Christian Horse-lover's Club

CHC Inc. is a non profit 501(c)3 Christian organization.   CHC Inc. is a club for people who LOVE horses!  The goal is to reach and teach people about the Bible, Jesus and horses.  The clubs meet weekly to do Devotions and to work on completing the requirements to earn rewards.  In a Chartered CHC Inc. club for girls, they can earn  charms.  A big part of our activities is working with horses, of course!
Christian Horse-lover's Club :
PLEDGE: Having accepted Jesus as my Savior, I will follow Him and obey His Word with His help. I will love the Lord Jesus, my family, and be kind to others.........and to horses.
MOTTO: Love God the Creator; Thank Him for His Creation...............especially horses!
SCRIPTURE CODE: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’, and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27
SLOGAN: Saddle Up for a Great Adventure with God!
SONG: "The Great Adventure", by Steven Curtis Chapman

We are about to begin the WISDOM UNIT,  an indoor unit for this winter of 2009. 
The WISDOM UNIT teaches that the source of all true wisdom is God and His Word –the Bible.  We will study how it is the inspired and authoritative written Word of God.  We will look at how the Bible is organized and how to study it. They will learn about and use isagogics and exegesis to get the most from His Word.  This is a serious and deep study.  Scripture has power to work in a teachable human heart.  We will learn about the many promises in the Bible that help us in everyday life.  Our hope is to instill a deep love for the Bible.
The girls will memorize;  2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Peter 1:21 and Hebrews 4:12.  They will read Duet. and Eccl.  For one Project/Activity they will mark the Proverbs that teach about wisdom or folly.  A wise person accepts advice and searches for answers for every need, including the subject of horses.  They will find and record resources for different horse subjects; from horse communication to training to health questions.

The CHC Units have all been written and are now in the editing process. There are 21 Units.   The first Unit is the Truth Unit, a short introductory Unit done with the leader. There are 19 regular Units, each one would take about 3 months to complete meeting just one time a week.  The last unit is the Leadership Unit that a Junior leader would complete at their own pace. It is a leadership training course and a devotional by John Maxwell.
Units Now Available:  TRUTH UNIT, CARING UNIT, COMMUNICATIONS & CUES UNIT, BITS & BRIDLES, RIDING CUES UNIT are ready for new CHClub use and WALKING UNIT and WHITE HORSE UNIT will be ready next.  See the ABOUT CHC page for a short Unit summary.
 BEGINNINGS When I originally started CHC, it was to reach out to our local community in a unique way. The LORD gave me the complete idea for CHC, Unit studies that combined my love for horses with my love for Jesus and His Word. I was a horse-crazy girl and I knew from working with girls in Church ministries for 15 years that there are very many horse-crazy girls that would love a chance to learn about the animals they love.
Our Purpose and Vison is to help facilitate other Christian horse owners to reach out to youth in their communities for Christ by starting a Christian Horse-lover's Club, using the CHC curriculum.  Reaching the lost, as well as, disciple and mentor youth to grow in the Lord.
Our vision is to see Chartered Christian Horse-lover's Clubs across the United State, even around the world! 

The CHC Inc. club in California has done some fun things with their clubs!!!

• To help the students learn the parts of a horse they wrote the parts of a horse on 50 sticky labels.  They had a nice calm little Arabian horse that stood still while students placed the labels on the correct horse part and the other students filled in their worksheet.

• In the CARING UNIT devotion they took a Psalm 23 activity and turned it into a game show;  "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".  The boys loved it.

• The students heard an inspiring message about integrity from 1st Sgt. Miller of the USMC.
• Visited Secret Valley Farm to observe a beautiful “Horse/Master Relationship” by Jerry Heitzler
• Served and labored in love at a local horse rescue.
• Even learned to take a horses’ temperature…and not in the mouth…LOL! (Thank you Mrs. Worth & Mrs. McRoberts!)  The CARING UNIT addresses basic horse health.

"I am so PLEASED with the Communication & Cues Unit!  I love the layout... the curriculum is very clear and I love the interactive diagrams & drawings...so creative.
I am finding the kids love worksheet style...It is FUN!"   Aimee Palmer,  a CHC leader at  A Ranch of Light.

The CHC Inc. club in California is "A Ranch of Light" [link]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!!!

