Veteran, Active Military and First Responder 2026 Coffee Hour Registration

Veterans, Active Military & First Responders Coffee Hour
Join Us for Community, Connection, & Support!

 

Please complete the form to register for our Veteran, Active Military, and First Responder Coffee Hour. Spouses and family members are invited to join, but please register.

Each individual attending the Coffee Hour needs to complete the registration form.

Where:
Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy (HETRA)

10130 S. 222nd Street, Gretna, NE 68028
Here is a link to the directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/cHmkC5anv7cmqvXo7

When:

Date and Time	Partnering Organization
Friday, January 9th, 2026, 9:00-10:00 AM	New Visions Homeless Services First Responders Foundation
Friday, February 20th, 2026, 9:00-10:00 AM	50 Mile March First Responders Foundation
Saturday, March 21st, 2026, 9:00-10:00 AM	Military OneSource First Responders Foundation
Friday, April 10th, 2026, 9:00-10:00 AM	Veterans Business Outreach Center  First Responders Foundation

Who:

Open to all veterans, active-duty personnel, and current or former first responders, including firefighters, police officers, and EMS personnel. Spouse and family members are invited to attend. 

Why:

To offer a warm, welcoming space where active military, veterans, and first responders can connect, share stories, and enjoy coffee while building community. Along with camaraderie and friendly conversation, each gathering also provides information and education on local community organizations and resources available.

Additional Info:

• Free coffee and light refreshments
• Veterans, active-duty personnel, and current or former first responders, including firefighters, police officers, and EMS personnel, are welcome. 

Hosted by HETRA
For more info, contact us at (402) 359-8830 or email our Program Intake Coordinator, gsmith@HETRA.org or Program Facilitator, Brittany brittanyf@HETRA.org

to the use and reproduction by Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy of any or all photographs and any other audiovisual materials taken of me/my son/my daughter/my ward for promotional printed, digital and web-based material, educational activities or any other use for the benefit of the program.

These guidelines have been developed for your safety. Failure to follow these rules can result in dismissal from this facility.

1. Please DO NOT pet the horses in any outside pens or indoor stalls. Some horses on the property are privately owned and are not part of the HETRA herd.
2. Please do not arrive at the barn before you are scheduled. There must be a HETRA Instructor, Staff Member, or Barn Leader on site when volunteers, students or guests arrive. For insurance purposes there cannot be visitors at the HETRA facility when there is not a staff member on site.
3. ONLY the Barn Leader or approved Horse Leader will be allowed to get horses from outside pens.
4. No untrained individual should enter a pen or stall with a loose horse in it. 
5. You should not be in any outside pen UNLESS you have been asked by an Instructor or Barn Leader to complete a specific task in this area. Once this has been completed please return to the proper volunteer areas.
6. NEVER sit, kneel or lay on the ground near a horse. 
7. All phones must be turned to silent or vibrate when in the arena. NEVER answer your phone while working in the arena.
8. Please only use HETRA tack and equipment and always return it to its appropriate place.
9. Always clean up after yourself and any horse you are working with (sweep up any hair, manure, and throw away any trash).
10. All riders during a HETRA riding session are required to wear approved safety helmets (this includes Instructors).
11. Please do not feed any horses treats. Treating horses tends to promote biting. Also some of the horses are on special diets and
    treats can be detrimental to their health. Please do not allow the horses to lick your hands this encourages biting. 
12. Please DO NOT pet the horses on their heads or faces. This is a personal space for them and can make them crabby.
13. When approaching a horse, always consider the horse’s limited field of vision. Horses cannot see directly behind or in front of them without moving their head. Always approach a horse at the shoulder, speak to them as you approach, and then extend your hand and pat them on the neck or shoulder. When moving around a horse, placing a hand on their hip as you move around them allows them to know where you are.
14. Avoid sudden movements when around the horse. This includes removing coats, raising arms suddenly, running, jumping climbing, etc. Horses can spook easily, please keep this in mind at all times when around horses.
15. Please DO NOT reach into or pet a horse through the bars. If they can put their heads out, it is ok to pet them. Please respect that they may need down time and do not want to be petted.
16. Only HETRA Instructors are allowed to put on or remove the bridles on the HETRA horses.
17. Please do not bring dogs or any other animals to the barn. (If you have a service animal please notify HETRA Staff).
18. The cats are cute and fun to play with, but they can bite and scratch. Playing with the cats is done at your own risk. Please monitor any children during their interaction with the cats.
19. All children under the age of 12 must be DIRECTLY monitored by an adult at all times while on the property. Child must be in direct line of sight and adult must not be participating in any other activities such as volunteering or riding.
20. DO NOT enter any other buildings on the property unless directed by a HETRA Instructor or Staff Member.
21. If you are not directly involved with a session please keep all activities and conversations to the designated waiting areas. It is important to keep noise and conversation to a minimum when lessons are being conducted as it can be very distracting for the participants and horses.
22. The HETRA Instructors are ultimately responsible for all aspects of the session from the time the first horse is taken out until the last one is put away. Please listen and follow all directions given by the session Instructors. Please be aware of all situations around you and report any unsafe situation to the session Instructor or Barn Leader immediately.
23. HETRA strictly prohibits anyone, including individuals with permits, to carry concealed handguns, from possessing and/or carrying a concealed handgun while on HETRA's property. NO EXCEPTIONS will be made to this Policy. Any violation may result in the dismissal of Volunteer or Guest.
24. HETRA is a Tobacco Free Facility. Smoking or the use of any tobacco products is strictly prohibited on the HETRA property. This includes the arena/barn area as well as the parking lot and adjacent buildings on the property.

