My Nonprofit Reviews

My daughter was in a life "funk" and actually depressed; there was little that was givnig her any joy. I wasn't sure if she would be interested in the horses or not, but I overheard her telling her friends and other family members the cool things she was getting to do--brush and feed the horses, lead and ride them. Each week her demeanor improved a little bit each time. The best example I can give is that the first few trips down, she sat in the back of our van and groaned. Around the 4th or 5th trip, she moved up to the middle seat and sat up; by the last few trips she hopped in the front seat, "Let's go!" She now wants to go back and volunteer when she turns 14. She felt like she had a special connection with the horses and learned more than just how to ride them. She was a different person by the end than she was at the beginning.

Doug was very patient with the girls, who could be squirrlly and easily distracted. I would recommend this as a special experience that might give kids that "special" thing they need to work through a tough time or give them something to look forward to.