How A Minnesota Nonprofit Connects Kids With Horses - For Free
- Krystal Sieben, Three Little Burdes
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
The Mission of Three Little Burdes Pony Company is to provide horse experiences to kids of all abilities at no cost.
When I walked into the barn with my toddler for her first pony lesson in 2019, I had no idea I was stepping into the beginning of a much bigger story — one I never saw coming. What started as a simple afternoon activity quickly became a lifeline, a community, and eventually a mission.
In those early visits, I watched my daughter light up around the horses, and I felt something shifting in myself, too. At the time, I was a mom of three small children, and processing how to navigate my oldest autism diagnosis. I believe with all my heart that my early interactions with the horses helped me heal, and move through a very difficult chapter in my life. Even though I wasn’t riding, I felt calm in the horses’ presence, and felt lighter after every pet or cuddle. I didn’t know it then, but those small moments were laying the groundwork for what would one day become Three Little Burdes Pony Company: a nonprofit built on inclusion, connection, and the unwavering belief that horse experiences should be accessible to everyone.
What’s funny is that I never expected to work in the equine world. I wasn’t a lifelong horse girl. I didn’t own a saddle or grow up showing. I was simply a mom who found unexpected comfort in a barn aisle. But horses have a way of calling you in—and before long, I found myself wanting to understand more, learn more, and be around them as much as possible. I didn’t know it then, but I was slowly stepping into a role I’d never envisioned for myself.
And then came the moment that cemented everything.
My autistic son began joining my daughter at the barn, helping take care of our new pony.
He was very old—around thirty—with long, thick black hair threaded with silver. His name was Bigfoot, and he changed my life. On one particular afternoon, Teddy hung back nervously while Bigfoot followed my daughter Ada around the arena. No lead rope necessary—he simply went where she went, they were best friends.
Teddy watched from behind the railing, unsure whether to step closer. And then Bigfoot made the decision for him. He crossed the entire arena, slow and deliberate, and gently rested his head on the railing right in front of my son. I watched Teddy soften in real time, almost as if the two of them were having a quiet, unspoken conversation. In that moment, he knew Bigfoot was safe.
And in that moment, I knew the barn could be something extraordinary for families like mine.
I decided after that moment that I wanted other families to feel this same kind of joy, connection, and possibility. So I did something I never expected: I left my job as a middle school teacher and committed to creating a space where families of all abilities could experience what my children had found in the barn.
Unfortunately, just as that dream was beginning to form, Bigfoot passed away. Losing him gutted me. He was old, gentle, and wise in a way only certain horses are—and he had been the spark that started everything. In the weeks that followed, I questioned whether I could keep going without him.
My husband encouraged me not to give up, and nudged me to visit Won Der Fjords, a farm of Norwegian Fjord horses I had been admiring from afar on Facebook. I went—and of course I fell completely in love with a baby Fjord named Syver. He was stout and the color of a toasted marshmallow with the iconic black-striped mohawk that Fjords are known for, and a softness in his eyes that felt familiar.
In a true God-wink moment, I went home and googled the meaning of his name. Syver, it turns out, is a derivative of the number seven in Norwegian. My last name, Sieben, means seven in German. That was all the confirmation I needed.
I wrote the check.
And that day, I began building my herd.
As the years went by and Three Little Burdes continued to grow, I realized I needed sustainable ways to fund the mission. I began writing for parenting publications and leaned into the photography skills I almost majored in during college. Every dollar I earned went directly back into the nonprofit. I also started gifting professional photos to every visiting family so they could remember their time with the horses—something simple that became one of our signature touches.
Along the way, two more horses found their way to us.
The first was Sunflower, named after Bigfoot’s favorite part of the barn: the sprawling sunflower fields.
Her small size and naturally gentle presence made her a perfect fit for timid guests, sensory-sensitive children, and visitors with more significant special needs. She quickly became the pony everyone gravitates toward when they need calm, comfort, or a soft first introduction.
Then came Cougaroo—a former eventing horse who had been retired due to injury. Despite his size, he is the tenderest soul in the barn, as if he had just been waiting for a role where gentleness mattered more than athleticism. In a full-circle moment, the very barn where this entire journey began, Woodloch Stables, gifted him to us after learning about our program. They believed in the mission, and they knew Cougaroo was meant to be part of it.
Krystal Sieben
Director - Three Little Burdes
What began as a single unexpected moment in a barn has grown into a nonprofit that now provides free, inclusive horse experiences—and gifted professional photos—to hundreds of families since 2022. At every visit, guests are welcome to brush, lead, read to, and feed treats to our gentle equines, creating calm and meaningful connections without the pressure or cost of traditional equine settings. We operate year-round, and families never pay a thing. Three Little Burdes Pony Company strives to offer a positive and welcoming introduction—or a much-needed return—to horses for people of all abilities, removing barriers so that anyone can experience the magic of a barn. We are fully funded by donations and by the photography work I do to support the mission, and demand has grown so significantly that we now use a lottery system to schedule visits.
To follow our journey or learn more, find us on Instagram at @three_little_burdes or reach out anytime at threelittleburdes@gmail.com
This article is from the December issue of Equine Business Magazine
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