My Nonprofit Reviews

When we pulled onto the dusty dirt road to make our way towards Windcross, I had a car full of a skeptical husband and 3 tired and potentially grumpy little girls. We had been on a road trip for 9 days and everyone was a starting to get a little on edge. After our very special time there, I can't imagine having almost missed this gem of a place because I didn't see it on my TripAdvisor list of things to see in the area.

We drove in and were immediately greeted with such warmth and enthusiasm by Ms. Roda. Our girls had seen the dog and were obviously nervous to get out of the van, but she quickly assessed the situation and did a number of things that helped them be relaxed and ready to learn and experience all that Windcross is. Two of my girls have Sensory Processing issues and it can be difficult to know how they will react in certain circumstances where they can be over-stimulated. Ms. Roda had a wonderful instinctual way of being keyed into them and before we knew it, she had loaded us up for a highly personalized, face-to-face experience with the horses. It didn't take long before my girls were begging to touch and see the horses closer.

She and her daughter had such an obvious love and passion for what they were doing and highlighted the story and personality of so many of the horses, one by one. Usually, with three small children I'm so busy trying to get everyone else to relax and enjoy themselves that I don't get to really be present in the moment myself. Ms. Roda and her daughter had my girls at ease and actively engaged to such a degree that I was able to find a few moments to stand back, take in the amazing beauty of the horses, the golden expanse of the fields, the sun on my neck and my feet planted in the soil and take a deep breath and feel it all the way deep in my soul. Even my sometimes curmudgeony husband said it was one of the best parts of our whole cross-country roadtrip. I believe it is very possible that Ms. Roda and her family made lifetime fans of the Conservancy and the horses. I wish we could contribute more but were so blessed that this amazing experience did not come with a hefty price tag that would have made it impossible for us to experience it as a family.

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