Youth Programs
Horse of the Sun Ranch, 28271 Old Hwy 80, Pine Valley, CA 91962
About
Horse of the Sun Ranch Youth Programs include activities such as horseback riding, riding lessons, feeding and grooming horses, pony rides, and animal husbandry. The program also offers archery, laser tag, crafts, leather crafting, gardening, hiking, a petting zoo, natural horsemanship lessons, team-building day retreats, family ranch days, home school programming, and equine-assisted day retreats. Children’s camps at the ranch combine horsemanship with outdoor adventure, and Mini Ranch Camps include animal husbandry, archery, leather craft, riding, and more.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Ranch Day Camp has spring, summer, and fall sessions; Mini Ranch Camp 1 and 2 are 2-hour group sessions on set weekdays twice a month; Horsemanship 1 is a single 30-minute lesson, Horsemanship 2 is a 30-minute weekly lesson, and Horsemanship 3 is a 60-minute weekly lesson.
• Price: Horsemanship 1: $50 per 30-minute session; Horsemanship 2: $200 per month for 30-minute weekly lessons; Horsemanship 3: $299 per month for 60-minute weekly lessons; Mini Ranch Camp 1: $100 per month; Mini Ranch Camp 2: $100 per month; special rates are offered for Active Duty Military Families, Veterans, and First Responders for the Natural Horsemanship Program.
Horse of the Sun Ranch Youth Programs take place at a program site of the Armed Services YMCA San Diego and use a natural horsemanship approach with 14 horses that have distinct breeds, backgrounds, and personalities. The ranch offers equine-assisted day retreats shaped around themes such as leadership development, team bonding, effective communication, or emotional awareness, and Ranch Days can be scheduled events or private events where families can book the entire ranch. Programs are offered at no or low cost and require no membership fees through the Armed Services YMCA.
Equine-assisted day retreat facilitators are certified through programs including EAL, Equus, and Touched by a Horse. The main contact for Horse of the Sun Ranch is Regina Butala Favre, who can be reached at 619-473-8458. The ranch welcomes volunteers to help with daily operations, horse care, ranch maintenance, and special events.
Horse of the Sun Ranch is a program site of the Armed Services YMCA San Diego, whose mission is to enhance the lives of military members and their families in spirit, mind, and body through programs relevant to the unique challenges of military life. Horse of the Sun Ranch’s mission is to connect people with horses and, in doing so, reconnect them with themselves, their families, and the natural world. The Armed Services YMCA has a Charity Navigator 4-Star rating, a Charity Watch A Grade, and a Candid Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency.
The Armed Services YMCA has been “Strengthening Our Military Family®” since 1861, and ASYMCA San Diego’s first location opened to military members in 1924. ASYMCA San Diego later moved into military housing in Murphy Canyon and led patient recreation programs at Naval Medical Center, and in 2020 it provided drive-thru meal distributions and virtual youth activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Armed Services YMCA San Diego supports military families in Murphy Canyon, Naval Medical Center San Diego, and at Horse of the Sun Ranch, and works closely with the Department of Defense and installation commands to identify opportunities and augment service areas to help young military families.
Last updated March 15, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Ranch Day Camp has spring, summer, and fall sessions; Mini Ranch Camp 1 and 2 are 2-hour group sessions on set weekdays twice a month; Horsemanship 1 is a single 30-minute lesson, Horsemanship 2 is a 30-minute weekly lesson, and Horsemanship 3 is a 60-minute weekly lesson.
• Price: Horsemanship 1: $50 per 30-minute session; Horsemanship 2: $200 per month for 30-minute weekly lessons; Horsemanship 3: $299 per month for 60-minute weekly lessons; Mini Ranch Camp 1: $100 per month; Mini Ranch Camp 2: $100 per month; special rates are offered for Active Duty Military Families, Veterans, and First Responders for the Natural Horsemanship Program.
Horse of the Sun Ranch Youth Programs take place at a program site of the Armed Services YMCA San Diego and use a natural horsemanship approach with 14 horses that have distinct breeds, backgrounds, and personalities. The ranch offers equine-assisted day retreats shaped around themes such as leadership development, team bonding, effective communication, or emotional awareness, and Ranch Days can be scheduled events or private events where families can book the entire ranch. Programs are offered at no or low cost and require no membership fees through the Armed Services YMCA.
Equine-assisted day retreat facilitators are certified through programs including EAL, Equus, and Touched by a Horse. The main contact for Horse of the Sun Ranch is Regina Butala Favre, who can be reached at 619-473-8458. The ranch welcomes volunteers to help with daily operations, horse care, ranch maintenance, and special events.
Horse of the Sun Ranch is a program site of the Armed Services YMCA San Diego, whose mission is to enhance the lives of military members and their families in spirit, mind, and body through programs relevant to the unique challenges of military life. Horse of the Sun Ranch’s mission is to connect people with horses and, in doing so, reconnect them with themselves, their families, and the natural world. The Armed Services YMCA has a Charity Navigator 4-Star rating, a Charity Watch A Grade, and a Candid Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency.
The Armed Services YMCA has been “Strengthening Our Military Family®” since 1861, and ASYMCA San Diego’s first location opened to military members in 1924. ASYMCA San Diego later moved into military housing in Murphy Canyon and led patient recreation programs at Naval Medical Center, and in 2020 it provided drive-thru meal distributions and virtual youth activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Armed Services YMCA San Diego supports military families in Murphy Canyon, Naval Medical Center San Diego, and at Horse of the Sun Ranch, and works closely with the Department of Defense and installation commands to identify opportunities and augment service areas to help young military families.
Last updated March 15, 2026.
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