Matt has done a great job maintaining the property. We were just amazed at the kind of care that Matt’s animals are given. He offers life-changing opportunities to young people who otherwise would have no experience with horses. I cannot say enough good things about Matt Doward and A Horse’s Friend.

We couldn’t ask for a better neighbor.  A Horse’s Friend is a special program that does so much good.  And the organization has done amazing work to improve the property.  Our corner of Rush has never looked better.

The Horse’s Friend Program has been a transformative experience for the students and families of Helen Barrett Montgomery School #50. This unique program provides our students with an opportunity to build emotional resilience, develop trust, and gain confidence—all through meaningful interactions with horses.

For many of our students, this program represents more than just an extracurricular activity; it is a therapeutic and educational experience that fosters a sense of responsibility and empowerment. Families have shared countless stories of how their children come home from the program more confident, more communicative, and with an improved sense of well-being.

We have seen firsthand how the bonds between students and the horses translate into improved social and emotional skills. The program has been especially beneficial for students facing social or emotional challenges, providing a safe, supportive environment where they can grow.

We are incredibly grateful for the Horse’s Friend Program and the lasting impact it continues to have on our school community. It’s more than just learning to ride—it’s about teaching life skills, fostering connections, and helping our students thrive in all aspects of their lives.

Until A Horse’s Friend moved in, White Springs Farm was neglected and repeatedly vandalized. It made us feel insecure. Now, we are at ease and thrilled to have such conscientious neighbors as Matt and his volunteer force. As former dairy farmers, we appreciate the care AHF takes to keep the farm and their horses well maintained.

We are so grateful to have a program like AHF, which benefits the greater Rochester community by helping kids find their way through interacting with horses and a role model such as Matt.

I fully support the mission of A Horse’s Friend (AHF) to help city youth learn valuable life and leadership skills. Studies show that people who are fortunate enough to interact with horses experience reduced feelings of tension and anger. By being taught to care for and relate successfully to large, powerful animals, the young people in the program are learning responsibility, patience, impulse control, safety, empathy and communication skills. A Horse’s Friend is instilling values of respect, cooperation and discipline. AHF has proven to be an excellent community partner in Rush.

It is a great credit to Rush that our town hosts A Horse’s Friend. AHF is  a wonderful resource for our community and for the region. If you could see the smiles and happy faces of the children, you’d know what a great service is being provided! We can all be very proud to have this wonderful program here in our town.

I see first hand, the workings of the farm: the well maintained pastures, the stalls and barns are kept clean and the horses are very well cared for. 

The programs and camps that are offered to the youth of our community, are top notch and run by Matthew Doward, the Founder of AHF.  I have seen the growth of the children that are learning about horses and how to ride, groom, feed and make an emotional connection with the horses.

The amount of teaching and caring for the horses, is phenomenal. The confidence gained, the commitment and so many of the life skills are incorporated to make for some life changes of those children in the program. 

The museum (New York Transportation Museum) is now in its 51st year, and the writer has been around for most of that.  The property next to us has been part of Industry, then BOCES, and now A Horse’s Friend.  I can say the property has never looked better, has never been run more efficiently, and has never been as much of a resource to the community as it is now.  

Matt Doward works hard at the mission of A Horse’s Friend, but also has many times helped us with his skills and equipment.  He’s a good neighbor and our two organizations have a good relationship.  

Between A Horse’s Friend, our museum, and the extensive hiking trail system, Rush has a real gem that the Town can be proud of.

It is our continuing opinion, based on personal, direct experience with this organization, their staff, the students they serve, and the property they use that not only is this organization an excellent fit for the space and the Town, but it is an exemplary fit in support of the people they serve, stewardship of the land and buildings, care for the horses they stable and recreational and service opportunities for the residents of Monroe County, including the Town of Rush. 

In addition to many 2024 winter and spring visits to the site for community birding opportunities, I personally led an educational bird hike for A Horse’s Friend’s students in May.  Fifteen, 9-11 year olds attended.  The kids literally “ate up” being outside learning new things – for two hours.  We stopped mainly because thunder threatened!  Each student was asked to state at least one thing they had learned so they could share it with AHF Executive Director Matthew Doward.  They recounted favorite birds they had seen, habitat information, delight at specific bird characteristics, and one even re-sang a bird’s song I had taught them!  Inner city children engaged in nature –  what a gift A Horse’s Friend has brought to them.  We need young people in nature and excited about the environment now more than ever 

For the 5th year in a row, Rush resident Nick Kachala and I again co-led a 2024 May birding hike for the Rochester Birding Association.  As in the past, we found a wonderful array of birds, experienced the AHF space in excellent, welcoming condition and introduced another ~15 people to the site.  As always, AHF staff were both welcoming and enthusiastic to have more people visit.  The property and horses were in outstanding condition, as always.

This spring, a Rush resident brought guidelines for appropriate horse pasturing to my attention.  I personally gave the written guidelines to Director Matt and he assured me that AHF uses and meets the guidelines in the care of the horses and property as standard operating procedure.  It is obvious that this is true to anyone who visits the property and sees the quality of care implemented.  The students are taught this as a part of their equine practical experience.

In addition, A Horse’s Friend has gone out of its way to host many open house events for the community in an effort to help more residents understand and appreciate the many positive impacts of their program. 

Had A Horse’s Friend not been in residence, in our opinion the property would have continued to deteriorate, been an unsafe blight to the area and unavailable to Rush residents for recreational purposes.  

“We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference” (Nelson Mandela). In Matt’s hands, AHF nurtures relationships between children and horses, building their confidence while fostering discipline, respect, trust, responsibility and teamwork.  Youth from the city and surrounding area benefit from being in this very special rural environment. Matt works tirelessly to care for the horses and maintain the farm at White Springs Farm.  Matt Doward makes a difference every day at A Horse’s Friend.