October 2008.  It has been over two years since the accident that originally left me paralyzed from the waist down.  Much has happened since my last report.  In April, I was doing my isometric squeezing of the muscles I felt: my lower back, back-end and my thighs.  I decided to "test" them.  As I was laying down flat, with my hands I pulled up my knee and held it from falling side-to-side.  I worked hard to push down my leg, using only those thigh muscles I "felt".  After 5 or 6 very hard tries, I was finally able to push hard enough to make my foot slide forward and leg collapse.  I did it!   Next I did it with the other leg.  I showed Robin (my husband) we were both excited that I actually could do "something" with my legs.  I started doing this on the nights after I had swam -for I was not so stiff and spastic-.   We told my Dr. and he said that was nice.  I kept working on it and in July, Robin insisted I show the Dr. what I could do.  Dr. Orr was impressed enough to write me a perscription for Physical Therapy. PTL  Physical Therapy that includes functional electronic stimulation.  That is what Robin was praying and pushing for.
NEXT:  In Aug. we took a trip to visit my brother and his family in Ca.  My sister-in-law Carol spend a lot of time lining up some special things.  One was a special physical therapy session in a pool at a Santa Barbara clinic.  This wonderful therapist did her best to show me more than 20 exercises that I can work on in the pool.  I'm so thankful my brother taped it for I wouldn't have been able to remember them all.  She was excited about the strength in my core and back.  The most exciting thing is that she showed me ways I could move that I did not know about!  As I floated, I moved my legs out and in a few inches and bending at the knees, I could move my feet up and down a bit.  In one exercise I floated with a neck float, I was able to push myself away from her and pull myself in-to-her using my hip-flexors.  WOW and Praise the Lord!!!  I have connection..... my core, back, hip flexors and thighs ARE listening to my brain!   I am able to move in the pool because of the bouyancy of the water.   Robin and Gini (a friend from our church-New Life A/G) are both helping me to work on these exercises every week. 
So PLEASE CONTINUE YOUR PRAYERS....GOD IS HEALING ME!  It is a healing work in progress!
Some days it seems so slow, but I remind myself of  how far I have come and that the timing of my complete healing is in God's hands!
Carol also set up a therapeutic riding session which went quite well.  I rode a thinner horse than Honey that had a real side-to-side sway to its walk.  But I did great, so great that they encouraged me to completely let go and do the "airplane" with my arms.  I was quite nervous, but she told me to trust my walkers.  I did it just fine, all I needed to do was trust and let go.  Hmmm I think there is a spiritual application!  I was also able to actually western rein the horse and that felt good!
Our fund money is used up so now I will not be able to ride more than 1 time a month unless my husband is able to finish the ramp he has started with the help of some friends.  Jerry T. and Mike C.  Thanks guys.  I can't wait, but I must.  The girls who help me have been training the horses to walk through it , stand and allow mounting.  Foxy and Sequoia have been doing great.  I truly believe riding had a huge part in bringing back recovery to my hip flexors and core muscles.
Robin has remained a steady help and support in this ordeal.  It is an ordeal for him as much as for me.  He is very protective, always looking out for me.  Pray for him.
Thank You for your prayers and please continue to remember me.  Pray for less pain.  As I get recovery there is a lot of nerve pain in the paralysis band area.
              
                                           Alive in Christ for His service,
                                         
                                           Kim Shanks


May. '08  Five more months have passed.  I am gaining strength in my stomach and core muscles.  I try to exercise everyday, swim on Fridays, and ride in Physical Therapy on Wed. at SMILES.  I am waiting for the day I can ride our own horses here at the ranch.  Robin plans to build a ramp by our outdoor arena.  I try to remember to use my core muscles more for I am so used to depending on my arms.   There has been more improvement, but it is; little by little.  Please keep praying for the healing of the spinal chord nerves to GET CONNECTED! 
                                    Thank You,

