Building Bravery Each Summer in the Equine Program
For Megan* and Sarah,* this summer had big horseback-riding milestones. Each week for five weeks, the girls made the nearly two-hour drive from their home in Hannibal to our Overton Arena in Harrisburg to climb onto the backs of horses.
You wouldn’t know it now, but a few summers ago, Megan wouldn’t get near a horse, and Sarah was hesitant to ride any faster than a walk. This year, Megan climbed onto a full-size horse by herself, and Sarah was trotting with confidence.
Coyote Hill’s Equine Program gives children in foster and adoptive homes the chance to ride and care for a horse, all under the guidance of trained instructors. For children who have experienced abuse and neglect, learning to trust a horse, and the people teaching them, can be an important part of learning to trust again.
This was Megan’s third year participating in the Equine Program, and warming up to horses took her some time.
“She loved horses. I knew she did because she would watch shows with them and want to play with them,” Kenna said.
But the first time Megan met a real horse at a petting zoo, she froze. “She was really scared to go up and pet the horse… they even had a saddle on it that she could ride, but she wouldn’t.”
But according to her foster mom Kenna Bogue, her confidence has grown tremendously. “But when she went to the Equine Program, I think the instructors are just so patient with them,” Kenna said, “that she really enjoyed it and was able to ride a mini horse, and her confidence grew in it.”
Part of what makes the program so special is that the girls return to the same horse year after year, building a relationship that grows alongside their own confidence.
“I think that’s also the cool thing about the program is that they get to have the same horse,” Kenna said. “And so they bond with the horse, and they bond with the instructors, and it’s something they look forward to going back to each year.”
For Megan, that bond had a name: Cajun. “She was on a mini horse for the last two years, Cajun, which she still loves Cajun, but she grew up a little too tall for Cajun now,” Kenna said.
“She’s gotten much better about this as time goes on, but she had a hard time remembering names in the beginning,” Kenna said. “But she can tell you Cajun’s name over and over again and that she rode Cajun the last two years.”
“So she’s really bonded to Cajun,” Kenna said. “And when we went this year, she’d go up to his stall and laugh and giggle with him and pet him still through the stall.”
Even though she still loves Cajun, Megan graduated to Pablo this summer, riding a full-sized horse for the first time!
Hannibal Family Advocate Molly Briggs, who helped drive the girls to and from the barn each week, watched the girls’ skills and their friendships with the horses grow side by side. “Megan was very excited because she got to move from Cajun to a full-size horse named Pablo.” Molly shared.
Our Equine Director Janelle Willis also noticed Megan’s growth. “Megan has grown up a lot since last year, so she did get to bump up to a little bigger horse this year which she was very excited about,” Janelle said. “Although ‘bigger is not always better,’ the change was positive and I think boosted her self-confidence through the five-week sessions.”
Kenna saw the same shift up close. “Megan’s big thing this year was growing up to being on a big horse,” she said. “It was something for me to realize that she’s grown so much since she’s been with us and participating in this.”
Sarah had her own milestone this summer too, with it being her second year of participating in the Equine Program. “Sarah, at the end of it this year, said on the last day they were going to do trotting,” Kenna said. “They said that she was getting more confident and was able to go faster on the horse, which was awesome.”
As their instructor, Janelle also noticed the girls’ eagerness to grow in the barn. “I think the most special part was seeing these girls’ excitement to come here and spend time with their horses,” she said. “They love it!”
Beyond the fun memories, the Equine Program also taught the girls practical skills around the barn, such as learning how to groom, tack, and take care of their horses. Janelle saw that effort firsthand. “Their enthusiasm is contagious and they did a great job of listening to their teachers and gave so much effort to learn how to ride and care for their horses,” she said.
If you ask Kenna whether she’d recommend the program to another foster family, her answer comes without hesitation.
“Do it,” she said. “It’s amazing. I don’t think our girls will ever forget getting to do this… I would definitely sign my children up in a heartbeat for this again.”
Molly saw it too, in the giggles on the drive home and the stories the girls couldn’t wait to tell. “The instructors are patient and fun and always get the girls giggling, while teaching them proper care for the horses and instilling a love for the horses in them. It is a blessing to our families, and I know these girls made lifelong memories this summer.”
For Janelle, watching that effort turn into real progress was the best part of all. “Riding horses is a learning process that takes time,” she said, “and seeing their confidence also increase as they learned was really rewarding, and I am so proud of them!”
Stories like Megan’s and Sarah’s are only possible because our community gives and invests in Coyote Hill and our Equine Program. For more information on our Equine Program, visit https://coyotehill.org/equine/.
*Name changed for sake of confidentiality.