Dreams Do Come True
| THANK YOU Purina, Rapid City Feed, Farnam, Rapid City Journal, KOTA, Fed Ex, Slim of Slim's Custom Leather, The Hanshews, DC Decker, Yellow Slicker Productions, JT International 4DH Ranch, Sonja, and Jesse! And Everyone who played a part. Without each and everyone who participated The "Circle" would have been broken. If you know of a special child or can help, or know of other stories of a "Dreams Come True" We would love to hear from you and post the stories here. And help keep these circles going Thank You. |
| A Circle of Gold by Debra Coppinger Hill It is said that Angels walk this earth. It is also said that quite often we entertain angels unaware. Proof of this lies in what happens when the circle of goodness is begun by one person and passed on to another. We learn that what goes around, does indeed come around. Jesse has Spina-Bifida. She had the opportunity to become a part of All Star, an equine therapy program in Texas. Through the program she gained confidence and physical ability. She learned to love and trust horses and to love and trust herself. She set a goal for herself; to compete in the Special Olympics and win a gold medal. Because of her physical disability, she was in need of a specially fitted saddle and a scholarship to continue in the therapy program. She sent an email to cowboys-n-cowgirls.com in South Dokata asking if there were anyone out there who was willing to sell an old saddle cheap or perhaps to donate one that she could have refitted. Her faith in the program and her faith in the goodness of people to help her touched Jen at cowboys-n-cowgirls.com. Posting her letter on the site brought about an unexpected kinship. In addition to the web site, Jen operates Promise Ranch, a program that brings together unique horses with unique people. Rescued horses are matched with at-risk youth and families under a program that promotes emotional healing through working with horses. As the search for a saddle continued, drought came to South Dakota. Hay became scarce and too expensive to truck in. Jesse and her mother Sonja understood what this could mean to Promise Ranch. No feed could result in having to sell off horses; horses bred and trained with special temperament to work with special people. They contacted Purina, who surprised Promise Ranch with a donation of feed through it’s distributor Rapid City Feed and Seed. Additional supplements were donated by Farnam Co. Media coverage through KOTA News, and the Rapid City Journal helped bring attention to the needs of Promise Ranch and the program. An anomymous donation of hay came from somewhere in Wyoming along with various other donations from across the United States. Circle back, to Slim McNaught, owner of Slim’s Custom Leather, a saddle shop in New Underwood, South Dakota. Slim read about Jesse and took the bull by the horns. He approached JT International, Westport, Connecticutt and persuaded them to donate a saddle for him to customize. They sent him a King Series pleasure saddle. He modified it to fit Jesse and sent it back out into the circle where it ended up in Oklahoma at the 4DH Ranch, delivered free of charge by FedEx. The folks at the 4DH added a saddle blanket and contacted DC Decker of the American West Culture Club who donated a saddle rack. Upon hearing that Jesse has a sister who likes to take photographs, Old Yellow Slicker Productions sent a camera, case and film for her. Tom and Kristy Hanshew of Godley, Texas live within half an hour of Jesse’s family. They graciously offered to have Jesse and her family attend their annual Cowboy Christmas party, where Jesse was entertained by Cowboy Poets and Musicians and surprised with the saddle. We should ask ourselves this; do angels walk this earth? The answer is yes…some of them ride in therapudic saddles and some walk along as Guardians of the Ride. If Angels do walk this earth, does it stand to reason that they also ride in therapudic saddles? Does it also stand to reason that others would walk along beside as Guardians of the Ride? The answer would be "Yes". |
| Jesse on "Lucky" in TX |
| Jen of the Promise Ranch With a weanling colt |
| Fed Ex Saddle Leaving Rapid City, South Dakota |
| Slim with the Saddle He rebuilt to fit Jesse and her special needs Slim"s Custom Leather |
| Fed Ex Saddle Arrives to it's Destination The 4DH Ranch, Chelsie OK |
| Just a Few of the Angels The " Hanshew's Cowboy Christmas" Godley, Texas |
| Debra Coppinger Hill With Jesse at "The Hanshew's Cowboy Christmas" Godley, Texas |
| One Happy Little Girl! CnC Was unable to attend this ever so special Suprise presentation, at "The Hanshews Cowboy Christmas", But Debra Was reported as having said, "Tonight she was not a poet but a Representative of CnC, and happily reported to us that, Not a Dry Eye was in the house! With this photo, we can see why! |
