Testimonials
Community Impact from Services by Reins of Life
“Not only were each of my students provided with a horse and a mentor to work with, but you used your talent to pair my students with the most compatible companions. By doing so, my students were able to create bonds that will last forever in their hearts. Forming such bonds does not come easily for EBD students, so seeing the bonds so naturally developed during this experience at Reins of Life speaks volumes for the program.”
“The sincerity, passion, and love of what you and your staff do for special needs students is so undeniably apparent. Without your generosity and the generosity of those who contribute financially to Reins of Life, my students (as well as many others) who come from low-socioeconomic backgrounds would miss out on such an extraordinary experience. Again, thank you tremendously for this opportunity, and I look forward to being invited back with a new group of students who undoubtedly will make everlasting memories at Reins of Life.”
“For the last eight weeks, I have had the wonderful opportunity to witness the amazing bond between horses and children. To start off with 8 special needs youth, with a variety of personalities, some not even wanting to be near the horses, much less touch them. Then with the gentleness of the therapy horses and the skill of Cheryl Harris and her volunteers, a miracle started to happen.”
“As the weeks progressed the students learned more about the care of horses. From catching them in the pasture, leading, stopping, how to back up their horse, even obstacle courses were set up. Some of these exercises were used to demonstrate kinetic versus potential energy, tying into lessons on their grade level. Each week saw the timid student, more confident, the quiet student, more talkative. I was seeing firsthand how Reins of Life was providing mental, physical, emotional, behavioral, and spiritual healing by harnessing the powerful connection between horses and people.”
“The next to the last visit, was the day they would get to ride their horse. It was quiet on the bus that morning as we drove out. Some saying they couldn’t wait, others shaking and saying they didn’t think they could. They groomed their horse as usual, and then the helmets came out, and something wonderful happened. ”
“I saw them one by one walk up to their horse, step up on the mounting block, some were hyperventilating, all were shaking, but the trust they had built up through the weeks was strong. I walked beside many a smiling face that day, but the one that will stay with me is a little girl holding onto the horn with a death grip as her horse was led around the ring. I looked up and told her how proud I was of her, and she was doing an awesome job. The next thing I knew she had lifted one hand above her head, then her other! She was giving the champion sign. I looked at her face and there were tears rolling down her face and the most brilliant smile!
I was so blessed to be a part of this program and thank SC schools for letting us participate.”
“I am truly at a loss about how to thank you for the time we have just completed for this past session of classes at Reins of Life. The skill you used in balancing group work to build unity, along with addressing academic skills that coordinated with our curriculum, was amazing. Our class came away each Wednesday with huge smiles and a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. ”
“We benefited from the time with horses, the beautiful display of God’s handiwork in nature, and the nurturing care from your team. We formed bonds with the horses and your staff that we will never forget. Please convey our warmest thanks to your team and also to those who made this option a possibility for us. I truly wish that every student at Stephens County Middle School could have the pleasure and enrichment that our time with you provided, but it is most definitely something that I treasure as a teacher of special education students. Most of my students come from fairly impoverished homes, few have both parents, and all have faced a great deal of failure throughout their schooling. In addition to being meaningful in an academic sense, our time with your program allowed us all success. ”
“Thank you, thank you for providing a positive, supportive environment for us, while allowing us to contact with some of God’s loveliest creations. We appreciate all that you do! Hopefully, we will be able to be back again for more of your special brand of instruction. ”