Medicine Horse Program
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
MEDICINE HORSE PROGRAM ENHANCES THE MENTAL HEALTH AND LIFE SKILLS OF YOUTH, ADULTS, VETERANS, FAMILIES AND GROUPS THROUGH THERAPEUTIC INTERACTION WITH HORSES.
- Income
- $583,493
- Spending
- $511,540
- Spent on programs
- 69%
- Reserves
- 6.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 78%
- Employees
- 2
- Volunteers
- 65
- Highest pay
- $57,000, development director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 82% of charities in its peer group (mental health, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 6.7 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 12% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 93% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1569% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 25 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 84 out of 100. Higher than 70% of charities in its peer group (mental health, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 258 of 9 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $351,756 spent. Medicine Horse offers a variety of equine-based psychotherapy programs for groups, including: Wholeness with Horses seeks to enable women impacted by breast cancer to rediscover themselves, reconnect with the wisdom of their own bodies and return to a place of wholeness. Together with the horses, we'll have an opportunity to share our stories, create community and empower one another. Operation Be Herd partners with horses to bring a unique approach to emotional and relationship healing. Observing and interacting with horses, we develop insights into concepts such as how to decrease our reactivity, increase our presence and focus, and how to be with difficult and overwhelming emotional experiences. Just Say Whoa is a group geared toward teens who are struggling with behaviors such as truancy, substance abuse, emotion regulation, and low self-esteem. Equine-assisted psychotherapy activities are utilized to develop communication skills, increase emotional self-awareness, build connections and learn boundary setting. Participants are encouraged to identify feelings and explore positive expression of emotions and needs, develop leadership skills and a sense of appreciation and empathy for themselves and others.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 2001.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.