“We were on the wait list for a while and it was completely worth the wait because Arrow has excelled and grown as a person in so many ways that's transferred into his whole entire life at school and at home. He's more excited to be engaged with people and I think being here gives him the confidence to do that, which was totally unexpected. Usually quiet and reserved in social environments, Arrow has begun to be more talkative and eager to try new things. Not only at the Ranch but in everyday life. Another positive of being here is his new confidence to try different things. I get excited because he was just so quiet and wouldn't put himself out there. So now when he does, I just think back to how far he's come and obviously we're doing something right now that we weren't doing the past 10 years. That's making me see who he is. He’s like a little comedian and I never knew that. I'm learning new things about him all the time and what's again so unexpected is who he is and getting to know him better. I think everybody here has encouraged him to be that person. Carousel Ranch has benefited him in ways I didn’t even consider. With every session he grows a little more, which helps my goal as a parent, which is for him to reach his full potential.” ​~Cassandra Zirkelbach

Jonah is 4 years old, he started riding at Carousel Ranch when he was one year old. We started noticing that he was not reaching his developmental milestones, he was not crawling or sitting without support. Jonah was getting therapy through other resources but to be honest we didn’t see much improvement. One day when I was sitting at the ranch during my older son Javier’s lesson, I thought “ it’s helped Javier so much ! I know it will help Jonah as well.” Sure enough when he started riding for the very first time, I saw the difference it made in his little body. Very soon after that Jonah started crawling. A few weeks later, walking with help and than not only walking but running. I want to say I was surprised but with all honesty I wasn’t. I knew that his lessons and his amazing instructor Becky would give him the help he very much needed. He is still working on other goals that had to be paused due to the pandemic, but now that he is back at the Ranch we know we will get there. Thank you Carousel Ranch for helping my child in ways we couldn’t.

After getting the call that Caiden could start his first day at Carousel Ranch so many emotions arose. As a parent I was extremely excited but also nervous and questioning if it was going to be worth it just because Caiden already had a packed schedule with inconsistent progress. I questioned if this was going to be too much for him or if he’d even like it.

Caiden is three years old with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (legally blind) & cerebral palsy. He’s also non-verbal, developmentally delayed, and has sensory sensitivities, so I was a little concerned with how he would handle riding. But come his first day, my concerns were immediately put at ease when Katie came up, grabbed Caiden from me with such love and just started talking to him as she took him to the horse, it felt so natural and genuine. It was the best first impression a parent or child could ask for.

Since then Carousel Ranch has continued to exceed my expectations, by far. Caiden has only been there for a few months now, but the progress has been unbelievable.

Physically, Caiden’s core strength and balance has improved dramatically. Being on a horse gives a completely different workout with different muscles then what a traditional clinic therapy can offer. Caiden has developed better balance and confidence to start taking steps with assistance and now steps on his own since starting the program. Not only has Caiden made physical improvements since starting Carousel Ranch but as well as well as sensory and cognitively.

Carousel Ranch has been an integral part of Ayla’s growing physical strength as well as her emotional and social development for over a decade. Ayla has challenges that many of us don’t have - to walk, perform multiplication, or even know when and what to say in a conversation with a peer. She is coming to be aware of her differences with her peers and that she may learn differently, walk differently, and need more time to accomplish her goals. At Carousel Ranch, Ayla is not the kid with disabilities that she might be at school, but a vibrant, smart, wacky loving typical teenager. I too, am not a “special needs parent” as I have been called in other settings, but a mom of a teen who gets tired, frustrated and doesn’t always know how to respond to each and every behavior. Carousel Ranch provides a warm and caring place for us to come on Saturday mornings, full of peace, optimism, and love.

"Jessica has been riding at Carousel ranch since she was 4 years old and she is now 14. Of all the many things she has enjoyed in those 10 years since she has been riding at Carousel, being on a horse is by far her very favorite.

