Blake came to YBGR very insecure and was often picked on by his peers. He struggled to focus on his own treatment because he was so concerned with what others were thinking of him. Blake spoke openly with his therapist about how hard working on his treatment was when he felt like, everywhere he goes, nobody likes him and how he doesn’t feel “chosen” by anyone… ever.
At the recommendation of his therapist, Blake went to Equine Therapy (ET) one day, even though he had no idea what it was. As Mackenzie, the Equine Specialist, introduced him to the horses, he noticed a much smaller horse in a pen with one other horse. They were separated from the rest herd. He asked if he could meet her and so they went in the pen with Presley, the 9-month-old filly, and Sophie Sue, one of the YBGR mares. Mackenzie explained that Presley was new and not used to people yet, and as they talked, Presley walked up to Blake and waited for him to scratch her. He later shared with Mackenzie that, in that moment, for the first time, Blake felt “chosen.”
Equine therapy continues to help Blake with his confidence and has been an integral part in him making progress with his treatment.
*For the privacy of the youth served at the Ranch, names have been changed. Image(s) shown here are a representation of those served at the Ranch.
When Chris arrived at Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, he literally had nothing but the clothes on his back. Chris is an Alaska Native youth that had been bounced around the foster care system his entire life. Because of his mental health struggles, he was never able to find a forever home. “I felt so unloved and unwanted. Everything I ever got was second hand. I was an afterthought and that only made my struggles worse. I didn’t have anything that was just mine and that wouldn’t just go away when I was moved on to another place,” recalls Chris.
Sara had never played a team sport before she arrived at YBGR. She was tall and uncoordinated and was always the last one picked for a team during gym class.
Last fall, YBGR had a readmission of a youth named Heidi*. She had discharged a couple months prior from the residential treatment program, and things had deteriorated quickly after she went home. She seemed embarrassed to be back and said she felt like a failure. At YoungLife Club, held every other week in the Chapel, Chaplain John Boeder could tell that she was feeling pain and frustration and asked if he could pray for her. She said, “Yes.” After talking a little more, she asked, “Could you stop by the lodge sometime? I would really like to talk to you about Jesus. I have some questions.” John told her he would schedule a time soon. As Heidi left for lunch, John began reading through the prayer requests that the kids had filled out, and there was a note from Heidi saying, “Don’t forget to stop by the lodge. 😊 – Heidi”.
Jessica* came to YBGR recently, struggling to reconcile bad experiences in her life. She is very direct, says it like it is, and wants to get to the bottom of things. Soon after arriving, Jessica was convinced by a peer in her lodge to attend YoungLife Camp which is held on the YBGR campus twice a year.
