Helping Horses
by Kara Pound
photos by Kate Gardiner
Ric Lehman was working as a senior management consultant for Fortune 100 companies when he began horseback riding as a way to relax. He was hooked. Lehman left his busy and stressful corporate life behind to open Haven Horse Ranch in Palm Valley in the early 1990s. This is where he experienced his first miracle.
“We were working with a 13-year-old autistic kid who was afraid of horses and didn’t want to ride,” Lehman remembers. “By the afternoon, she warmed up to the idea, so we got her on the horse. In the course of a rather short ride, she started making noises, smiling and laughing.”
The girl’s counselor began to cry. When Lehman asked why she was so overcome with emotion, the counselor explained that the child was born catatonic and had never shown feeling or made a sound in her entire life.
Lehman started researching equine therapy. Back in 1990, this form of therapy using a horse to help promote emotional growth in patients was relatively new. Over the years, studies have shown that equine therapy can improve stress tolerance, assertiveness, impulse control and self-actualization.
“This was never anything that I envisioned doing, but God had plans,” says Lehman. “Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. There are too many children who are now able to do things that they would never have been able to do. The miracles that we get to see are just unbelievable.”
Haven Horse Ranch has outgrown its original home in Palm Valley and in 2008, moved to a 26-acre plot of land on County Road 208 – about 15 minutes from the outlet malls. Today, the nonprofit organization offers free equine therapy sessions to children and their families in need.
“Since 2010, we’ve had more than 95 kids speak their first words ever,” Lehman says. “We’ve had more than 75 kids walk and countless children that are sitting up, grasping things – doing things they couldn’t do before.”
One of the largest ranches in the country specializing in equine therapy, Haven Horse Ranch conducts around 65 to 70 sessions per week for children with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities including autism, visual impairment, hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, down syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Running a 14-horse ranch and offering free therapy sessions is no small feat.
“We don’t turn anybody away. We find a way to get it done. That’s the bottom line and it’s a never-ending battle,” says Lehman. “We write grant requests, do a lot of fundraising, hold special events and offer fee-based services to the public, which offsets the cost of therapy for those who can’t afford it.”
Two of Haven Horse Ranch’s largest fundraising efforts will be held this spring. The 5th Annual Miracle Maker’s Dance will take place at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on Saturday, April 22nd with a catered dinner, dancing and live and silent auctions. The ranch will also be hosting a fishing tournament for kids with special needs on May 6th.
“I think the big thing is that people don’t realize how big of a difference they can make,” says Lehman. “It costs us roughly $25 per session to help a child. You get three people making a donation of $10 per month and we’ve just helped a child. If everybody did just a little bit, it would make a huge difference.”
The ranch, which offers riding lessons and trail riding to the public, as well as, summer camp programs, has garnered a lot of attention through referrals, word-of-mouth and local support groups, as well as, published studies and regular magazine contributions Lehman and the staff put together.
Lehman and staff also offer accredited courses in equine therapy through the University of St. Augustine.
“We teach physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and a variety of other medical professionals the trade,” says Lehman, who is a certified equine therapist. “We’ve certified 50 to 60 people in the past three to four years.”
For Lehman, leaving a life of deadlines and meetings and sales pitches to help children realize their potential through equine therapy was a no-brainer.
“There are a lot of great causes out there. Why us?,” he says. “Two good reasons: number one, every dollar donated goes to a child. You’re never donating to overhead – that’s all covered under the fee-based services. And number two, it works. This isn’t a new idea that someone’s trying out. It works. We’ve proven it over and over and over for 27 years.”
Haven Horse Ranch is always looking for volunteers and financial contributions to help with their equine therapy sessions. Please make note of both upcoming fundraisers, April 22nd and May 6th. To learn more, visit the Haven Horse Ranch website.
