REtake the Reins

Retake the Reins was founded in 2021 in partnership between The Nicole Rhoads Foundation for Empowerment, Suzanne Rose Devincent and Hailey McGowan. Retake the Reins is a therapeutic work student internship with Suzanne and Haley at Colmsgate Farm in Huntingdon Valley, Pa. The program is designed to empower the participant to retake the reins in their own life by working with Suzanne, Hailey and the horses at Colmsgate. Working with the horses gives the participant the opportunity to find their voice, create a meaningful bond and learn skills useful both in horsemanship and in their every day life in a safe and understanding environment. 

The application is open from April 7, 2021 til May 31, 2021. The award will be announced on July 12, 2021. 

For more information or for questions, email us at scholarships@nrfempowerment.org 

Take a look at our Past Retake the Reins Internship winners!

To apply for the work student program you must be: 

• Between 13-99 
• Have current health insurance 

Some requirements of the program are:

• Having an open mind
• Be respectful of the people and animals you work with 
• Be able to groom the horses (brush, bathe, pick feet) 
• Be able to feed the animals (throw hay, dump feed into their buckets, give treats) 
• Care for the animals (Clean stalls, blanket them, spend time with them, turn them out etc,)
• Be willing to learn and to grow
• Weekly riding lesson free of charge
• More if applicable

Below is our application for Retake the Reins. It is powered by Google Forms, and will not let you save and come back. 

To look at a PDF version of the application, click the "APPLICATION QUESTIONS" button in the next section.

*Note: You must have current health insurance to apply for this opportunity. Two (2) Letters of Recommendation must also be submitted before the closing date of the application. If you are 13-18, parent signature does not count towards recommendations*

The google form application only allows you to submit a response once. Take a look at the question before applying to make filling out the application as easy as possible! 

Suzanne Rose Devincent is the lead trainer at Colmsgate farm.

Hailey McGowan is the assistant trainer and barn manager of Colmsgate Farm.

Already applied, but lost the link to send to those writing your recommendation letters or your parent permission form? We've got you covered here.