Jessica was born with severe medical problems. She has endured several surgeries, the first being a emergent heart surgery at 2 months old. After that she’s had additional heart, spine, foot and other surgeries resulting in her being in and out of a wheelchair over the years. Her mind and body don’t work together well. So although she is very intelligent, it’s hard for her to make her body do the things she wants it to do. So she has trouble speaking and typically types on an ipad to communicate.

When a kiddo has so many challenges medically and developmentally, there is a tendency even amongst the most well-meaning to see them through their limitations. But the opposite is true about Carousel Ranch. Carousel Ranch is a place where every child is seen as valuable, as capable, and as having the ability to get to the next level of their development – whatever that level is. It’s a place the embraces children that society doesn’t understand…it helps them, gives them a place to feel important, and gives them a place that believes in them and their potential. In my many years as a mom of a special needs daughter, I’ve never encountered a place that is so full of hope, love and acceptance for Jess. Carousel Ranch is frankly, a little taste of heaven on Earth for all of us."

Normalcy. A sense of belonging. For those of us whose children ride at Carousel Ranch, we struggle to help them attain these feelings in a normal year. But this past year has been unprecedented - challenging, even devastating. For many, their time spent riding can be the best part of their week - the most fulfilling, the greatest sense of accomplishment, a feeling of pure relaxation and joy. The opportunity to connect with other loving people and those beautiful horses is immensely rewarding. And very much missed. We are so very grateful to be back at the Ranch, giving Ronnie some sense of normalcy in an otherwise disappointing year for him. And we are especially grateful to all the wonderful people who make Carousel Ranch possible, and in particular all the loving, generous folks who donate because you know what it means to bring joy to a special child’s life. Lisa and I will never forget how proud Ronnie was to demonstrate his newfound equestrian skills a short time after he started riding at Carousel Ranch - perhaps his proudest moment to date:

We are grateful to everyone who helped make that moment possible. Thank you, may God Bless you.

Gratitude changes everything. It is a quality of feeling thankful and the readiness to and the readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. As we all know, this year has been a year of challenges that most of us cannot even comprehend. As a parent of a special needs child, this year's challenges have only been amplified. Receiving the news that lessons were on hold at the ranch due to COVID was initially understood, but soon became devastating as the time away grew more and more. Within a matter of a couple weeks, the overwhelming feeling of not understanding the dramatic changes in her routine, her therapy, her school, her family life and so much more became increasingly overwhelming for Mallory to the point where her ability to cope became completely nonexistent. Soon, the connections to the ranch found a new path in the interim. Mallory began receiving letters from the horses, YouTube story times where she could see her horses and her therapist Ms. Katie, and the most surprising of all Carousel Ranch went on a road show to bring the horses to us. The miracles of Carousel Ranch never cease to amaze me. I began to see that little light shine in Mallory as we began to reconnect with Carousel Ranch through this unprecedented time. The familiar faces, seeing the horses, and knowing that Carousel Ranch was still there seemed to bring the familiar feeling through this change that Mallory needed to reground. Once we were able to return to the ranch through the phases it felt like a complete exhale. Mallory upon her horse after months away was like watching peace visibly come alive. I once again noticed that she began to open up again and smile. The meltdowns began to decrease and I could see she was mentally and physically fulfilled where there was once gaps in the unknown for Mallory. Grateful in this season of giving and thanks for Carousel Ranch and how important it is to breath hope, love, warmth, and peace in the heart of my daughter and so many other children. Grateful that she is able to attend because of sponsors that support the miracles that happen at Carousel Ranch in the hearts, minds and bodies of all of our children, and for me Mallory. Grateful for the success of Heart of the West and continued fundraisers to support the ranch through these difficult times. Grateful for the Carousel Ranch Family that extends far beyond the physical space and into the hearts of all of us.

“Christopher has very unique needs like any other child. Not only does he have cerebral palsy, but he is also trach dependent and oxygen dependent, so he is medically involved. As Christopher’s mom – I don’t want to limit him based on a diagnosis and believe that Christopher is going to write his own story. At first we were nervous, about how riding was going to work logistically with all of his equipment. But as soon as Christopher sat on the horse, I saw that big smile on his face - from ear to ear and I just couldn’t hold back my tears. This child who was not given a great prognosis in life -this little miracle baby riding a horse - it was the best feeling in the world.

