We were lucky to catch up with Sasha Camacho recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sasha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

One of the biggest personal/professional risks that I have ever taken was working with my husband, Andrew Camacho, to start our nonprofit SoléAna Stables.
We started SoléAna Stables because of our daughter Solana and her love of horses. There weren’t any reputable therapeutic riding programs in our area and we knew if it could help her get stronger, both physically and mentally, it could help others as well. So, in March 2014, after several years of trying to find a therapeutic riding program within our community that offered encouragement, growth, and inspiration while providing consistency in lessons, Andy had a dream: to start a nonprofit therapeutic riding program that would benefit ALL individuals with special needs.

He envisioned a place where families could gather without judgment or ridicule, a program where those that felt lost could start to feel a glimmer of hope again and where every individual was accepted for who they are with compassion and love.

That dream catapulted both Andy and I into an area that we did not have any expertise in. The first two years were spent figuring out how to start the program. What did we need? Who had a reputable program that we could learn from? How would we even start? Where would we find horses? Instructors? We spent countless hours volunteering at other therapeutic riding facilities, speaking to Riding Instructors, Program Managers, Executive Directors on the best practices needed to run a premier program.

Then in July 2016 all the hard work paid off and we partnered with Big Wish Farm in Alvin, TX and welcomed 11 riders into our program. Today, our program serves 30 individuals with special needs and continues to have an ever growing wait list – showing the continued need for this program within our community.

Through SoléAna Stables, we have a renewed sense of compassion, understanding, unconditional love and most importantly the importance of service within our community, that we might not have realized if we “stayed on the sidelines.”

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a wife and mother to two beautiful girls, and have served as the Executive Director of SoléAna Stables for the past 8 years. My entry into nonprofit work, more accurately therapeutic riding was not the most direct, I actually started my professional career serving as a Treasury Analyst for a few prominent investment and technology firms across the United States. But it was my daughter Solana and the desire to serve my community that changed the trajectory of my professional ambitions.

At SoléAna Stables we provide therapeutic or adaptive riding which utilizes an equine as a way to achieve goals that enhance the physical, emotional, intellectual/cognitive, and social well-being of our riders. Each lesson focuses on our riders and their personal goals. We listen carefully to what each rider and family member want to achieve while riding, and implement fun ways to meet those goals that will make a difference in their lives, not only in the arena, but at school, home and work. For us, it has always been about finding ways that help our riders become the very best version of themselves.

In addition to serving people with special needs, later this year we will be launching Horses for Heroes, an equine-assisted program for military veterans. Andy has been in the Air Force for almost 30 years and being a military family, we know firsthand what a program like ours can mean for military veterans who return from combat and may be dealing with significant trauma. We envision a program where veterans can come and be with other veterans. They will be welcomed wounds and all, visible and invisible. But more than anything they will be met where they are and encouraged to just BE. Our military veterans have stepped up for each and every one of us, and now it’s our turn to give back to them. To let them know that we see them and that they are not forgotten

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

It’s actually quite simple: Putting others before self and focusing on service.

People can have a great idea, but if it becomes about what THEY can accomplish and how successful THEY can become, they lose the reason we were created and why we started our program, business, etc. We were all created to serve others with love, compassion and joy. For Andy and I it has never been about our accomplishments or our legacy, but rather the legacy of our Riders. My daily prayer is that our program is enriching the lives of our riders & their families, and gives them the opportunity to leave their own stamp on the world. We want them to make an impact that goes beyond their differences, and encourages other people to serve others and make a difference in our communities and in the world.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

Absolutely! Each day I wake up knowing that in some small way I am making a difference in our community and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Each one of us has talents that can be used for a greater purpose, and it is up to us to ask ourselves: how can I use what God has given me to help someone else? You don’t have to start a nonprofit, you simply have to look outside of yourself and look to where you are needed the most.

SoléAna Stables is a good example of how you can do anything with God at your side. Being able to surrender your plans, ideas and wishes and let His will be done was probably the hardest thing for me to do, but I quickly realized that worrying about things I could not control was not helping anyone. I needed to let go and let God.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.soleanastables.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/soleana_stables
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SoleAnaStables
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/soléana-stables
• Twitter: twitter.com/SoleAnaStables
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMsl-tjLqhxyUbbzgtVLcg