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Sincerely, Jan Pruitt
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Shadow Ranch is a beautiful place. My son, Jerod is 15-years-old. He is a handsome, intelligent boy who loves people, animals, video games and reading. I left Jerod's biological father when he was a newborn because of severe abuse. The courts granted his convicted pedophile father unsupervised visitation with Jerod and his sister, however, both were physically, mentally, emotionally, and sexually abused by him. This has caused Jerod to be retarded in his emotional development and has caused other issues that we struggle to deal with. To top it off, Jerod was diagnosed when small with severe ADHD. It was so bad that Jerod could not even sit in a chair without just falling out of the chair. These issues made traditional public school impossible, and we have home-schooled Jerod from a young age. He is extremely bright and articulate, but is behind in his schoolwork due to his inability to focus. He and his sister have been in counselling for years. He also has a disabled sister with Downs syndrome and autism. Life has not been easy for Jerod. But one thing that makes Jerod happy is getting to work with and ride the horses at Shadow Ranch. There is something beyond physical exercise when you are dealing with a horse. There is a bond and a relationship that is built that has proven to be very therapeutic. When Jerod is with the horse, he is able to let go of the anger and the sadness and the frustration. He doesn't need to focus on words on a page. This a time for healing. Ms. Marion has always made him feel wanted, accepted, worthy, liked. He knows the rules and what is required of him, but he also knows that Ms. Marion likes him, enjoys talking with him, has fun with him. And this is so important to him. Shadow Ranch, the horses, and employees, are a very beautiful and important part of our lives now. They are instrumental in the healing of a child who had atrocities forced upon him that no child should have to endure, Thank you Shadow Ranch for your love and support for giving yourselves unselfishly whole-heartedly, day after day, to the people you heal.
Jerod's mama, Kimberlie
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Hi. It's me, Christian. I wanted to write you this note to thank you for "all the stuff you have done for me, Thank you." I feel so good when I ride you, well, at least when I finish riding you. At first it's kind of scary. Even though I'e been coming to Shadow Ranch for close to 2 years now, I still feel anxious when I get there. Actually, I feel this way most of the time, all the time really. You see, Cowboy, there is something you may not know about me. I am a kid from a "hard place." I don't really know what that means, but I do know that when I was first born I didn't have a mommy or a daddy to take care of me. Babies need mommies and daddies to know they are safe. My birth mommy couldn't take care of me. When I think of her. I get really sad. Sometimes I get really angry too. I don't know why she couldn't take care of me. I was taken to an orphanage when I was really little. And I didn't feel safe there either. There was a lot of crying and a lot of anxious babies. Crying is how babies normally communicate with adults. But I learned quickly, at about one month of age, to stop crying because it didn't help. There were not enough adults in the orphanage to help all the babies when they needed them. Babies need a lot of care and a lot of gentle, kind touch too to feel safe. Nothing made me feel safe at the orphanage. My tiny, hungry body waited in fear, listening to every noise, not knowing if I was going to live or die. I caught pneumonia and had to stay alone in the hospital for 5 days. I felt really scared. But I didn't die. I don't really remember all this stuff. They say babies can't remember much. But my body remembers everything. My brain holds in all the information of my first year of life. In fact, they say my brain wrapped itself around this fear. So sometimes, my brain keeps telling me that I am not safe, even though I have a real mommy and daddy now. They came to Vietnam to adopt me. And they are trying really hard to help me express all my confusing, big emotions. That's when they found Shadow Ranch. Before starting to work with you, Cowboy, I used to explode in my emotions with loud-pitched screaming, hitting, kicking, breaking things, biting, spitting and hurting animals. I used to say really scary things and hurtful words. I needed to control everything and everyone around me, including my now mommy and daddy. I wouldn't let them do their job, which is to take care of me and keep me safe. An even though they would tell me that I was safe, my body told me I wasn't. I could barely close my eyes, living in the fear that my now mommy and daddy would leave me too. It happened once, I was sure it was going to happen again. Then I met you, Cowboy. I was scared of you at first. You are so big and powerful. Ms. Katie had to show me how to approach you. You were really patient with me and didn't use all those words to turn my behaviors around. You just waited for me to calm myself down. And slowly, you are teaching me to control my body and my words. You are teaching me that I can be the boss of my body and my feelings, but that I don't have to be the boss of everyone else. I can just be a kid and have fun. I realize that all those things that happened to me in the past ar over now. When I am riding you, Cowboy, I have to stay focused in the present moment in order to communicate with you. You seem to understand my anxiety, my fear. You even seem to take some of it for me. You are a powerful energy that, I am learning, is working with me, not against me. With you, Cowboy, I am learning to trust myself. The more I trust myself, the more I can trust other people, too. I am also learning that even when things get scary, I can still be safe within myself. Thank you, Cowboy, for being patient with me and taking away some of my anxiety. My mommy and daddy are so proud of my progress. In fact, sometimes my mommy cries when she sees me ride you. We often play the video of my trotting all by myself over and over at my house. Through repetition, I am replacing many of my negative memories with good, positive ones, like the times I'm, with you, Cowboy! If a little guy like me can ride a big, strong horse like you, I can do Big Things, the safe way.
