Rancho st. francis. Challenge pit

Transcription

1 Volume 6, Issue 2 Summer 2010 Rancho st. francis Changing lives through education and compassion A Program of the Hogan Family Foundation RANGER News INSIDE THIS ISSUE Ranger News 1 Herd News 2 EAGALA 3 (continued on page 8) Volunteer News 4 Staff News 5 Donations 5 Outreach Programs Horses on the 6 Homefront Daybreak 6 Casa Pacifica 6 Big Brothers & Sisters 7 College Group 7 EAGALA 8 (continued from page 3) Challenge pit Summer has come to an end and the kids returned to school tanned and relaxed. Over the summer, we ve had several beautiful days out on the trail followed by playing in the ranch s fountain. The Rangers and volunteers are getting creative in constructing different trail obstacles to further our horses in their desensitization training, including a cowboy car wash. The horses crossed challenge pits, braved hula hoops, hanging plastic milk jugs, Astroturf, plastic tarps and more! Mari, Gabriel and Charlie began working on alternate Sundays to help the staff get all the horses groomed and worked. It s a great first job for the kids where they can learn responsibility and get recommendations (hopefully!) for future jobs, as well as earn spending money. Our Sunday crew is very happy to have their help! Since the youth know the horses well and have been coming to the ranch for years, it s a happy partnership for all. Through the car wash Through the cans Challenge pit Cowboy car wash Over the blocks Hula Hoop course

2 herd news We are saddened to report that IBN passed away in May at the age of 27. We believe he died peacefully in his sleep. His memorial service was attended by many of the volunteers who exercised and groomed IBN. BRW IBN Dulcinea, was a pure bred registered Arabian Gelding bred by the Leedy s of Agoura. The name IBN Dulcinea comes from the Arabic word IBN meaning son of and Dulcinea the name of Don Quixote s mistress, Dulcinea del Toboso, in Cervantes novel. IBN had arthritis as well as a severe swollen hock when we received him from a Southern California resident who found him to be a little too energetic. IBN permanently damaged his hock during the Santa Clarita fires after becoming startled BRW IBN Dulcinea when the fires came too close to his stall. After surviving the trauma of the fires, IBN arrived at Rancho Saint Francis, Hidden Valley, a little over six years ago with Annie, a beautiful chestnut quarter horse. He later moved to Rancho St. Francis, Camarillo, and lived out his life with Annie & his friends in the Santa Rosa Valley...We all have fond memories of IBN and he will be missed. We ve also lost our barn cat, Boots, this summer. Boots wasn t able to survive a rattlesnake bite while down at the hay barn. A new turnout pasture has been cleared at Rancho St. Francis in Hidden Valley. It s located Boots above the main barn and arena. There are 8 horses enjoying outdoor life full-time. Several other horses are able to spend the days outside in the group but come inside the barn to eat. Tuffy the mule, in particular, is spectacularly happy. His whole personality has become sunnier and he s often seen taking dust baths in the mornings. Thank you to volunteer Sebastian Bosso for building a halter box for the pasture. It has helped immensely in keeping us organized! Halter box View from above Horses enjoying the new pasture Page 2

3 eagala We are pleased to announce that Glenn, Meaghan, and Kylie have all completed their training in EAGALA! EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Assoc.) is an association that certifies mental health specialists and equine specialists in a unique type of experiential therapy called Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP). A team, consisting of at least one certified mental health professional and one equine professional, bring clients out of the office and into the arena to use the horses in activities. Kim Young has joined us to serve as the mental health specialist in our team and is also EAGALA certified. Kim is a marriage and family therapist, intern, with a Masters degree in Clinical Planning meeting Psychology from Pepperdine University. We re looking forward to developing this fantastic team. All the activities are conducted on the ground, with no riding. Clients don t need to have any horse experience and aren t given any horsemanship type of advice. They are allowed to discover what works and doesn t work for them with the horses on their own. There are several benefits to doing this. Many people are able to be more themselves when outside and doing activities. The horses are great reflectors and mirrors of what s going on around them. Have you ever known a person that says everything is fine, but their body language says something different? The horses react to the nonverbal body language and really demonstrate what may truly be going on with the person working with them. It s a wonderful opportunity for one to learn on their own what their nonverbal is saying without needing someone else to point it out. This in turn causes the person to become more authentic in their dealings. Also, while traditional talk therapy has lots of value, there is also value in experiencing things. For some, the light bulb turns on faster when they come to that Aha! moment on their own. Sometimes, after trying the same technique with a horse over and over, they finally move on to something new and creative that they hadn t thought of or discounted before. When that shift is successful, the person may see that as a way to dealing with issues in their lives away from the horses. Maybe it will just take a change in thought, action, or a little creativity to get them over a hurdle they re struggling with! Group working with Jackie-O The beauty of this type of therapy is the belief that the person has their own solutions that are unique to them. Their solutions may not be the ones we think they should have, or may be even better than what we came up with. Nonetheless, their experiences are unique and how they choose to see themselves and their experiences are unique. So, it is completely natural for their solutions to be unique too! The horses and the on-ground activities are just ways to assist them in learning about themselves, the good, bad, and ugly. How they choose to deal with anything they discover is left up to the client. The client is allowed to let their experience percolate inside and take whatever meaning they want from the sessions. The facilitators have found the experience meaningful for them as well and certainly have learned about themselves during sessions as well. It s a wonderfully freeing experience to let people try things their way and to not have lots of rules, control, and teaching involved. That s a big change for bossy riding instructors and control freaks! I won t name names here. Continued on page 8 Page 3

