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Kassi Hanson raised $20,000 to help children’s mental health through equine therapy one shotgun blast at a time at the Cody Shooting Complex on May 14.
Hanson, a homeschool student in Cody, …
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Kassi Hanson raised $20,000 to help children’s mental health through equine therapy one shotgun blast at a time at the Cody Shooting Complex on May 14.
Hanson, a homeschool student in Cody, decided to raise money to provide youth scholarships for WyoHoofbeats, Equine Asisted Learning (EAL), a therapy clinic that serves the Big Horn Basin by putting on a sporting clays fundraiser.
“I don’t go to in-person school anymore but every year since sixth grade, not necessarily from suicide but between, that kind of death and other deaths we have had a kid pass every year,” Hanson said.
Hanson, a competition shotgun shooter, has both a passion for shooting and horses and wanted to be able to help youth have access to therapy involving the animals she admires so much.
WyoHoofbeats, EAL practices equine assisted psychotherapy, a practice where clients complete hands-on experiences with horses that mirror events happening in their lives.
Hanson’s event had 43 station sponsors, silent auction items and 87 shooters. Registration per shooter was $75. The competition required shooters to shoot 100 targets as they progressed through the course’s sponsored stations. Prizes were awarded for high overall shooter, low overall shooter, high overall lady, high overall team, high overall youth and low overall shooter. (Low overall shooter prizes are awarded to encourage participants with low scores.)
After the last shell was shot, and all prizes and auction items were won, the event raised roughly $20,000 for WyoHoofbeats, EAL, with $10,000 going specifically to youth scholarships.
“We’re all passionate about connecting people with horses,” WyoHoofbeats co-founder Heather Bales said. “Putting this event on will allow us to reach out to more kids, especially to get them outside and working with horses, doing things that are good and healthy for us that are outside.”
Bales said there are a variety of workshops and therapies WyoHoofbeats offers for youth including horse-powered reading, mental health equine therapy and mental health psychotherapy.
