Equine Assisted Mentorship Sessions & Requirements
The Equine Assisted Mentorship sessions at 2CYR has one main purpose: to provide a safe place for families and youth to come and experience the healing and restorative love of Jesus Christ. There are many activities that can be used in a session to accomplish this, such as crafts, chores, games, horse care, grooming, and groundwork. All activities are weather dependent and are chosen at the discretion of the session leader.
Closed-toed shoes are required in order to work with a horse (Crocs are not acceptable). Other items we recommend for your child to bring for his or her session include long pants, bug spray, sunscreen, water, layers of warmer clothing (seasonal). We also require that a parent or legal guardian remain on-site during his or her child's session in the designated waiting area (in front of the big barn).
Due to demand and this being a start-up program, we only can offer one session per month per family. If spots for the month are not filled up, spots will be opened for families for a second session.
- Sessions are first come first serve for that month.
- Registration for the month will open on the 15th of the previous month. Registration will be online in the Registration Page.
- A completed Waiver must be brought at the beginning of the session.
- If you are registering your child for a first-time session and you would like to communicate information to the session leader beforehand, please email us.
A Session
The overall purpose of our session program is to gently love and encourage children through showing them the unconditional love of Jesus Christ. This process takes on as many unique, fun and beautiful forms as there are unique, fun and beautiful kids. Every session is a personalized experience for the child. As the leader listens to the Holy Spirit and follows Him into the heart of each conversation, the result is equally unique, fun and beautiful. Each session will generally include:
Purposeful Conversation: Session leaders practice “Pray-Listen-Do.” By asking the One who knows the child best and what they need in the moment, they listen for His answer and then walk out His loving best for the child in their care. By asking thought-provoking questions and listening for honest answers, a safe place is created for the kids to talk about their life, ask questions, release pain, process feeling and emotions, and experience the healing and unconditional love of God.
Ranch Tasks: Every child/leader pair will complete a 15-minute ranch task at the beginning of the session. In part, this time is designed to teach the importance of serving others by giving through the work of your own hands. Often this opportunity empowers children to know how their efforts can make a loving difference to those around them. This time also helps leaders understand the current challenges the child might be facing and gain valuable perspective for how to proceed in their time together.
Play: Our nation is becoming increasingly sedentary. Current statistics reveal that depression, oppression, anxiety and fear are all highly linked to lack of movement. With the awareness that the human body was meant to move at least five miles a day, we offer opportunities for kids to simply be kids and physically play. Also, spontaneous playing is often absent when abuse or neglect are present. Moving naturally releases stress and promotes a clearer mind to move through challenges. Whether through a rousing game of kickball, hide and seek, racing up the back hill, or redneck golf, we highly encourage kids to have the chance to be kids through movement and play.
Working with a Horse: Most of the children who come to 2CYR are drawn to the Ranch because of the horses. To ensure safety for both the kids and horses, everyone starts with the basics by learning how to correctly approach, halter, handle, and groom a horse. As always, each session will be guided toward what the child and horse need on any given day. Our equine sessions can range from simply touching a horse for the first time or spending the entire session with other animals.
All activities within a session are focused on developing a relationship between the session leader and child.
Sessions can include any of the above components or something entirely unique. By following the Lord of love, the leader determines the best course of action for each child every time they are together. Our highest hope is for the heart of every child to be encouraged forward—in their own unique and beautiful way—toward knowing the hope, peace, love, joy, laughter, freedom and complete redemption of Jesus.
Session Requirements
Our session program is available for kids ages 6-18. Occasional exceptions are made based on individual circumstances. The only true requirement needed is that the child wants to come to the Ranch. This indicates an open heart that is willing to receive. 2CYR understands that every child deals with their own set of unique challenges. Because of this, our session leaders listen to the Holy Spirit and follow Him toward meeting the individual needs of every child for every session.
Each month there is a finite number of sessions available at 2CYR. This motivates us to do our best to accommodate as many kids as possible. Participants who are not able to receive a session are encouraged to try again the following month—and—come and serve others by volunteering at the Ranch. We often see healing and redemption through those who come to give as we do in those who come to be served.
In order to participate in any Ranch activities, we require that each child on the property have a current waiver signed by their legal guardian. To fill out our waiver, download it from the bottom of the Registration Page.
For safety, we require participants to:
Wear shoes or boots with closed toes and closed heels. We usually have extras on hand, so let us know if your kids do not have this type of footwear.
Wear long pants for riding. Shirts need to be long enough to not expose the midriff. Riding helmets are required and provided, if necessary, but riding typically will not take place. All necessary tack is also provided.
We recommend participants to:
Bring your own water bottles and sunscreen. Wear layered clothing for ever-changing weather. If any clothing/equipment issues arise when families arrive for a session, we will do our best to resolve them on site or reschedule for another time.
