Horses And Gardening

Sarah Davis with one of the horses.

Over in St. Joseph, Missouri, is the BROKEN CREEK YOUTH RANCH, where youth ages 18 months to 18 years with various chronic disabilities learn to ride horses, leading to improvement in spiritual, physical, and mental well-being. The ranch is a certified Spirit Horse International Therapeutic Center. Staff members include certified instructors and volunteers also assist the youthful participants and provide support for the ranch's programs.



One of the volunteers, Sarah Davis, has led the group of volunteers in developing the concept of accessible gardening opportunities for the participants. The idea behind the interactive gardening experience was to teach the youth about better nutrition, develop a respect for the earth, and learn about sustainability. Because many of the participating youngsters utilize wheelchairs to assist with their mobility needs, the garden needed wheelchair-accessible stations, so that anyone who wanted to participate, could experience the joys of gardening.

So, now the ranch offers, in addition to therapeutic riding, horticulture therapy. All services are provided free of charge to the youth, who also have physician prescriptions to be part of the program. Funding comes from grants, voluntary contributions, and fund-raising events, sponsored by local restaurants and other businesses. There are also opportunities for members of the general public to sponsor a youth or adopt a horse.

Thanks to information from the program's website, linked above, and this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/sarah-davis-flowers-for-maddie/.

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