I Hold My Reins

As Equine Program Director at Sorenson’s Ranch School I observe the changes that take place in the students from the time they begin the Equine Program until they complete it. It is a remarkable change. The following is written from the point of view of the new Equine student:
When I arrived, my direction was unclear. My past, my present, and my future were like a twirling cloud of dust. Confused, scared, lost, mad, angry, and out-of-control, a young life not knowing which way to go.
Half a ton of muscle, guts, bone, hair, and flesh, how was this beast, foreign to my world, going to be any use to me? Yes, this creature was beautiful, powerful, and enchanting, but what does it have to do with me? When I was introduced to dusty saddles, smelly blankets, confusing halters with lead rope, headstalls with bits, reins, chin straps, throat latches, cheek pieces, and browbands, I was so bewildered. Too many parts, too many names, too much work. Why should I even try? Yet, something new and strange was calling me towards the muddy, pungent corrals. Was it because I wanted to be outside in the cold wind, rain, hail, and snow? Don’t know why, but I started going to the barn.
Horses! Who needs them? They’re scary! They stink! They’re dirty! They step on your feet! They’re a responsibility! They poop a lot! They’re frustrating! They pass wind all the time! They’re stupid… …they’re fun, challenging, calming, soft, stimulating, beautiful, powerful, fast, strong, alive, real, aromatic, tranquil, exciting, and most of all, they’re amazing. Oops, was that my outside voice? Shhh, don’t tell anyone. I think horses are teaching me something about me.
Positive energy, stirrup, cannon, soft hands, breast collar, stifle, toe up and heel down, cinch, pole, pressure in the stirrup, offside billet, withers, sit up straight, tender loin, body language, shirt, frog, projecting direction, hats, cowboy boots, spurs, long-sleeve shirts (even in the summer), sometimes I think these people speak a different language and are truly from a different planet. How can this be fun? What if I fall? Other kids will make fun of me. Yuck, that green stuff is on my shoes again!
I’ve gone from fighting to controlling, from no whoa to WHOA, from a walk to a trot to a canter, from a saddle to no saddle, from a small pen to a big pen and back again. Watch out world! I’m ready. I’m not scared. If I can be as one with a thousand pound animal, I can handle life’s challenges with the same control.
My reins are split. I’m not afraid. If I drop a rein, I can still control my life with one until I get hold of both once again. You may not see my reins move, but I am in control of my destiny. I steer towards the unknown with confidence and direction. The dust has begun to settle. The trails I‘ve learned to ride take me from my past towards my future. I hold my reins.

A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!

The Berkshire Juvenile Court in Massachusetts has found an imaginative way of dealing with troubled teens that have had some minor run-ins with the law. Instead of sentencing these teens to highway cleanup for their minor offenses, the Court sentences them to participate in a 10-week performance program with the Shakespeare and Company. The program is called the Shakespeare in the Courts Project.

This innovative program forces troubled teens to step outside of themselves and learn skills the heretofore would never have considered. The goals of the program are to encourage group participation, develop listening skills, self-esteem, responsibility and commitment for a project, leadership skills and to foster a sense of accomplishment.

These are some of the same goals we hope to accomplish with our teens here at Sorenson’s Ranch School, but instead of learning to perform Shakespeare, they learn horsemanship skills in order to perform and compete in local 4-H competitions. The 4-H program encourages group participation as they learn together the ins and outs of how to care for livestock, how to ride a horse, and how to compete in local county fairs. Learning to ride a horse with a group of other riders develops listening skills as they have to pay close attention to what those around them are doing and saying as they train their animals. Winning awards in the 4-H competitions builds self-esteem and gives participants a sense of accomplishment.

Many of Sorenson’s Ranch School’s troubled teens have come from urban areas where they have never been near a horse or seen a buffalo. They have no concept of how food is grown or what it takes to manage a herd of cattle. It is their first experience in the processes of growing hay, from daily having to move large sprinkler lines to helping load the bales of hay onto the flatbed trucks.

Our country is faced with many troubling complex issues today, not the least of which is our youth, and with so many teenagers having difficulties Sorenson’s Ranch School commends programs like the Shakespeare in the Courts Project. Many families are in crises these days, and parents need all the help they can get. We at Sorenson’s Ranch School strive with great diligence to change the lives of those troubled teens in our care in order to give them a brighter future. So that one day they may “Be not afraid of greatness.”