We have recently opened our barn doors to youth in Montgomery County, Maryland who are in need of mentoring or skills building and who want to learn more about horses. The children and teenagers are referred to Shepherd Farm by Maryland Choices, a non-profit care coordination organization that serves youth in the juvenile justice, mental health, and special educational systems in the County.
Youth Ranch Mission. The Program’s mission is to bring children and teenagers together with rescued horses to experience the joy and challenge of teaching a horse to trust a new person and to learn the skills of horsemanship. It is our hope that this Program will teach the important life lessons of responsibility, confidence, respect, problem-solving, and teamwork. It is also our hope that the challenge of the farm life will bring the children and teenagers to a place outside their comfort zones where they can learn something new and have fun doing it.
Agenda for Youth Ranch Weekend Program. Each weekend session is between 60 and 90 minutes long and incorporates horse care and instruction, riding, and horse bonding time. The sessions begin with a farm tour and an introduction to the horses at the Farm. We then move on to the lessons of the day which include:
- How to handle a horse safely
- How to feed and care for a horse
- How to groom a horse
- How to recognize lameness in a horse
- How to ride a horse
After riding, each child or teenager is paired with one horse in the hopes that the child will develop a bond with that horse while doing some basic horse training. That horse could be a new foal who needs to learn how to lead or an old blind horse who enjoys being brushed, spoken to gently and given attention in her senior years. After the training is finished, we all enjoy some snacks and share stories about the lessons learned that day.
Recent Events at the Youth Ranch.
The First Day of Spring 2010.
The Youth Ranch celebrated a beautiful first day of spring this year. Many children and teens came out to learn about horses and to ride.
Halloween 2009.
Halloween was a real treat at the Youth Ranch. The horses were just as excited about dressing up as we were. The really scary one is Grand Illusion!
