Newspaper Page Text
SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2016
Kids heal, grow by caring for horses
interests of abused and
neglected children in
courtrooms and commu
nities, according to its
website.
Marie Allen founded
Whispering Acres Youth
Ranch in 2012 as a way
to reach out to children
and equine that are hurt
ing and provide a sanctu
ary for the horses and
children at the ranch. It
also provides a channel to
Jesus Christ and to show
the children hope is alive
through his creation.
“It was an instant
match for the situation at
hand that I had and what
she (Marie Allen) had to
offer there,” Nichols said.
Nichols said her grand
children didn’t feel loved
or couldn’t connect to
anyone prior to coming to
Whispering Angels. Since
then they’ve gained self
confidence and feel more
in control of their lives
after working with the
large animals.
“They absolutely love
those horses,” she said.
According to the orga
nization’s mission state
ment, Whispering Angels
Youth Ranch is a faith
based nonprofit dedicated
to providing hope, heal
ing, love and acceptance
to young minds through
the spirit and love of a
horse in a nurturing farm
environment. The ranch
facilitates healing to those
children who are facing
By Jennifer Linn
FCN regional staff
Whispering Angels
Youth Ranch is a place to
heal and grow.
And at the Gainesville
ranch, sometimes it’s
unclear who exactly is
helping who.
One prime example is
Jan Nichols’ family. The
52-year-old Gainesville
woman has been bringing
two of her grandchildren
to the ranch for the past
year after they were per
manently placed with her
in 2014.
The program at the
ranch matches children
with a rescue horse and
mentor, allowing them to
bond and develop a rela
tionship. The child meets
with the same mentor and
is involved with the same
horse throughout their
time at the ranch.
“When they met the
horses ... to watch that
connection between the
child and the horse in that
moment, it’s magical,”
Nichols said, adding she
gets chills just thinking
about it.
Nichols found out
about Whispering Angels
through the Court
Appointed Special
Advocates program.
CASA is a community
based program that
recruits, trains and sup
ports citizen-volunteers to
advocate for the best
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Scott Rogers FCN regional staff
One of the horses at Whispering Angels Youth
Ranch named Manchee shows off his teeth as
Alex Sexton strokes his neck Thursday afternoon
at the ranch. The ranch is a faith-based nonprofit
dedicated to providing hope, healing, love and
acceptance to young minds using horses in a
nurturing farm environment. Whispering Angels
serves about 25 children a week, with the chil
dren grooming and riding the horses.
challenging circumstanc- child it would like to
es in their lives. work with.
“When we established
this, we established it
with the mission of reach
ing out as a sanctuary and
rescuing broken hearts
and just give them hope,”
Allen said.
The ranch serves about
25 children each week.
Allen said they try to
serve children who have
no organization dedicated
specifically for their
needs. When children
come to the ranch, they
first go through an orien
tation process and meet
each horse. Then the
horse chooses which
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“They go around and
meet each horse and we
watch for that submis
sion, usually it’s just one
horse,” Allen said. “Then
we choose one of our
mentors (who) is best
suited.”
During a regular visit,
the children meet with
their mentor and review
their week. Sometimes
the mentor will touch
base with the child’s care
taker. Then the children
choose a chore from the
board and complete it.
From there, they groom
the horse and go for ride
later. It usually takes sev
eral sessions before the
child is ready to ride.
During the rides, the
mentors always lead the
horse. The children ride
outside or in an arena.
They play games with the
horses — such as balanc
ing items on the horse or
placing things on their
ears or backs while riding
— to establish trust.
“We're teaching them
trust primarily when
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want to work with the
horse, and that’s OK, too.
They can walk through the
woods or enjoy the com
munity gardens on the
property.
Mcneilly said he feels
sometimes children are
looking for someone to take
on the role of a father or
mother if they only have
one parent.
“It’s a Christian-based
farm and we can talk, if it
comes naturally, about
God,” he said. “And I've
had some good conversa
tions with a couple of these
little guys about God and 1
think God knows more than
we do that it works best
having father and a moth
eri
Allen said they couldn’t
operate the ranch if it
weren’t for the mentors.
Since the ranch has been in
operation, they’ve slowly
taken on mentors. Most are
retired teachers or church
staff.
“I really, really check
these mentors out,” she
said. “They have to be just
the right people.”
She strives to find
upstanding people in the
community who have expe
riences with horses.
For Nichols and her
grandchildren — as well as
the many other children the
ranch serves —
Whispering Angels has
been a dream come true.
“I still am in awe at
someone who can dream
that, have that passion and
can make it come to life,”
Nichols said of Allen.
“When you get up to that
ranch and you just see
God’s work in motion and
her (Allen’s) passion for
that, it’s so huge and you
feel it.”
For more information
about the program offered
at Whispering Angels Youth
Ranch, visit whisperingan
gelsyouthranch.org.
they’re on that horse,”
Allen said.
Children also learn how
to care for horses and
about horse safety.
“We’re really trying to
express this is not horse
back riding lessons and
it’s not hippotherapy,”
Allen said, stressing
Whispering Angels is a
ministry, not therapeutic
or medicinal.
Hippotherapy is the use
of horseback riding as a
therapeutic or rehabilita
tive treatment, especially
as a means of improving
coordination, balance and
strength.
“It’s nothing like that,”
Allen said. “So it’s a priv
ilege when they get on
that horse. ... It’s just
being one with the horse
and using it for that pu
pose.”
David Mcneilly and his
wife, Judy, of
Gainesville, volunteer as
mentors at Whispering
Angels. They have a farm
with three horses in Hall
County and thought vol
unteering at the ranch
would be a good fit.
“I think it’s about help
ing those (who) can’t
help themselves, due to
circumstances they can’t
control. They’re in trouble
or are troubled children,”
Mcneilly said. “We do
work with them once a
week. By staying with the
same child each week, you
really build a bond with a
child and I think that’s what
makes it work with the
child”
From a mentor’s point of
view, conversations with
the children vary from talk
ing and joking to more.
“They’ll talk about things
they like a lot,” Mcneilly
said. “They’ll tell jokes and
then eventually the conver
sations get around to things
they don’t like and I think
that’s why it works.”
Some days the kids don’t
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