"Piper* had the privilege and honor of helping out with tornado clean up at a farm near the Ranch. She had heard that one of the horses from the farm had been...injured badly. Piper, along with many others, had been praying for healing for this special horse for a few weeks now.
When she came home from her most recent session she had a big grin on her face! She told me that God had saved and healed that very horse just before they had to make the sad decision of putting it down! It’s in these moments that her 9 year old heart gets a glimpse into how intimately God knows and cares for our needs big and small."
-Parent of 9 year old session kid
*names changed to protect identity
"I’ve never seen Layla* enjoy something any more than she does Freedom Reigns. It lights up her heart. She loved the Junior Rancher’s night that they had an activity where the girls were leading the horse blindfolded with someone directing them. They used it in a lesson to teach about keeping your eyes on God and having good friends to lead you. She loves everything about her Thursday nights there, it’s so good for her soul!"
-Parent of 11 year old Participant
*names changed to protect identity
"Belle* often expressed mixed emotions about coming to Freedom Reigns because she didn’t like getting on and off the horse. She loves the horses and being on the horse but does not like the feeling of instability getting on and off. Because of her disability, this is a huge stressor for her. So much so that one day on the way to her Session, she was expressing distress about it so we prayed that God would strengthen her and encourage her and take care of her.
When we got to the ranch, I let her session leader, Debbie (affectionately known as "Ma") know Belle was unusually distressed about getting on the horse. Ma said, “That’s okay. God knew already. At our last session Pops [a fellow volunteer, Everett] saw how upset it made you and he built you a platform!”
But that’s not the end of it. Not only did Pops see Belle's struggle and do something about it- he included his own Session kid in it! That week, he had learned that his brand new participant, Brian*, was gonna be an engineer one day because he liked to build things. So Pops took the platform apart and brought it to the Session and let his new rider help build it for Belle!
The sense of belonging and confidence this thoughtful act gave this young man was wonderful to see. To this day, Brian says hi to me at each session and calls Belle by name. He is a friend!
Ma and Pops are a gift from God and I thank Him for them."
-Parent of 19 year old Participant
*names changed to protect identity
Stories like these are so humbling for us. These experiences are not something we can cultivate on our own. God sees each child and knows exactly how to direct each experience so they can feel His love. It's an honor for us and our horses to be a part of that.
Thank you for your support! Because of your prayers, gifts, and time, we are able to provide a space where God can move. We praise Him for His goodness and faithfulness!
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