Saddling up a horse, cleaning out stalls, and riding off into the sunset don't sound like typical activities for kids in public housing, do they? But for twelve Granny's House youth, these tasks have become mainstays of their week as they participate in the “Spirit Riders” program which was launched three years ago by attorney and Granny's House volunteer, Sue Crane. One of the main reasons she started “Spirit Riders” was to expose inner-city youth to life on the farm.
Since its inception, more than 20 children have received horseback riding lessons and learned horsemanship basics from Sue and her “Spirit Riders” volunteers. On any given Thursday evening and Saturday morning, a van full of youth head out to the country, lace up their riding boots, and enjoy a two-hour adventure with the Crane's horses.
And now, four of these young horse-women are about to undertake yet another adventure that will take them nearly 800 miles away to the great state of Texas! A few months ago, Sue Crane heard about “Mission 007,” sponsored by the Mustang Heritage Foundation, whose purpose is to increase the adoption of wild Mustangs to “good homes.” This competition allows indivduals from across the nation to “adopt” a Mustang for 90 days, train it, and then compete during the upcoming “Extreme Yearling Makeover, Mission: 007” in September.
During the competition, the Mustangs will be judged on body condition, and the trainers will be judged on how well they have “trained” their horses. As if the satisfaction of breaking in a wild horse weren't enough, the top competitor will win up to $15,000 in scholarship money!
While Granny's House staff and Sue Crane selected which four Spirit Riders qualified to enter the competition, the decision wasn't final until the Mustang Heritage Foundation reviewed all the applications that came in from across America. Our four applicants were among those who where selected!
On May 5th, we finally received the good news! All four Granny's House applicants had been selected to compete in Mission 007!!
On May 23rd, we travel to Elgin, Texas to pick up the four Mustangs. And with the help and advice of Sue Crane and her “Spirit Rider” volunteers, the girls will immediately begin their job as “trainers.” They will work all summer to get their horse competition-ready for the “Extreme Yearling Makeover, Mission: 007” in September.
Please pray for our four Granny's House competitors: Arreal (17), Vernita (16), Starr (11) and LaShawnda (11) as they embark on a journey that will surely be life-changing!
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