MEDICAL FRONT
At Charis Ranch, rescue horses are changing the lives of at-risk children.
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Two things have defined Tracy Cookman since childhood: her drive to help those unable to help themselves and her love of horses. In 2009, those two passions came together when she organized the rescue of 11 PMU foals from slaughter—an act that would shape her life.
Rescuing horses became her mission. From auctions to feedlots to neglect cases, Cookman took in horses deemed broken then cast
aside, and provided them sanctuary.
Though working with horses was rewarding, Cookman felt a calling to do even more. In 2009, she began Charis Youth Ranch, a nonprofit program in the foothills of Northern Colorado that utilizes equine-assisted learning to help at-risk youth.
Her herd of 28 rescue horses was key. “The Lord made it clear to me that these broken horses would heal broken children,´ she says.
Based on their shared passage through trauma, abuse or neglect, a connection between youth and horse is forged.
Today, Charis Youth Ranch provides free programs for children who need support. They come from rehabilitation centers, the foster care system and treatment facilities. Through working with horses and learning horsemanship skills, participants develop patience, kindness and respect. They gain self-confidence, start making positive behavior changes and begin their road to healing.
One young girl, who was brought to the ranch after losing her brother, showed little interest in interacting— with humans or horses.
However, she did love to paint, and horses provided the perfect canvas. So that’s what she did. Eventually, she graduated to feeding and grooming horses, and these simple joys provided the breakthrough she needed to smile once again.
In the summer, Charis Youth Ranch serves up to 200 children and teens through the Equine Adventure Youth and Triumph Youth programs. The Equine Adventure Youth program, for children ages 5 through 12, offers four weeks of horse activities, crafts and games, all of which are designed to teach life skills and let kids be kids.
The Triumph Youth program for teens uses ranch work and horsemanship to change lives. With the Charis Ranch staff working alongside them, participants spend WKH ¿UVW SDUW RI HDFK VHVVLRQ hauling hay, cleaning water WURXJKV DQG ¿[LQJ IHQFHV Working together as equals breaks down barriers and enables the staff to form relationships with teens who don’t always trust adults. “Our main goal is to spend time with the kids and let them know that we love them, that we value them and that they matter to us,” says Cookman.
The second part of the session focuses on horsemanship activities that range from in-hand obstacle courses to riding. By the end of the summer, teens who had no previous horse H[SHULHQFH DUH FDSDEOH KRUVH handlers. However, they have learned far more than equestrian skills. They’ve learned character building, relational skills and the importance of service.
“They learn that there’s more to life than the small IRFXV WKH\¶YH H[SHULHQFHG so far,” says Cookman. “Our goal is to give them hope that life can be different and that they don’t have to be stuck in the lifestyle that they were in before.”
One Triumph Youth participant—a young man who had been struggling with addiction—fell in love with a rescue horse named Romeo and was determined to ride him despite his total lack of KRUVH H[SHULHQFH 7KH WHHQ worked toward his goal all summer and by the end of the program, he was joyfully cantering around the arena on Romeo. On the last day of the program, he spent quality time simply resting his forehead on the neck of the horse who had become his teacher and friend.
The ranch’s programs are uniquely effective because children who have been labeled as “lost causes" connect with horses who once had the same label placed on them. When the staff at Charis Youth Ranch tells them that no one is worthless or too broken to ¿[ WKH\ KDYH SURRI LQ WKH shape of the ranch’s 28 rescue horses who have also been given a new lease on life. At Charis Youth Ranch, everyone—whether two-legged or four—has value, regardless of their circumstances or past.