What should my child wear?  Children should dress for the weather. We will spend some time inside and some outside. Long pants - jeans if they have them.

                              No baggy clothes or clothes that are too tight.

                              Warm clothes in the winter including gloves and something to cover the ears is nice.

                              Shoes they don't mind getting dirty, boots for riding

Do they need anything special to ride?  Yes. To ride the children need closed toe boots with heels.  No sandals, tennis shoes or flip flops while riding and a helmet.

Must a parent or guardian stay?  Yes. We ask the family member or guardian to stay. Children often enjoy having someone watch to share their great moments with. The family member can wait in their vehicle if the weather is too cold or wet of course.

Does the ranch have helmets for the children when they ride?  Yes. You are welcomed to bring your own also, but they need to be certified equestrian helmets.

How often can a child come? Right now we are scheduling  sessions twice a month for a child.

Can we come and visit the ranch? Yes. People may come and visit the ranch. Please call in advance so we can have someone available to give you a tour.  If you are bringing children who may want  to ride let us know so we can schedule them for a session while you are here.

Who do you serve?   We want all children to come and be a part of the ranch.  Horses are often very comforting and a source of healing for children, especially hurting ones. Children from all backgrounds come  - some have struggles, are under-resourced, or they just love horses and want to be around them.

What are the horses like?    Sweet Pea is a palamino and a retired show horse. She is content just being loved on and loving back. Special fitting shoes are used to help her and she thrives under the love of children.  Addy is an Arab and quite the lady. She is patient -letting us draw on her and ride her anyway we want. Dazzle is our newest horse. She is a Welsh, black with a very long mane and tail - great for brushing. There are several other horses on the ranch that are rescue horses. We have helped adopt out four rescue horses this year, so we have quite a mixture of horses.

Why were at-risk and underresourced children the target for hope?  Board members Paul Johnson, Glen Gordon and Sherrie Davis wanted at-risk and underresourced children to be loved through horses to the other side of their tough times. Co-founder, Sherrie Davis met hardship and heartbreak when she was very young and the door to her heart slammed shut. Graciously a window opened when she got her first horse Sparky and that  relationship taught her to trust again. It renewed her  hope that love could be better than the love she had known so far. Now everyone at Mountain River joins together to build a ranch to help children find that unconditional love and trust as Sherrie did through her horses and to give them hope for a bright and exciting future.

How did the ranch get started? Paul, Glen, Becky and Sherrie met at Crystal Peaks in Oregon. They come from various backgrounds yet with a similiar desire and focus. All of them wanted to bring children and horses together to be loved and healed.  Through their churches, their careers, or their communities they saw a need for a place children would feel safe, could be loved and listened to.  Meetings started and they began to explore how a ranch could be started up in their area. It has been two years now and the blessings have been many. God's has been generous and continues to lead them as they enter into their third year.

Does everyone who comes to the ranch need a signed release form? Yes we need everyone who comes to the ranch to have a signed release form. It may be found by clicking here ...  MRYRRELEASEFORM.doc