ABOUT STABLE STRIDES
Stable Strides Foundation is a Rhode Island nonprofit offering equine-facilitated learning experiences at Glen Farm Stables in Portsmouth.
Through guided, ground-based interaction with horses, our programs create opportunities for reflection, connection, and personal growth for youth, adults, military families, and community organizations.
Our experiences invite participants to slow down, observe, and engage with horses in ways that foster awareness, confidence, communication, and wellbeing.
For the most part Stable Strides programs are unmounted, meaning participants interact with horses from the ground rather than riding, and no prior horse experience is required.
HOW IT STARTED
In 2024, a group of friends who found comfort, peace, and joy at the barn began asking a simple but powerful question: what if everyone could feel this way?
Horses have long been part of our local community, yet meaningful access to them has often been limited by cost, opportunity, or circumstance. We wanted to change that. We imagined a place where the barn doors were open wider — where people from all backgrounds could experience the calm, presence, and insight that horses offer.
Stable Strides Foundation grew from that vision: a community-centered organization dedicated to expanding access to the powerful learning and healing potential of the horse-human relationship.
THE WORK
Equine
Welfare
The wellbeing of our equine partners is central to everything we do.
Stable Strides offers horses opportunities for enrichment, purpose, and partnership beyond competition and sport.
Through thoughtful, respectful interaction, horses and humans build relationships grounded in trust, presence, and mutual awareness. In this way, the wellbeing of both horse and human remains at the heart of every experience we offer
Equity &
Access
We believe the benefits of connecting with horses should be available to more people.
Stable Strides works to reduce barriers through community partnerships, scholarships, and programs designed to welcome participants from diverse backgrounds and life experiences.
By opening the barn doors wider, we hope to build a more inclusive community around the horse-human relationship.
Our
Programs
Stable Strides offers equine-facilitated learning experiences where participants engage with horses through guided, ground-based activities that support confidence, communication, reflection, and connection.
Programs serve youth, adults, military families, and community organizations, creating opportunities for people of many ages and backgrounds to experience meaningful interaction with horses.
WHY HORSES
Horses are remarkably perceptive animals. As herd animals, they are highly attuned to body language, emotion, and energy — responding honestly and immediately to what they perceive around them.
This sensitivity creates unique opportunities for learning. When people interact with horses, they often gain insight into how they communicate, how they show up in relationships, and how their presence affects others.
Equine-facilitated learning draws on this natural responsiveness, creating experiences where participants can explore awareness, communication, and connection in ways that are both powerful and deeply grounding.
At Stable Strides, we view horses not as tools, but as partners and teachers in the learning process.
OUR TEAM
Genna Heath
Co-Founder | Co-Executive Director
Genna Heath is a Portsmouth, RI resident and member of a military family. She has a background in Equine Science and Livestock Management, and a master’s in environmental management from Duke University. After ten years in corporate sustainability and management consulting serving clients in building construction, retail, manufacturing, and agriculture, Genna has refocused her career on supporting the local Aquidneck Island community through small business services and pro bono partnerships with non-profits, such as West Place Animal Sanctuary. Genna is a lifelong equestrian with skills in various disciplines and experience working on farms internationally. She believes that time spent with animals is transformative for people of all ages, fostering empathy, confidence, and self-awareness.
Ingrid Adolphs-Carbotti
Co-Founder | Co-Executive Director
Ingrid Adolphs-Carbotti, a Newport, RI resident, brings over 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship, business development, project management, and marketing. With a proven ability to lead teams through change, build strong relationships, and foster growth, she is driven by a passion for creating lasting impact. While deeply committed to the transformative power of equestrian activities, Ingrid’s appreciation for Aquidneck Island’s cultural and historical heritage has deepened through her marriage into a family with a long-standing dedication to arts and education. Originally from Colombia, Ingrid is particularly invested in how cultural and educational programs can positively shape the growing Hispanic community on the island. She is committed to preserving the island’s rich history and building a lasting legacy through the foundation’s work.
Justine King
Board President
Justine King is a Portsmouth resident, and non-profit development leader. In 2007, Justine co-founded Flying Kites Global, a 501c3 nonprofit that provides access to elementary education, girls reproductive health resources, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in rural Kenya. Justine has deep understanding of how to create programs for underserved communities with dignity and measurable impact. She is currently the Director of Finance and Governance for Flying Kites and a budding participant in the equestrian world.
OUR HOME AT
GLEN FARM STABLES
Stable Strides programs take place at Glen Farm Stables in Portsmouth, Rhode Island — a historic and pastoral setting that offers a quiet, natural environment for connection and reflection.
The open fields, barns, and surrounding landscape create space for participants to slow down, observe, and engage with the horses in a way that feels both grounded and expansive.
Being rooted at Glen Farm allows Stable Strides to be part of a broader community while offering a setting that supports the calm, presence, and awareness at the heart of our work.