Finding Peace and Connection at The Horse of the Sun Ranch

About the Horse of the Sun Ranch

The Horse of the Sun Ranch, operated by Armed Services YMCA San Diego, provides military families with a peaceful retreat where they can reconnect and heal through equestrian activities, nature experiences, and outdoor programs in the Cuyamaca Mountains.

Why it Matters

• At a time when military families face unprecedented stress from frequent deployments and relocations, the ranch offers a healing environment that combines interaction with horses with other outdoor activities to strengthen family bonds before, during, and after deployments.
• The ranch’s work shows how non-traditional therapeutic approaches – particularly those involving horses and nature – can effectively support military family wellness and resilience.
• By providing both programs and peaceful spaces for unstructured family time, the ranch offers a model for serving military families’ specific needs while remaining accessible to the broader community.

In Pine Valley, in the foothills of the Cuyamaca Mountains, less than an hour from the bustle of San Diego, time – and your heartbeat – seems to slow down. The Horse of the Sun Ranch, a program of the Armed Services YMCA San Diego, offers equestrian and outdoor activities designed to bring peace and healing to military families as well as the general public.

With its oak and sage-covered hills and the gentle presence of horses, the ranch provides a much-needed escape for families facing the unique stresses of military life. 

Recently, Armed Services YMCA San Diego was awarded $x as part of the Prebys Healing Through Arts and Nature Initiative, which is distributing more than $6,400,000 to 59 organizations. This initiative seeks to improve community health and well-being by enhancing access to arts, culture, and nature. A growing number of healthcare providers, researchers, and community advocates recognize the importance of not only treating illness but also promoting mental, physical, and social wellness through non-clinical experiences in the arts, culture, and nature.

Recent data shows the particular value of experiences in nature for improving happiness, reducing stress, and improving health. 

A Place for Families to Reconnect

For military families, the demands of deployments, relocations, and transitions can strain relationships. The ranch provides a haven where families can reconnect through horseback riding, nature walks, and shared activities like archery or leatherworking.

“The ranch is a place for families to catch their breath,” says Ranch Director Butala-Favre, who recently joined the staff after running similar programs in Northern California. 

Before she was the organization’s Director of Development, Liza Talbott discovered the ranch as a member of a military family. Talbott, whose husband served in the Navy for 20 years, recalls how visits to the ranch helped her family stay strong through deployments.

Horses as Partners in Healing

Central to the ranch’s mission are its 14 horses, many of which are former working or riding horses donated by their owners. 

Favre notes that building a relationship with a horse is especially meaningful, as she takes her horse Liberty, which is one of her personal horses that live on the property, through a series of exercises in the round pen. With the tilt of her head, Liberty moves to the left, with another small gesture, the horse slowly backs up, as if by telepathy. 

“Horses are nature in its finest form. They can connect on a deep level with us and help keep us in the present moment,” Butala-Favre says, as she continues leading the horse around the ring. ​“Horsemanship is so much more than riding. Something inexplicable happens when you’re around a horse. Just having that interaction and bringing people to have that experience is a passion of mine. It is fitting that we get to do that here on the ranch with these families.”

A Vision for Growth

With support from the Prebys Foundation, the ranch is expanding its offerings, says Vice President of Finance and Administration Stan Miller, who looks every bit the part in a cowboy hat, boots, and Wranglers.

Plans include improving trails, building a new pavilion for large gatherings, developing the ranch’s new greenhouse for therapeutic gardening, and creating more opportunities for families to experience the healing power of nature.

That is all in addition to the ongoing needs of the operation, says Miller. Miller grew up on a thousand-acre farm in Texas, so he knows his way around a ranch. ​“A ranch is a ²⁴⁄₇ operation. There’s always something broken. You wake up and there’s always something to do.” But Miller is by no means complaining. He seems to know every inch of the 30 acres – the family of ravens nesting in a nearby oak, the turkeys that make their way through in the spring, and all fourteen horses and the two feral cats by name. 

Indeed, the Horse of the Sun Ranch stands as a testament to the transformative power of nature, animals, and community. For the military families it serves, it’s not just a ranch – it’s a place to find peace, build resilience, and reconnect with what matters most.