For over 25 years we have been sharing our wonderful horses with neighboring kids who are willing to work hard to earn their opportunities to handle, train and eventually ride if that is their desire.  The kids earn their own way, doing horse and ranch related chores for PonyBucks, which they track and then exchange for time with the horses.  They learn feeding, grooming, basic vet care, how to handle the horses with compassion and respect, to communicate with them in ways easier for the horses to understand.  Once they have earned the trust and respect of the horses while working with them on the ground, they may begin to ride, often starting bareback if they feel confident that way.  We ask each participant's family to support the program to the best of their ability, knowing the cost is upwards of $450 per child, per month.  Our hope is that the family supports at least half of that cost, or more if they can, and we work to earn community support to make up the difference.  The family's ability to pay for such an opportunity never plays a role in the child's ability to participate - that is 100% about the child's desire to earn it themselves.  

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We have had over 80 kids in the program, most have stayed 6-8 years, and our waiting list is always long.  Though we are not a therapy program, we have had many kids who have had very traumatic events in their lives find wonderful healing through the horses and the deep friendships they make - we have testimonials and have been credited with saving lives - and many hearts.  Our community loves the program and we all are working hard to maintain it for the next generation of fantastic kids who are willing to learn the value of hard work, get to experience something most kids today just dream about, not the least of which is getting to spend time outside, in the presence of fun, fantastic friends, whether they have two or four legs! 

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