HETRA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, or disability in admission to its programs, services, or activities, or any other aspect of their operations.

HETRA Volunteer and Guest Dismissal Policy: HETRA reserves the right to dismiss a guest or volunteer from the facility and the program if their behavior is putting themselves, a participant, staff, other volunteers or the horse’s mental or physical health in jeopardy. The HETRA instructor in charge at the time of the incident will review the behavior with the volunteer/guest and determine the level of intervention necessary. The level of intervention could include a verbal or written warning or immediate dismissal from the HETRA facility and program. Physical, emotional, mental or sexual abuse by a person at the HETRA facility will not be tolerated and will result in immediate dismissal from the HETRA facility. Alcohol consumption by a volunteer prior to a session is not allowed. A volunteer/guest smelling of alcohol will not be allowed to assist with that night’s session.

Please follow these rules at all times while at the facility. Anyone not following these rules will be asked to leave the facility.

Videos and Photography taken at the HETRA Facility Policy:  
Due to the sensitive and personal nature of our participants and the services we offer, we must exercise every precaution to protect our privacy and confidentiality policies. For that reason, ONLY HETRA STAFF MEMBERS ARE AUTHORIZED TO TAKE PHOTOS/VIDEO OF ANY HETRA PARTICIPANT, VOLUNTEER, HETRA FACILITY, HORSE OR EMPLOYEE. If you would like a photo/video taken, please ask one of our staff members. Photos/videos may only be taken on the staff member’s phone or other HETRA-authorized equipment. All photos/videos will be submitted to our photo/video committee for approval. Once approved, the photo/video will be provided to the requester along with permission to post/use it.

Procedure for pictures or videos of their participants while at HETRA.

1. Please notify your instructor or therapist that you would like a particular picture or video taken of your participant.
2. The HETRA instructor or therapist will supervise the taking of the picture on a HETRA-approved device.
3. Once the picture/video has been taken it will be sent to the designated staff for approval (this allows the staff to check photo releases on everyone and make sure other participants/volunteers are not in the photo and there are no confidentiality issues related to the photo). Designated staff includes - the CEO, COO, Equine Operations Manager, and Program Director.
4. Once approved the photo will be sent to the requesting party.  We will do our best to make this a very timely process.  

Social Media:
Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy (HETRA) embraces social media and relies on our participants, staff, and volunteers to increase our online presence and build our brand. It is one of the most powerful platforms we have to share our mission, create positive awareness for our organization, and engage with our community daily. We highly encourage participants to engage with HETRA’s social platforms by liking, commenting, and sharing our posts.  

Where to find HETRA:

Facebook	Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy (HETRA)
Twitter	@HETRA
Snapchat	Team HETRA
Instagram	team_HETRA
YouTube	HETRANebraska
Linked In	Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy (HETRA)

ALWAYS:

• Help HETRA spread the good word - share, retweet, and regram HETRA posts on your social platforms. 
• Refer to HETRA horses in a positive manner and forward inquiries about HETRA horses to a staff member.
• Think twice before posting. If you have any doubts, please do not post.

NEVER:

• Claim to be an official representative of HETRA.
• Share confidential information about a participant, volunteer, employee, or the organization.
• Take photographs or video of a HETRA participant, volunteer, HETRA facility, horse, or employee unless specifically approved to do so by a designated staff member.
• Use language that is profane, harassing, racial, political, religious, or that is considered biased or slurred when posting about HETRA.
• Refer to a HETRA horse or the HETRA barn environment negatively.

Violation of Social Media Policy
If a social media post is discovered that is in violation of this policy, you will be asked by a staff member to remove the post. Failure to remove a post could result in a verbal or written warning or immediate dismissal from the HETRA facility and program.