Pint-Sized Joy!
It was her second visit to the ranch. When she arrived she bounced into the barn to say hi and asked if she could bring Noah in. Her enthusiasm was contagious. Since I was cleaning some stalls, I told her it would be better if she grabbed a brush and lead rope and took Noah out of his paddock and cleaned him up outside. Her smile was huge as she agreed with my plan. Her grandmother was just walking into the barn so I explained what we had decided. The little girl who had just turned four ran out of the barn calling Noah’s name.
Noah and his friend
She was such a sweet child and the last time she’d been here she had overcome all of her fears around the large horses and had fed them carrots. Her greatest joy had been grooming Noah, our little miniature horse. With much fear and hesitation she had learned to lead Noah around the yard. At the end of her first visit she had given me a hug and told me she loved little Noah. My heart had melted with her words. Here on the ranch she had found a new friend and all she had talked about was her new four legged friend.
I helped her take Noah out of his paddock and away from his donkey friends. She immediately started grooming him and giving him kisses. She told him how beautiful he was and that she had missed him. There was no sign of the fear she had overcome at her last visit. Noah of course kept eating grass. When she finished brushing Noah, she took the lead rope out of my hand and announced it was time for his walk. I chuckled with his grandmother and asked her where she wanted to go. She quite confidently started leading him down the driveway and said “Home”. I walked beside her and explained that Noah lived here with his two friends, Matthew and Nicholas, and he wouldn’t be happy if she took him home with her. She stopped and looked at me, then at Noah and said if she couldn’t take him home, could she visit him again? I told her that he would be honored to have her visit him regularly. So once their walk was completed and Noah was led into his stall, the little girl gave Noah a huge hug and said “I’ll be back soon.”
When she walked back to the car she had the biggest smile on her face. She wasn’t sad to be leaving but overjoyed that she would be able to come back. She was about to get into the car with her grandmother when she stopped and came running back to me. Her face was very solemn as she looked up at me and asked, “Can I hug you?” I was choked up as I bent down to her level and said “That would be the best thing ever”. She squeezed me so tight I was amazed at her strength, then she let go and ran back to the car and got into it. We were waving as the car drove down the driveway.
I looked up at the darkening sky and said, “Thank you Lord, for giving me this opportunity to bless that child and receive such wondrous love”. As I walked away, I hoped our pint sized horse would continue to bring that little girl joy.
May the love of Christ be with you always,
Trish & Gary
Tags: equine assisted learning, god and girls, horses helping children, mini's and girls, story book meadows, troubled children, youth mentoring
