SHORTY S SAFE HAVEN EQUINE RESCUE & REHAB INC

Our ranch girl program is set up to serve low-income girls from age 10-18. We accept enrollment year-round. We conduct our program impact measurements every three months. We evaluate our girls' progress in the following areas: * school attendance as reported by the school [as measured by attendance before and after 3 months in the program] * improvement of grades as reported by the school [as measured by grades before and after 3 months in the program] * improvement of behavior at home and at school as reported by parents and the referring * program attendance at the ranch * improvement of behavior at the ranch as reported by staff and volunteers there Our enrollment process is referral based, and an application is required. We accept referrals from several sources: * Parents with proof of need (ie; failing grades, behavior, in trouble with the law) * School staff * Therapists, either in practice or at rehab centers * Law enforcement We select applicants based upon several different criteria. The applicant must provide proof of failing grades, behavioral issues and/or trouble with the law. Our program is free if the applicant is currently receiving SNAP food benefits and/or Medicaid services. We also require each family to contribute 4 hours of working hours per month. Working hours can consist of office work such as organizing and filing, ranch work or serving at one of our outreach committee events. During the school year, the girls come twice a week for 2 hours each time after school from 4:30-6:30 PM. When they first begin our horse therapy program, the girls focus on horse and farm safety. They learn to catch, halter, lead, and safely groom the horse. Once they are comfortable with these tasks they begin to learn to ride. One of the two days of the week is devoted to team building with the other girls in the program where they work in groups doing things around the farm. They care for the horses, and clean stalls and water tanks. They learn about feeding the horses and their nutritional requirements. They learn first aid for horses and how to spot a sick animal and are involved with the farrier when he comes. The second day is the one all the girls look forward to with excitement: riding day. This day provides much needed stress relief and calmness that can only be provided by being near and around a horse. This day they start to bond to and really care about the horse for whom they are caring, and it is mutual - between horse and girl - always such a joy for us to behold. We work on breathing exercises within the riding sessions. The girls learn to saddle the horse. They learn to understand the importance of caring for their tack spotting any potentially problematical issues with their horse. Currently this summer we have 21 girls enrolled with 13 therapy horses. In the summer we run camps twice a month for a week in each camp. All of our ranch girls are low income and all but one is in a one-parent family. We do our best to open the farm up for them to come and have a supervised safe place to stay for a few hours or even all day in some circumstances. To date, every one of our girls have improved their grades and behavior both in school and at home after just a few weeks of being enrolled at Shorty's. The girls learn how to solve problems and grow their confidence, which helps them with good decision making. Our whole goal is to provide them with the emotional support they need to make the right moral decision when faced with the opportunity to make a wrong decision that can change their life and take them down the wrong path. Emotional support provided by working with and bonding to horses under close supervision is crucial for our girls to learn how to heal. Our team of volunteers and professionals work closely with the girls as they work with the horses, providing them with a safe space to express their emotions and process their experiences to develop healthy coping mechanisms Our preliminary data from testimonials from parents and teachers suggest that our horse therapy program is having a major positive impact on the lives of the girls who are enrolled with us here at Shorty's Safe Haven and Girls Ranch.

Our ranch girl program is set up to serve low-income girls from age 10-18. We accept enrollment year-round. We conduct our program impact measurements every three months. We evaluate our girls' progress in the following areas: * school attendance as reported by the school [as measured by attendance before and after 3 months in the program] * improvement of grades as reported by the school [as measured by grades before and after 3 months in the program] * improvement of behavior at home and at school as reported by parents and the referring * program attendance at the ranch * improvement of behavior at the ranch as reported by staff and volunteers there Our enrollment process is referral based, and an application is required. We accept referrals from several sources: * Parents with proof of need (ie; failing grades, behavior, in trouble with the law) * School staff * Therapists, either in practice or at rehab centers * Law enforcement We select applicants based upon several different criteria. The applicant must provide proof of failing grades, behavioral issues and/or trouble with the law. Our program is free if the applicant is currently receiving SNAP food benefits and/or Medicaid services. We also require each family to contribute 4 hours of working hours per month. Working hours can consist of office work such as organizing and filing, ranch work or serving at one of our outreach committee events. During the school year, the girls come twice a week for 2 hours each time after school from 4:30-6:30 PM. When they first begin our horse therapy program, the girls focus on horse and farm safety. They learn to catch, halter, lead, and safely groom the horse. Once they are comfortable with these tasks they begin to learn to ride. One of the two days of the week is devoted to team building with the other girls in the program where they work in groups doing things around the farm. They care for the horses, and clean stalls and water tanks. They learn about feeding the horses and their nutritional requirements. They learn first aid for horses and how to spot a sick animal and are involved with the farrier when he comes. The second day is the one all the girls look forward to with excitement: riding day. This day provides much needed stress relief and calmness that can only be provided by being near and around a horse. This day they start to bond to and really care about the horse for whom they are caring, and it is mutual - between horse and girl - always such a joy for us to behold. We work on breathing exercises within the riding sessions. The girls learn to saddle the horse. They learn to understand the importance of caring for their tack spotting any potentially problematical issues with their horse. Currently this summer we have 21 girls enrolled with 13 therapy horses. In the summer we run camps twice a month for a week in each camp. All of our ranch girls are low income and all but one is in a one-parent family. We do our best to open the farm up for them to come and have a supervised safe place to stay for a few hours or even all day in some circumstances. To date, every one of our girls have improved their grades and behavior both in school and at home after just a few weeks of being enrolled at Shorty's. The girls learn how to solve problems and grow their confidence, which helps them with good decision making. Our whole goal is to provide them with the emotional support they need to make the right moral decision when faced with the opportunity to make a wrong decision that can change their life and take them down the wrong path. Emotional support provided by working with and bonding to horses under close supervision is crucial for our girls to learn how to heal. Our team of volunteers and professionals work closely with the girls as they work with the horses, providing them with a safe space to express their emotions and process their experiences to develop healthy coping mechanisms Our preliminary data from testimonials from parents and teachers suggest that our horse therapy program is having a major positive impact on the lives of the girls who are enrolled with us here at Shorty's Safe Haven and Girls Ranch.