Make a Donation
When you give to Saddle Up Academy, you're investing in young people, rescue horses, and a future where Equestrian Equality for All is more than a vision—it's a reality. Every donation helps remove barriers, create opportunities, and ensure every child has a place in the barn, where they are welcomed, valued, and enter as an equal. Together, we're changing lives—one child, one horse, and one opportunity at a time.
Support Oakland and East Bay youth through horses, agriculture, leadership, and community.
EQUESTRIAN EQUALITY FOR ALL
At Saddle Up Academy, we believe every child deserves access to horses, agriculture, outdoor education, and the opportunities they create—regardless of income, background, or zip code.
Founded by two women of color who rarely saw people who looked like them in the equestrian world, Saddle Up Academy was built to ensure that youth throughout Oakland and the East Bay have access to opportunities that have long been out of reach for too many families.
We created a space where every young person is met with the same welcome—curiosity, kindness, and a genuine belief in what they’re capable of. Here, the only thing that matters is showing up.
Today, we offer riding lessons, summer camps, horse shows, educational field trips, leadership development, mentorship, and agricultural experiences that make the equestrian world more accessible, welcoming, and representative of the communities we serve. Nearly 80% of our students identify as BIPOC and/or come from underserved communities, and many rely on scholarships, sliding-scale tuition, transportation assistance, and donated equipment to participate.
Many of the horses in our program are rescues or horses who simply needed a second chance. At Saddle Up Academy, these horses become teachers, mentors, and trusted partners. In many ways, they reflect the young people we serve—both deserve opportunity, support, and a community willing to invest in their future.
Your donation helps fund scholarships, affordable lessons, transportation, riding gear, show attire, horse show entry fees, educational resources, leadership programs, and the ongoing care of our lesson horses—including dental care, vaccinations, farrier services, feed, and veterinary visits.
Our goal is not simply to create better riders. It is to help create confident, capable, kind human beings who know their worth—and who can walk into any room, any barn, or any opportunity knowing they belong there.
Help us make Equestrian Equality for All a reality.
Why give?
-
✽
Give a Child a Chance — Scholarships, camps, lessons, and life-changing experiences.
-
✽
Give a Horse a Purpose
Support our rescue and lesson horses with the care they deserve.
-
✽
Grow the Next Generation — Build confidence, leadership, and belonging through horsemanship.
-
✽
Strengthen Our Community — Invest in Oakland and East Bay youth and families.
-
✽
Create Equestrian Equality — Help make the equestrian world more welcoming, diverse, and accessible.
-
✽
Leave a Lasting Impact — Every gift changes lives—both human and equine.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Yes! Saddle Up Academy is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Our EIN is 92-3397204. A receipt will be emailed to you after your donation for your tax records.
-
Every dollar directly supports our mission of creating Equestrian Equality for All. Donations help provide scholarships, sliding-scale riding lessons, summer camps, horse show opportunities, educational field trips, transportation assistance, riding equipment, and mentorship for Oakland and East Bay youth. They also help care for our rescue and lesson horses through veterinary care, annual dentals, farrier services, feed, tack, and daily wellness.
-
Every dollar directly supports our mission of creating Equestrian Equality for All. Donations help provide scholarships, sliding-scale riding lessons, summer camps, horse show opportunities, educational field trips, transportation assistance, riding equipment, and mentorship for Oakland and East Bay youth. They also help care for our rescue and lesson horses through veterinary care, annual dentals, farrier services, feed, tack, and daily wellness.
-
Yes! We gratefully accept new and gently used riding apparel, tack, helmets, boots, grooming supplies, horse care items, office supplies, tools, building materials, and gift cards. We also welcome donations that help stock our community tack shop, making equestrian equipment more affordable for local families. If you're unsure whether an item is a good fit, please contact us.
-
Yes. Tribute gifts are a meaningful way to honor a loved one, celebrate a special horse, or recognize someone who has made a lasting impact. If requested, we're happy to send an acknowledgment to the honoree or their family while keeping your donation amount private.
-
Yes! While unrestricted donations allow us to respond to our greatest needs, we are happy to honor requests whenever possible.
You may choose to support a specific lesson horse, herd health and veterinary care, youth scholarships, summer camps, educational field trips, transportation assistance, horse show opportunities, our community tack shop, riding equipment, or another area of our mission that is meaningful to you.
If you have a specific designation in mind, simply include it in the notes section of your donation or contact us directly. We'll do our best to ensure your gift is used as intended while supporting our mission of Equestrian Equality for All.