Sincerely, Christian Nguyen Ebel
Sincerely, Christian Nguyen Ebel
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My name is Hunter Aceves and I just turned 10 years old. I live in Greenville, Texas. I was born in Okinawa, Japan. My parents met there while serving in the United States Air Force. I was born really early and really sick. This caused me to have Cerebral Palsy. I have tried to overcome many things because of my disability. Cerebral palsy causes me to have tight muscles and sometimes when I walk, I lose my balance and fall. I try to keep up and be active like my friends, but sometimes I really struggle. I tried to ride bikes before, but it did not work out. I would lose balance and my feet would fall off the peddles. That is why I really look forward to riding horses. When I am on a horse, I feel like I can do anything. But I wasn't always so comfortable riding horses. When I first came to Shadow Ranch, I was really scared to get on a horse. My body was tense all over. I had to learn to trust the horse. The very first time I got on a horse there was a big wind and my horse spooked some, I had to dismount and that made me really nervous to ride again. Over time I realized that the volunteers and staff at Shadow Ranch are very skilled and know exactly what to do to keep me safe. When I first started riding, I learned to sit up tall and balance. Sometimes I would slide a little to the right. Now I know how to make my horse walk, trot, and go through obstacles. I now lead my horse proudly to the stables and assist in taking his saddle off and grooming. I am very grateful to participate in horseback riding at Shadow Ranch. Since riding horses at Shadow Ranch, I have felt very happy and hopeful. I have noticed my legs aren't as tight and I am stronger. I am not falling nearly as much. Most of all I am thankful for all the great adult role models to look up to. I look forward to becoming a stronger horseman.
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Our son, Grant will be 17 years old in April and has Autism. Grant has been doing therapeutic riding on and off for over 4 years with the last 2 years at Shadow Ranch. When my son became a teenager, his behavior became very difficult with aggression and anxiety. We use several therapies to help manage his behavior along with medications. Horse therapy has become one of his favorites and an important part of his weekly routine. Over the period of time that we have been riding at Shadow Ranch, we have seen improvement in his behavior with less aggression and anxiety being exhibited because he receives the physical input from the horse that he needs to regulate his nervous system. His body and his emotional state becomes very relaxed as he rides. He has increased his tolerance for change in routine due to having to ride a variety of horses with various temperaments and changing riding routines over a period of time. Also Grant has been able to form trusting relationships with the staff at Shadow Ranch. There has been increased verbalization from Grant as he learns to give commands to the horse and he tells us when he is ready to stop. Most of all, it is a fun activity that allows Grant to get out in the community and do something that the typical population might do, ride horses. Our experiences at Shadow Ranch have been beneficial to the well-being of our son and have improved our home life with him because his behavior has improved.
Steve and Teena Shipp
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As a mother with more than one special needs child, Shadow Ranch is a breath of fresh air. Sometimes it is a break for me. However, what Shadow Ranch gives the boys is far greater. Seth and Jesse both know that they have to focus around the horses. Their teachers use Shadow Ranch as an incentive for the boys to get their work done in the classroom. However, I also believe Seth and Jesse are learning skills that they will be able to use their entire lives. They learn equine safety and how to groom and care for the horses. They can also "tell the horse" what is going on if they are having a rough day.
Seth and Jesse's Mom - Sarah
Shadow Ranch, with its balanced equine and knowledgeable staff, has helped my daughter Alexia immensely. She has come so far in just a year. From the way that she handles and views equine and other animals. She now walks with a more "can do" attitude, faces fears better and just recently has experienced that not all changes are bad. There has been some weeks that the only great day of behavior was when she was scheduled to ride. It's given great memories and smiles, encouraged us both with wonderful advice. The session allows us time apart, which is necessary at times. On her first session, she would hardly help lead the horse, much less consider riding one. Now she is mastering posting at a trot from a lunge line. Marion's first rule (no saying "can't", has helped her all around. She faces fears with more confidence and determination than before. She is improving in listening and following directions and understanding the importance of calm assertive energy. Recently she started viewing animals as beings with feelings and has learned that caring for them is essential. Learning the trust and bond with them gives her more respect for not only animals, but people too. Being a single parent with a special needs child is new to me, but thanks to the people at Shadow Ranch, it has become more manageable. Sure there are still challenges and difficult times with Alexia, but I believe that the equine therapy has tremendously helped push her in the right direction in dealing with everyday life. Also, I believe if it hadn't been for the dedication of the staff, then it could have been very possible that she may not have been able to attend regular school as a kindergartner. Thank you, everyone at Shadow Ranch.
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Lexi's Mom - Stacey
