Reciprocity Ranch
Nestled less than a 15-minute drive from the picturesque coastline of Del Mar, California, Reciprocity Ranch stands as a beacon of hope for trauma survivors. Our mission is simple but profound: to harness the transformative power of animals & nature to help heal those carrying the weight of their past.
What is Reciprocity?
A reciprocal relationship is one defined by mutual giving and receiving. The ethic of reciprocity lies at its center: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We invite everyone who wants to be a part of Reciprocity Ranch to come join our herd and ‘give what they can & get what they need.' Because we believe if everyone shows up and gives their part, they will receive what they are seeking and the reciprocal relationship of healing through helping will continue exponentially to heal our community (and maybe even our world).
Welcome to our equine therapy ranch dream (coming to life)!
In 2021, we established the HorsePlay Collective, a non-profit of like-minded professionals who want to provide reduced-rate or free equine assisted coaching and therapy to trauma survivors in need, in our community, and that are close to our hearts. We believe veterans, trauma survivors, first responders, former foster youth, assault survivors, children with medical trauma, and many others deserve and can benefit from equine assisted coaching and therapy and don’t want financial restrictions to limit access to these effective and healing experiences.
In 2023, we officially became stewards of property in Carmel Valley that brought the name Reciprocity Ranch to life in beautiful, living color. More than we had ever even thought possible. Reciprocity Ranch is a place where we want to embody the motto “Give what you can, Get what you need.” And now, because of it’s incredible location, Reciprocity Ranch is uniquely situated to live in service to its surrounding community, including the students of the 3 nearby high-schools (TPHS, CCHS & CCA) and the residents of the senior living community up above on the plateau, enjoying the beautiful and calming pastoral view of our equines down below, living in herd and pasture (and in service to their human community).
At Reciprocity Ranch, we are building a place where we can all live in service to one another and to our community, and in so doing, heal ourselves by helping others, and through our connection with animals and nature. We plan to open our pastures to horses in the spring of 2025, and our gates in service to the surrounding community in summer 2025.
We invite you to come give what you can at Reciprocity Ranch and find healing through helping.
Thank you so much for helping us build and realize this dream.
With Profound Gratitude,
Shannon Lerach (Co-founder & Program Manager) & Ali Freedman (Co-founder & President)
At Reciprocity Ranch, our horses have the luxury to live in herd, in pasture, just as mother nature intended.
Every horse is naturally gifted in this work…no special training required.
Due to the proximity to the Del Mar Fair Grounds, we have a huge local population of competitive race and dressage horses that often retire before the age of 5, while still having 25 more years of life to look forward to!
In the spirit of reciprocity, we will offer these retired horses a new home and a renewed lease on life in exchange for them sharing their natural gift of healing with our community of survivors. Rather than send these horses out to pasture to live as “pasture puffs” for decades, we instead want to offer these natural healers the chance to act as our co-therapists, using their innate emotional sensitivity and sophisticated environmental attunement to help heal trauma survivors. More reciprocity!
A Legacy Continued
At the Horseplay Collective, we are honored to carry on the enduring legacy of Seabreeze Family Farms by returning their last remaining acres to horses that will serve trauma survivors as well as the surrounding community in perpetuity (more reciprocity!). With over 50 years in Carmel Valley, we're excited to weave this rich history into our journey forward.