Since riding, I’ve seen stronger trunk control and he’s able to sit up a little stronger now, not independently yet but it’s a work in progress. What might seem like a small improvement to others is a huge milestone, and we celebrate rightfully so as parents. Christopher is now able to support his head independently. Before he needed a lot more assistance. I do think that what he does at Carousel Ranch is so unique and it just works him out in a different way that is more natural for him and he has to engage all his muscles at the same time. I definitely think Carousel Ranch is a unique approach in therapy and absolutely beneficial for my son – I think it’s made a world of difference for him and he has fun. As for his other therapies, I can’t really say that!”

Our son, Ethan, is an 11-year old in a 22-year old body. He became blind from a tumor on his optic chiasm, numerous brain surgeries and 4 years of chemotherapy since the brain tumor diagnosis at age 9.

As a result, he is also intellectually disabled and suffers from short-term memory deficits, along with several endocrine-related conditions. He also has limited mobility from a stroke and scoliosis.

These complicated and overlapping medical conditions have limited Ethan’s opportunities for growth and development that could be derived from non-profit organizations aimed at supporting individuals with disabilities. He just doesn’t fit neatly into a category; even in special needs circles, he is always the odd man out. Most organizations have programs that address 1 or 2 overlapping conditions but not for anything beyond this threshold. Sadly, from our experience, the instructors always put him off to the side with an aide for one-on-one attention because they have limited capacity to flex their programs to make them more inclusive for someone like our son. In the end, Ethan remains in his own bubble and the programs fail him.

So, although we were hopeful from our first interaction with Carousel Ranch, we’ve been jaded in the past from the myriad of rejections or failures from other non-profits. When we heard about Carousel Ranch we thought, “Okay. Let’s give it a try in spite of it being a 52 mile, hour-long commute each way. But it was going to have to be really good to make it worth our while.”

"My son Caleb started riding here when he was three, and he rode for nine years. And as his disability progressed the ranch was always open and willing to take him, and allow him to ride. And this became a very safe place for us. It became a second home.

Caleb had a mitochondrial disease and a seizure disorder, which progressed as time went on. While he was young, he used to run around the ranch, and didn't have a wheelchair. He had physical delays but was quite capable of communicating. But as time went on, and his disease progressed, he was on a feeding tube, and his seizures were significant.

When Katie used to ride with him, he had a device in his chest and she would have to swipe him when he was having a seizure. We always had oxygen with us. And eventually he ended up on a central line and TPN. So, he actually rode with life support. It was amazing when I called the ranch and said, "This is where we're at, can we still come?" And the answer was yes. I will forever be grateful for that.

And again that's why once he passed, it just felt like this just seemed a natural connection for my next child to be a part of the ranch. And I was so excited that she wanted to.

“When we got the call that Victor was at the top of the list, were the most excited parents. Victor is a special child and he's a very brilliant kid. It took him so long to start talking...he’s super active, very hyper. He's a kid you'd look away for one minute and see him on a chandelier swinging. He had, lots of energy, very fast, no chance I could get him, and he had a lot of very difficult behavior.

Victor is in first grade and he is very smart. He can do word problems, add, subtract. But he couldn't talk, so he was a super kid, but because of his behaviors they kept sending us to most severe classrooms, and we thought that it wasn't fair. That's why we wanted him to do anything that would help him focus and calm down.

Before we got in to Carousel Ranch, we were fighting all of the time. This year alone we had six to seven IEP's, struggling to keep Victor in his classroom. There's nothing else we've changed other than coming to this program.

But, after we started, within two to three weeks, we were getting a different behavior chart, where I had to ask, “Are you sure this is Victor?” He didn't beat anybody up. At one point, he had the teacher and all the aids in the classroom out, because they had all broken something. The teacher broke his wrists, the aid had broken an arm, and another, I think his legs. So, that school had to get subs for the classroom completely, because of Victor.