Some of the noblest acts of giving occur around us daily, often without notice. Northwest Horse Source is committed to bringing some of those acts to light. Each year during the Christmas Season we will celebrate an exemplary organization or person who exhibits giving in working clothes.
We selected Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch based on its commitment to rescuing both horses and young people. The work of this incredible organization is best described in A Bridge Called Hope © 2006 by Kim Meeder, co-founder of CPYR, in a chapter titled “Side by Side”.
Side by Side
It was early January. Lying quietly – and frozen under a silent layer of white – the ranch basked in weak rays of winter sunshine. The call for help came into our ranch office just after lunch…
Even though the little black filly was documented to be nearly two years of age, her actual size was that of a six-month-old baby…On this diminutive waif, the normally graceful arc that connects a horse’s head to its neck looked more like an old boot hanging on a broomstick…
Her dull coat was nearly three inches long with large bald patches on either side of her neck. Her oozing and crusted skin was completely destroyed by one of the worst lice infestations I had ever seen…
Adding to her woes was the fact that her water source was a large galvanized tank with a dilapidated hose frozen tightly into an eight-inch-thick solid block…As near as we could estimate by the length of the last deep cold spell, she had not had a drink of water for approximately eleven to thirteen days.
It is not possible for a horse to live that long without water, but mercifully, two weeks before, her saving grace fell in the form of snow… The frozen white surface in her former corral had the pocked appearance of a giant golf ball. Literally thousands of fist-sized holds could be seen where all four of the horses had tried to stem their thirst by eating mouthfuls of snow…
In her weakened condition, the simple act of being moved the few miles back to our ranch, height and weight taped, photographed, and vaccinated taxed the black filly to complete fatigue. Once all was finished, Karmen slowly led her into the ranch quarantine paddock. After a very long drink of water and a few bites of hay, our tiny new charge collapsed in utter exhaustion…Removed from her familiar hell, in this strange new world she was alone.
Perhaps of the four women on the rescue team, Karmen understood the black filly the most… With very focused intent, she sought help in traversing the lonely bridge away from her chosen life of self injury…
I have seen it before, it’s called cutting. Insidious and permanent, it is the dangerous, newly revealed scourge moving through the underbelly of our country. If attempted suicide were a sibling, cutting would be its desperate little brother, releasing pain, guilt, anger, shame or sorrow through slashing one’s own skin with a sharp blade and literally bleeding it out. It is the external equivalent of an internal agony…
Quietly standing outside the quarantine paddock, Karmen’s freezing breath rose around her as she watched the solitary young horse lying on her sternum, motionless in the snow. Karmen silently rested her chin on her arms, which were folded over the top of the gate. She was completely motionless. Loneliness is a dark, cold prison. Those who have escaped its abandoned walls know that the only key is not found within…but without. Only by honestly giving one’s self in true friendship can true friendship honestly be received.
After an achingly long, cold moment, Karmen straightened to her full height and with the soothing hush of the quiet breeze that moved around her, silently made her way to the collapsed filly’s side. Sacrificing her own safety and comfort, a broken young woman lay down in the snow, side by side with a broken young horse…
A late afternoon breeze moved through the pines overhead. Their tranquil music was the only voice that drifted over the white, frozen ranch. Cradled together by the unmistakable lullaby of God whispering down through the trees, two weary hearts rested against each other. It was a new start for both.
Special Thanks:
Excerpted from A Bridge Called Hope © 2006 by Kim Meeder. Used by permission of Multnomah Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. Excerpt may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of Multnomah Publishers.
For complete text of Side by Side visit www.nwhorsesource.com and click on December magazine cover.
The Ranch of Rescued Dreams
One of Kim Meeder's first riding experiences came at the age of nine, on the day of her parents' funeral. Her father, unable to face the possibility of a bitter divorce and a life alone chose to take the life of Kim’s mother as well as his own. Through the love of a little mare and a merciful God, this young girl's life was saved and hope was born.
This saving grace became a symbol of what was to come, years later, when Kim and her husband, Troy, made the decision to purchase property and start a small ranch. The only land they could afford was a nine-acre rock quarry that was so devastated that no one else wanted it.
Transforming the gaping pit into an environment suitable for life of any kind became the Meeders' next goal. This involved bringing organic matter in to layer the rock floor, planting broken, unwanted trees and slowly nurturing the land back to life. After the rescue of its first two horses, a remarkable transformation was set into motion; children began to come to the ranch. They were not coming for what they could get, since the horses were not ridable. They were coming for what they could give. In their efforts of making the horses better, the children themselves got better. In 1995 Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch was born.
Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch is very unique. What makes it special is that nearly all horses that live on the ranch have been rescued from violent abuse or life threatening neglect. The horses are paired with one child and one leader. Instead of being lost in a group, each child is nurtured by a leader who shares in their private tears and victories. Through practical experience, kids are taught the values of life experiences, hard work, family, faith, and trust. They in turn, teach staff and all those they touch resilience and the remarkable wonder of life.
Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, funded by private donations and grants with no government assistance, offers its successful programming at no cost to participants. Currently, the ranch is a haven for 28 horses. Between 4,000 and 5,000 children and visitors annually come to the ranch.
The ranch works with nearly every local organization that deals with youth and family. The only true prerequisite for children visiting the ranch is that they WANT to be a part of what CPYR offers. A desire to come is an indication of a heart willing to try. It is from this willingness that broken hearts and lives can be healed.
Christmas Gift Giving Idea that supports a great cause!
Animal lovers and anybody with a heart for hurting kids will appreciate real life accounts of the small miracles that unfold at the ranch where formerly abused horses are cared for by children and troubled teens.
1. Bridge Called Hope: Stories of Triumph from the Ranch of Rescued Dreams
by Kim Meeder
