Robinson Outreach at Rivercross Ranch uses horses to connect with students and seniors

Jack James High School students James Norris and Kyle Lochrie lead ‘Hammer’ through an obstacle course at the Robinson Outreach at Rivercross Ranch

On a ranch just west of the city limits, a group of students from Jack James High School gets off a bus to spend the next hour and a half with some full size and miniature horses.

The students are on their sixth trip out to the Robinson Outreach at Rivercross Ranch (ROARR) .

"We are providing equine assisted learning," said Marilyn MacLean, director of equine operations. "It's a building block system where you come out and connect with horses and (guests) are learning communication, teamwork and leadership."

MacLean says ROARR became a registered charity in 2017 and works with students and seniors from eight years old to 90.

"We don't charge for the services we provide," she said. "So we remove the barriers that sometimes prohibit people from being able to be part of these programs and I think that's something that's very special about us."

She says just being around horses has a big impact on visitors who may never have been so close to a large animal.

"When they're grooming their horses, they're making a connection with their horse," said MacLean. "It allows them to build a bond with their horse and the partner that they're working with, it's always two people and one horse."

Growth

Mary Miller, the paced learning program teacher at Jack James, says the eight students on this field trip have really connected with the horses in their time on the ranch.

"If you're a city kid, to be able to stand next to a heartbeat that big is a pretty rare opportunity," she said. "Then to be able to work with them and go from being meek and feeling intimidated to being able to lead a horse around the ring and leading them through challenges is significant in so many ways."

Miller says she's watch the students grow and learn skills they will take with them for the rest of their lives.

"(Building) confidence in their leadership skills and learning about nonverbal communication and trust," she said. "And even together as a group, like the real bonding happens between any of these kids and staff when we go off campus, because we get to be kind of ourselves in a in a different way."

Peggy Hemstock is a retired pharmacist who volunteers at the ranch and has been around horses most of her life.

"Some of the youth come from some harsher backgrounds," she said. "They just kind of come out of their shells and it's amazing how much trust they put in the horses."

Hemstock says the connections the students make with the horses are genuine for both animal and teen alike.

"For the kids I think it's a feeling of somebody that likes them and somebody that trusts them and to them that could be so important in their life going forward," she said. "That's why I just keep coming back and volunteering because it makes me feel so good, it's just an awesome thing."

Mission

ROARR's mission is to strive to relieve the conditions associated with youth-at-risk and seniors in need by providing equine assisted learning and related activities. MacLean says it all wouldn’t be possible without it's volunteers and donors.

"People can donate to our programs," she said. "Which allows all of these youth to be able to come here and participate in these programs and without donors and volunteers, we don't have programs."

Learn more about ROARR here: www.roarr.org