Joe*

Joe is 10 years old and is fostered by his grandparents. He is a sweet boy and very shy. As soon as he started riding Opie, he started to smile. He began to tell us about his love for video games. After the session, he told his Grandma that he loved being at the ranch and it was more fun than playing video games (which is an interesting comparison!).

Kim*

Kim is 6 years old and is in the foster system. Kim was very excited about being at the ranch and wanted to fit all the activities in as much as possible in the 90 minutes. She rode the horse, painted, and loved swinging on the barn swing! When she was riding the horse, she said, "I never rode a horse before, well except a fake one, this is so fun!"

Tina*

Tina is 7 years old and is in the foster system. She has been at the ranch a few times now. She loves to ride the horses. Both times as she rode the horse, there was a significant shift in how she communicated. We have seen it with a few other kids as well at the ranch. Horses have the ability to allow the child to feel safe and calm the high alert part of the brain. Tina is usually pretty quiet but when she got on the horse, she started talking about what she likes about school and what she enjoys playing with and even asked us questions. It was amazing to see the change!

* Names Changed for Protection *