About The Venue

Shining Hope Farms is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2002 whose mission is to enable children and adults with disabilities to achieve functional goals through the use of equine assisted activities and Therapy.  We operate three locations in the western Piedmont region of North Carolina. These locations include our original location in Mt. Holly, a satellite farm in Charlotte, and our newest satellite location in Conover, NC. In addition, we operate a small therapy services program at a ranch in Gastonia, NC. 

Historically 85% of our patients make functional gains; including improvements in head-control, trunk control, speech patterns, as well as the ability to walk. These functional gains, made during equine-assisted therapy, help transform the lives of our clients and their families. 

 Funds from this ETS event will support our programs; enabling our organization to provide much-needed life-altering services. Shining Hope Farms is a gold level participant with GuideStar, a leading symbol of transparency and accountability.   

Location

6347 St. Peters Church Road, Conover, NC 28613

The Conover Farm offers an outdoor arena, a 100 x 200 enclosed arena, a 60' round pen, 20 acres of pastures with run-in sheds, and 110 acres of beautiful wooded trails which wrap around Lake Hickory in the foothills of The Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Our facility offers 2 indoor restrooms and a hot/cold water wash bay.

LODGING

 Unfortunately, we are not permitted to offer overnight camping. However, there are a number of very nice hotels in Hickory and Conover that are within 15-20 minutes of the farm. 

1) Holiday Inn Express & Suites Conover  104 10th St NW, Conover, NC 28613* (828) 465-7070  - We have 10 rooms blocked for this event.

2) Days Inn by Wyndham Conover-Hickory www.wyndhamhotels.com 1710 Fairgrove Church Rd SE, Conover, NC 28613 · (828) 465-2378 - We have 10 rooms blocked for this event. 

3) Best Western Hickory 1520 13th Ave Dr SE, Hickory, NC 28602• (828) 323-1150

Event Details

We will be hosting an In-Hand obstacle course in the AM on Saturday, followed by a 3-mile Obstacle Trail in the PM on Saturday. 

Sunday AM will conclude the weekend event with a 2-mile Obstacle Trail. 

The Terrain

Shining Hope Farms offers over one hundred acres of trails to enjoy with your horse including farm fields, timber, hills, creeks, and our North Carolina clay. 

There will be some areas around the barn and some small portions of the trails where the horses will be traversing over gravel and some rocks but horse shoes are not required. The majority of the riding terrain will be dirt and grass. 

Meals

Shell's BBQ will be on-site for lunch on Saturday. 

Pricing will be:

Adults - $8/person
Children 12 and Under - $5/person

Awards

Beautiful ribbons 1st-6th place Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced! 1st-3rd place Junior (age 13-17), 1st-3rd place Youngin' (age 7-12), and 1st place Newcomer!