Unfunded Need

Since the Ranch opened in 1957, kids in the residential therapy program have always been able to enjoy horseback riding, and in 2005, Equine Therapy was added.

YBGR uses the EAGALA therapy model to work directly with horses and children at the Ranch to provide healing and support to emotionally disturbed youth.

EAGALA helps youth by using their own instincts and engaging the horses in various activities or challenges.

YBGR continues to offer recreational riding to residential children which allows the children to experience the simple joy of riding a horse. In addition, learning about basic care and maintenance of the animals is another skill youth can use even after leaving the Ranch.

The Equestrian Program and Equine Therapy are made possible by our generous donors, from purchasing horses when needed to caring for the horses health to ongoing training of staff.  

Three years ago, Yellowstone Academy added the Pheasant Program to the Vo-Ag department. The boys and girls at Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch now get to take part in monitoring egg incubation, raising chicks, building pheasant pens, and continuously caring for the birds.

Raising the birds helps kids maintain daily obligations and learn more about an animal’s life cycle. Once the pheasants are fully grown, the birds are either released to wetland sites in the area or sold to individual landowners to replenish the pheasant population.

The program keeps about fifty hens and fifteen roosters as breeding stock for the following year’s program, and eggs and live chicks are purchased as well to supplement those hatched at the Ranch.

To keep this unique program running, we are seeking donor funding to help with the costs of transporting, housing, and caring for the pheasant population. 

Yellowstone Academy (YA) is the fully accredited K-12 school located right on YBGR’s scenic campus. All children in the residential treatment program attend school at YA in addition to youth in the Day School Program, special needs students from the surrounding communities who need a higher level of support to succeed academically.

Over 90% of the children in the Day School Program are considered low income.

The donor-funded YA Backpack Program allows YA teachers and staff to identify students facing food insecurity and send home backpacks filled with nutritious, easy-to-prepare meals for children and their families.

Help us continue to help children and their families receive food assistance by making a donation today, or call us for more information on how you can participate.