January 2012

    We have so much to be thankful for this year! In November 2011, we hosted our first ever Sunriver Equine Thanksgiving. That day, we spent time with our horses and enjoyed friends and family.

   This month, Lauren Koller and I, have been working on our Mission Statement and objectives for our new program. We are in the draft stages but moving forward. We would like to call our organization, "Sunriver Equine Rescue and Youth Therapy."

 We are blessed with so many people who have expressed interest in helping, many who would like to serve on our board.  Once we have our main values and ideas recorded, we will plan our first meeting in January. This is also the month we will be filling out paperwork and working toward our Non-profit status.

 I will be beginning my mentorship in Therapeutic Riding the first week of January 2012. Amanda Harper, our current trainer and riding instructor, is also interested in certification so we will be well staffed for children and their individual abilities and needs.

 In January we will also be opening our doors to children interested in becoming "Junior Volunteers." This opportunity will help teach self-confidence and build trust between the child and horses we have here already. We have already had a few families express interest in helping ( :

2012 Promises to be a BIG year for us. Thank you all for your continued kind words, support and prayers.

The Next Step

 Starting next Saturday, I will be volunteering at a local Equine Therapy Center. I am beyond excited to start training and work toward my certification in Therapeutic Riding! 

Everything is falling into place beautifully. As my faith grows, so do the opportunities.

Amanda Harper, our current trainer, is going to join me in working toward certification. This past week, I met with a wonderful woman who would also like to be involved. With Lauren's help, we are hoping to take a trip to Oregon for a 3 day- hands on conference in May ( :


As of now, we will just take things day by day and watch as things unfold according to God's plan . . .

New Member of The Sun River Family-"Bo Diggity"

 Meet "Bo" She is the newest addition to our growing family. She came here back in August and belonged to an amazing horse owner, Kortnee. We fell in love with her quickly and when we heard she may be for sale, we couldn't let her go. 

This picture was taken on a trail ride in the Kuna foothills.
 

 Bo will be our "go to" horse when we begin therapeutic riding here at Sun River Equine. She is gentle and trustworthy. She is still fairly young but we feel she will be comfortable with adaptive equipment in the coming years.

 We are so thankful for the people we have met and who are apart of all of this. We consider everyone here as family. Thank you Amanda, Kortnee, and Ashley and Tyrel. You have made all of this so rewarding.

 Riding bareback . . . responds well to leg cues . . . halter or bit . . . saddle or bare.

 Half of the pumpkins from the garden this year ( : Next year, I want to triple this! So anyone who comes to visit, leaves with at least one pumpkin. Love the fall!

We were blessed with an amazing garden this year. We hope to expand next year.

The beginning . . . Divine Journey

   It has been a dream of ours, not only to own
horses and have them be a integral part of our
everyday life, but also to have a place where
we can offer this type of lifestyle to others,
regardless of circumstance.
   What began as a move to a home with property, has evolved into a mission. I cannot 
pinpoint a critical moment when we sat down and decided to buy a hundred panels and restructure the property. It just sort of "happened." It has taken a life of its own and we have learned to just go with it, allowing this Divine Plan to unfold day by day. Normally, I would worry and hold plans on spending the money and taking the risk but I feel like I can't. Everything in me tells me to just have faith. So . . . for maybe the first time in my life (if I'm being completely honest), I am.
 

 We purchased an arena package and set of panels from a local family owned business in August 2011. This is a picture of our first load. We have been back for more two or three times already ( :

 This is when FAITH kicks in. So, here we go . . .

Our ultimate goal:

To offer the opportunity to connect with horses to all people, regardless of circumstance.