We opened Simple Changes in 2005 so that individuals with disabilities could develop meaningful connections with horses, helping them to grow stronger physically and experience more joy and independence in their lives.
We began operating at the Bureau of Land Management’s equestrian facility at Meadowood. In 2020 a new lease for the entire equestrian facility was implemented. A move was imminent.
Simple Changes took this as an opportunity to find a permanent home and serve more people with unique needs. Through the extraordinary generosity of donors in a year of incredible hardship, Simple Changes, with our investors, purchased a farm on Mason Neck, less than two miles from our former location.
Our lesson program continues to grow as we settle into our beautiful and functional new home.
Simple Changes is committed to providing each individual with an experience of purpose and independence. We encourage spirits to soar and bodies and minds to find their true strength and abilities.
Come visit us at our new farm and learn how you can help!
A ‘magical’ treatment for seniors with dementia: Horse therapy
By Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post
John Eliff wasn’t sure about painting a horse.
Eliff, 91, stood beside Stetson, an 11-year-old palomino. He picked up a foam paintbrush, dipped it into a cup of purple paint and gingerly laid it on the horse’s pale-gold flank.
With his son, Jack Eliff, standing protectively behind him, the elder Eliff started to paint. “Look at the color of this,” he said. Two vertical strokes and one horizontal — the letter H. Then he stopped. He frowned at the horse and started shaking his head. “If it looks nice,” he said, “why paint it?”