This storytelling video about Lubbock equine therapy shows the strength of our long time partnership with Texas Boys Ranch. They provide a vital ministry to foster children on the South Plains. They've entrusted us with their story because we thoroughly research their programs and create motivating content which they can then use to educate, fundraise, and encourage others to become involved with their programs.
- All of our kids have been broken in some way. They've been abused or neglected, and so they just carry around, I think, a burden that's really not their burden to have to carry, but they've got it and we try to help 'em. Not eliminate that burden, but deal with it and understand that it wasn't their fault or any of their doin' that caused that neglect or abuse to happen.
- I'm gonna start gettin' their attention here. Well, I'm gonna get out and dump a little feed on the back of the truck. Lest you all are out there, them horses are gonna go pushing each other around. Don't let one of 'em knock you down or somethin'. Come on. Come on. Peanut, come on. You guys ready to go? What we try to do with our equine therapy, with everyone of our clients, kids that we have therapy for, one of our... main goals we always have is building self-esteem.
- Okay, so this time, I'm gonna give you a little bit of challenge before we get off, okay? You guys are gonna go opposite ways, so that means at some point you're gonna cross, right? You need to talk and say how you're gonna cross each other. All right? So, you go that way, you go that way. And watch out for each other and talk. Go for it, okay, if you run into anybody else, you gotta stop, too. Good job slowing your horse down.
- When they come out there, they just, once they kinda get a bond with the horse, it's just easier for 'em to talk about things from the past that weigh on 'em. It's pretty amazing to watch how the horses will change their attitude sometimes for a certain kid that we put on 'em. Most of the time, in my opinion, the horses will calm and humble themselves for a kid more than they will get aggressive for a kid. Tell you one kid we had, he had been goin' to therapy in the classroom, or office setting, for over six months. And he had not opened up and told the therapist one thing. His only response to questions, why was he out here? I don't know, I don't know.
- She was a little concerned that they weren't makin' progress, so I said, "Well, let's schedule him and bring him to the horse barn." The third session at the horse barn, he opened up and shared more information with her in 30 minutes than he had shared in over six months. And from that day forward, he just started making progress. Oh, that's how he keeps the flies off. He stomps his feel and shakes. How do you keep the flies off? Yeah, well, that's what he does. See there, he just kicked a fly off. You ready to get up there?
- [Girl] First we have to bring it over there with the step.
- Well, how about if I just pick you up?
- [Girl] No.
- You want the steps, huh? You think that's necessary?
- [Girl] Mm hmm.
- All right, we'll wait on them then.
- Okay, there you go, all by yourself.
- Come on, come on, there ya go.
- Oh, good job, good, hold that hair right there. Beautiful.
- [Man] All right, can you turn a circle?
- They'll be standin' there brushin' their horse before they saddle 'em, just talking to 'em. And it's let 'em get some of those feelings they had locked up in, get 'em out. And they share 'em with their horse. You know, I couldn't tell you what they're sayin'. I just know they're over there talkin' to their horse. And it does 'em a lot of good. And they'll tell ya, those horses are their best friends right now.