4 Volunteer News The 3 rd annual Volunteer Appreciation BBQ took place at Rancho St. Francis in Camarillo on May 1 st. The volunteers were treated to a demonstration and lecture by Paddy Warner, the equine science instructor from Pierce College. Paddy gave humorous accounts and lots of good tips. After Paddy s talk, volunteers and staff enjoyed tri tip and chicken off the barbecue. Volunteers burned off their lunch with line dancing in front of the barn, led by Candy, an instructor from Borderline. A wonderful time was had by all, and the Foundation staff recognizes that they ve been blessed with many loyal and superb volunteers. Candy Sherwin teaching line dancing Paddy Warner demonstrating haltering We had lots of new volunteers join the group! Glenn has been very busy streamlining the necessary paperwork and putting together a structured training program for new volunteers along with assistance from Miki Anderson. We know that those who joined recently were asked to complete a set of paperwork again, but it is very useful on our side to have everyone with the same up-to-date forms. Thank you for your patience while we improve our system! The Hogan Family Foundation is pleased to announce that volunteer Gracie Gray was the recipient of Thousand Oaks Youth Commission s Youth Recognition Award for her work in our programs. In a formal ceremony at the Civic Arts Plaza, Gracie was congratulated by the mayor along with other dignitaries. Gracie volunteers at Rancho St. Francis which has several different horse programs. She assists in grooming and exercising horses in the rescue, as well as helping other youth that come for lessons. At the ranch, Gracie works with children from Casa Pacifica and other at-risk youth in the community. In addition to those lessons, she also assists with the Homefront lessons. These are lessons for children who have a parent currently deployed overseas. Gracie started volunteering in October 2008 and has clocked over 600 volunteer hours so far. She handles difficult and scared children with grace and compassion, and helps give them a great sense of accomplishment. She is highly responsible and has earned the status of being one of our most committed and dependable volunteers. Gracie certainly deserved her award. Congratulations, Gracie! We ve added Rancho St. Francis to Facebook! For those of you who are on Facebook and wish to see us there, please look us up at: Gracie Gray We look forward to seeing you there and will provide information about upcoming events and fun facts. Page 4

5 staff news Rancho St. Francis has a new staff member, Bruno Cabrera. He will be working with both the dogs and the horses. Bruno loves animals and spends his free time at his families ranch riding horses and taking care of their needs. Welcome to the ranch, Bruno! Bruno Cabrera This summer Rancho St. Francis Sheriff Posse members participated in the Santa Barbara, Ventura and Santa Paula parades. Ed Hogan Miguel Vega Donations A huge donation came in from Ariat. They shipped boxes and boxes of boots, half chaps, and some breeches. It was like Christmas in the barn! Ariat occasionally has demo models that they donate to accepted nonprofits. We re grateful that we qualify to be recipients of their gift. New volunteer, Ginny Bowers donated a new pair of galloping boots along with an English saddle pad and other tack. Boxes of boots Natalie and Gina Ewing donated two pair of riding boots for the children's program. Page 5

6 outreach programs horses on the Homefront The children from Homefront have also improved immensely. Most are now attempting to canter and ride bareback. Many of the kids are able to groom and tack independently and ride without assistance. The kids have had several trail rides under their belt and are gaining confidence weekly. It s rewarding to see their improvement and watch confidence soar. There will be another deployment from Point Mugu in November, so we expect to have surge in participants later this fall. Volunteers, we may need extra help during this time if you re available. Caleigh riding backwards Valerie cantering on Duel Janet with Alma Daybreak The women from Daybreak have made huge strides in their riding. All the regulars are cantering. We ve started working over poles and have done several trail rides. A special thank you is due to Alisa Lindquist. She is an experienced horse trainer and instructor who has donated her teaching skills for the past several months. The Daybreak women have greatly benefited from her individual lessons. Barbara Gomes and Friends We are sending our best wishes to Barbara Gomes. Barbara has been a champion for our program and to the ladies of the shelter. She has reliably driven the van, and supported and organized the women from the shelter to arrive prepared to ride and learn for the past year. Barbara is headed back to school, working to continue her education to help people recover from abuse. Instructor Alisa casa pacifica Casa Pacifica has been enjoying the ranch for four years now, and decided to take the summer off. We are looking forward to their return now that school is back in session. Page 6

7 outreach programs Big Brothers/Big Sisters Little Sister Kadyn riding Jackie O Little Brother Shaun with Cody and Big Brother Jim Little Sister Hope and volunteer Dymisha This summer we completed our third group of children from Big Brothers/Big Sisters. The children are able to participate in our four week beginning riding program entitled Buckaroo s. Upon completing the Buckaroo program they are provided the opportunity to continue in our new intermediate program entitled Determination. college group John Hsiao from Cerritos College visited the ranch this summer with a group of college students including some foster children. Each semester a group of his students take a field trip to the ranch to learn first hand about Saint Francis legacy of compassion, care, and respect for one another. They also see how a community service based organization operates. College students from Cerritos College Page 7

8 A Program of the Hogan Family Foundation NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Thousand Oaks, CA Permit #858 Rancho St. Francis Phone: Fax: EAGALA (continued from Page 3) We truly appreciate the volunteers that have been guinea pigs for our practice sessions. As facilitators, we all agreed that we need practice to see where we need to improve and to learn about our horses better. Meaghan can attest to the fact that while she knows her horses very well under saddle, when they re loose in a group in the arena, other sides of their characters are displayed. The Foundation hopes to collaborate with local organizations in bringing people out to the ranch for this unique experience. For more information about EAGALA, you may check their website at There is also a local organization, InBalance, that has been practicing this for years and they offer frequent public demonstrations and open houses that anyone may attend to learn more. Their website is Julie working with the horses Hogan Family Foundation, Inc Borchard Road Newbury Park, CA Vaya con Dios! ( Go with God!)