Canoe Creek Stables | LavenderUX

Canoe Creek Stables Website Redesign

Founded in 2024, Light Of The World Adaptive Horsemanship is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving children and adults with special needs and unique circumstances throughout Alabama.

Using the talent and dedication of a highly trained staff, certified professionals, volunteers and trained therapy horses, their programs offer unique experiences where ability is celebrated every day. Through the healing power of horses, participants are able to turn struggle into success as they build strength, develop confidence, and achieve short and long-term goals to enhance their daily life skills.

Light Of The World Adaptive Horsemanship is the heart of Canoe Creek Stables.

My Role

Tools Used

Type of Work

Timeline

July - Sep. 2025

Web Design

Zoom

Squarespace

Sole Designer

Project Background

The organization launched their website in 2024 with three core pages: Home, Services, and Events & News. While this foundation served their initial needs, the content has not evolved to reflect their significant growth and expansion. As the owners and operators of two distinct programs: Light of the World Adaptive Horsemanship and Canoe Creek Stables, they recognized the need for seamless integration between both sites to provide visitors with a cohesive experience.

Previously, the organization relied heavily on Facebook as their primary communication channel. However, this approach created a barrier for potential clients and community members who don't use the platform, highlighting the need for alternative contact methods directly accessible through their website.

Before the Redesign

The original design of their website was a simple 4-page layout that encompassed information about who they are, their services, what adaptive horsemanship is, the impact that they've had on their community, and a donation page through Clover.

Q (and A) to Get a Better Understanding of Business Needs

1) Do you have an established content style guide/visual identity? Yes. Poppins font; 2EC2F3, 000000, FFFFFF font colors.

2) What specific problems are you currently experiencing on your website? No specific problems when browsing the website, but notices a lack of foot traffic and donations.

3) What do you like about the existing website that should be preserved? Some pictures, brand colors, and news story.

4) Who is your target audience, and what are their needs and behaviors? The target audience are people who are interested in recreational horseback riding and horsemanship lessons.

5) Are there websites you admire or want to emulate in some way? Likes the donation with the monthly payments on SwiftsureRanch.org, likes the "Meet the Horses" page on HopeHorsesInc.com, and likes the "Our Team" page on HealingStridesOfVA.org.

Brand Guidelines

Business Goals and Objectives

1) Drive Horse Sponsorships: The organization's top priority is inspiring visitors to sponsor a horse, as these sponsorships are critical to sustaining their operations and continuing their mission.

2) Showcase Community Impact: They needed to prominently feature their community contributions and positive outcomes, which strengthens their position when applying for grants and demonstrates their broader value beyond individual services.

3) Content Modernization: The existing website content required comprehensive updates to reflect current programming, improved messaging, and professional presentation across all sections.

Getting Started

Competitive Analysis

Using the three websites mentioned above (Swiftsure Ranch, Hope Horses Inc, and Healing Strides of Virginia), I performed a competitive analysis to see the current layout of adaptive horsemanship and therapeutic riding websites.

Canoe Creek Stables Competitor Analysis.png

Choosing a Template

I narrowed down three templates on Squarespace that were suitable for the business: Don Mosley, Malone, and Roseti.

I chose Malone due to the closeness of it aligning with the business objectives. The Don Mosley template appeared to be more of a gallery showcase and the Roseti template was not quite what the client was looking for.

Constraints

As we all know, most projects never go without a hitch. During the redesign process, I was met with the following limitation:

Template Constraints:
Squarespace has pre-defined template structures and layouts, which can limit some creative freedoms. Thankfully, the client was understanding of this constraint.

After the Redesign

The new website reflects the massive growth that Canoe Creek Stables has made within the last year. The following changes have been made:

Home Page - Strategically integrated a horse sponsorship section to support primary business objectives, enhanced navigation with clear callouts and intuitive links to key pages, and completely refreshed the visual design to create an engaging, welcoming experience for visitors.
Sponsor a Horse Page (New) - Developed a dedicated sponsorship hub where visitors can explore various sponsorship options, understand donation tier benefits, learn how contributions directly impact horse care and operations, and connect with specific horses available for sponsorship.
Our Services Page - Expanded the existing three-column layout with comprehensive, updated service information, integrated easily accessible contact details, provided educational content about adaptive horsemanship, included scheduling information for Canoe Creek Stables visits, and embedded a streamlined facility tour request form.
Contact Us Page (New) - Created a centralized communication hub enabling visitors to easily inquire about riding lessons, program details, birthday parties, special events, and general information through organized contact options.
About Us Page (New) - Crafted a comprehensive introduction to the mission and values of both Light of the World Adaptive Horsemanship and Canoe Creek Stables, featuring team profiles and highlighting the therapeutic horses that make the program possible.
Volunteer Page (New) - Established a dedicated volunteer recruitment section recognizing the vital role community volunteers play in daily operations, complete with program information and integrated Google Form for seamless volunteer registration.
Community and Events Page (New) - Showcased the organization's active community presence and social media engagement through a dynamic page featuring past event highlights and a live Instagram feed integration, keeping visitors informed about current activities and upcoming opportunities.
Give Butter Donation Integration (New) - Migrated from Clover to Give Butter with a custom-branded donation experience that incorporates organizational branding, tiered giving options, and personalized horse sponsorship selection for donors.

Final Website

Check it out at canoecreekstables.com!

Future Developments and Updates

Light of the World Adaptive Horsemanship and Canoe Creek Stables is constantly growing! In the future, they want to add a storefront so that people can support them by buying t-shirts, cups, hats, and other accessories.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Michael Hemphill at Buzz4Good and Jay Brandrup at Kinetic Communications.