Role Models

I can claim credit for many of the good things about our program but I have had no hand in one of the best things that we have to offer kids--the extraordinary young women who continue to take a leadership role everything that we do.

This shot is from a very busy day that we had yesterday. As busy as things were, Jen Hill found herself with a moment of down time. She asked me if any of the horses needed trimming. I told her that one of the donkeys did.

So she trimmed two of the donkeys. Jen is a first rate farrier. She has both practical experience and formal education in what is one of the most misunderstood aspects of horse care. She understands natural horsemanship and she understands horses. She can ride. She can train. She can trim.

She is a professional farrier and if any of you in Tidewater Virginia have the need of one of the best young farriers that one will find in the region send me a note and Jen will be in touch with you.

Lydia is standing by with sun glasses on in this picture. A great trainer and teacher, Lydia seeks out kids with complicated lives and helps them negotiate the intricacies of learning our program.

If that was all that I could say about these two young ladies that would be enough--but there is something more significant about each of them. In this Miley Cyrus world they show my little girls how to be first rate people. They demonstrate compassion and courage. They are not simply alive--they are living. Both girls show a zeal for being active, being outside, moving around, working hard and laughing hard.

My little girls look to them and seek to emulate them.

It is a very comforting thought to be told by a nine year old, "Don't worry Steve. When they get too old I will help you like they do."