                                    Kim

[DEC. '07 I have been riding in horse physical therapy for several weeks now and I keep getting a stronger core and better balance each time and A LOT of sensations during and afterwords. Last Wed. I even got to hold the reins and "kind of " steer her. I ride a Belgian/Morgan cross.... a Belgan? Her name is "Honey" and she is sweet, nice and wide. That first time I rode I could not believe how weak my core was... the centrifugal force of the turn at a slow steady walk made me loose my balance! Reminds me to be thoughtful of those beginning riders in lessons who can't seem to use those core muscles. As with all, this time of year is a busy one, but do remember; THE REASON FOR THE SEASON IS JESUS and enjoy that fact. Merry Christmas to all! b]November update: [/b] It has been over a year since the horse accident. In many ways the year has gone by quickly.... maybe because I slept half the year away. I need a good 10 hours of sleep even now. The Lord has encouraged me along the way with His Word, both logos and rhema. (written and repeated or whispered by the Holy Spirit) My list of scriptures to read and review has grown. I am learning to speak spiritually correct about my healing. I am continuing to improve in strength and in attaining some more feeling sensations in deep muscle areas. I can do isometric squeezes in my thighs, calves, even my toes, but as yet I can not move any thing. In my pool work out I can now do 80 sit-ups and .65 of a mile and other exercises. One time I was able to move my lower leg a little with the added buoyancy of the water to help. We are finally set up with a place to begin Hippo therapy. We found out SMILES will work with adult paras. I am excited to finally get back up on a horse. I wished they just called it horse therapy! My husband plans to build me a mounting station at home so I can ride my own horses! I have been blessed to continue giving lessons. And with help of 2 young friends (CHC girls), I've continued with the training of both Josiah, a 2 1/2 year old Moresian and our new Moresian filly - Jhenhi. Josiah is the CHC mascot and Jhenhi is for sale. Both horses are very friendly, people horses and are doing very well! June update: I continue to get stronger. In our pool therapy exercises I can do 40 sit ups and 24 laps, plus we've added other exercises. I do have more feeling in the deep muscles of both my legs, but am not able to move my legs YET. I have great confidence and hope in my healing and recovery, Many times God has repeated hope in different ways, including a "word" that came from the folks praying on the 700 club. God answers prayers! I am waiting expectantly with much hope! Kim Shanks, I have been amazed by the prayers going up for my healing from around the nation and even beyond. The care pages were beautiful encouragement for me while I was in the hospital for those 5 weeks. This has been a difficult mt. to climb, at times, it almost seemed like a bad dream so I just need to awaken, but it is reality. The LORD has been with me in so many ways. He has strengthened me, comforted me, given me peace when I needed. I have kept myself in His Word, and it has sustained me. The Holy Spirit has reminded me of scripture verses, they have come up in my spirit when I needed it most (rhema). For the verses that have helped go to About Kim I am going through one of the most difficult transitions of my life, but He is giving me the strength each day. My husband , Robin is going through this transition with me, he has been an amazing care taker. God is working in both our lives. My spinal cord is not severed or even stretched, it's just bruised, but those nerves are very very delicate. CHANGES: In Oct. before I came home I began to feel my upper abs working. PTL! The first month when I came home, I noticed I could "feel" more in my back, which did mean I felt more pain, but that's what pain pills are for. The next month, Jan. I noticed the paralysis band, which is like a very tight girdle or girth strap always tight around my ribs, actually expanded down to my hips. At first I was annoyed, for it is not very comfortable, but my Physical Therapist reminded me that I could "feel" it .... Oh yea, feeling is a good thing. Now in Feb. I have control of a very small group of muscles below my hips that I did not have before, that is a very good improvement! So, the healing is in progress, so please keep praying for us. April update: Changes are happening, but they are very small. Unfortunately I have had more pain issues, but some say that it may mean my nerves are really working to connect . I hope and pray that is true. Robin and I have seen improvement each time we go do some pool exercises, the water's buoyancy helps. I can do 25 sit-ups at the pools edge, I've swam 6 laps, do a lot of core exercises to build strength. I was even able to show Robin I have a slight bit of action at the back of my thighs: with the buoyancy of the water to help I could lift my thighs up just a bit. Small, yet big changes compared to last Oct. SO PLEASE KEEP PRAYING! Love in Christ for the praying family of God, Kim Shanks

Autumn '08 brings us beautiful colors and a good time to work on the HORSE KEEPING Unit.  We are learning about how boundaries keep us and horses safe.  The girls are experiencing the practical work behind having a horse.  We had a work day to learn how to put up and repair fences (they loved it).  We hiked the property to identify poisonous plants that we must keep out of the horse pastures. 
We use fences for certain training exercises.   We will be teaching them how to properly shovel, haul and spread those horse apples!! 
Our Devotions cover the 10 Commandments as 10 promises!  When we live within the boundaries of God's Word we will receive blessings, safety and protection. 
We will study how Jesus fulfilled all the laws perfectly as we study the book of Galations to see how He helps us to live to please God.  We hope the weather will cooperate for our "Tabernacle" demonstration that will help us better understand the Old Testament sacrificial system.  They will learn the importance of being a faithful manager, able to care for horses in rain, sleet, snow or heat!
They are reading Exodus, Leviticus and Galations.  The memory work is:
Psalm 91:1; Psalm 26:2,3 and I Corinthians 4:2.  The Project/Activities are to do a "Fencing chart", horse training project, research and design a horse stable they would like to set up someday -- Lord willing.  We pray the LORD will bless us as we study what it takes to keep a horse.

The SHOWING UNIT was completed the Summer of '08. This is a good unit to do in the summer for it gives us more time to practice and many opportunities to watch and even do some showing. We will introduce showmanship and walk/trot basics to the newest members. We will practice some equitation patterns with some of the more experienced riders. We plan to show Josiah, our CHC mascot for his first time. He did great!  Trotted right in and set up.  Josiah took a 4th place!
The SHOWING UNIT devotions will also teach us how to "show" the fruit of the Spirit everyday.     We want to live a life that will be a pleasant fragrance to the LORD and to others. Exemplify good sportsmanship, unselfishness and kindness even in the world of competition. They will memorize Acts 1:8 and Gal. 22-25 and read the book of Acts and Ezekiel. They will learn how to present the "Gospel" to someone and write down their own testimony of coming to know Jesus as their Savior.
We hope to; have a CHC alumni return to help us with showmanship and equitation.  We went to the SMILES benefit Show in July.  We had a great time, learned alot and even came home with some awards.  We had a over-night camp-out as a work time.  They expirienced how much work it is to show a horse.  They practiced, bathed, trimmed, loaded a trailer, packed a hay-bag and even cleaned their tack.  But we had alot of fun too!  The closing event was a  CHC Horse Show here at Hidden Falls Ranch and the girls asked to do a camp-out here to have a "practice" weekend. May the LORD help us get it all done!!!! May the LORD bless you and your summer too!!

We have finished up the CHARACTER OF GOD UNIT Spring of '08. We took our time with this Unit to let the girls get caught up and finish all their work so they will earn all their charms. We went to the Mid West Horse Fair, met some people willing to fill out our Horse Questionnaires. We also had a field trip that included a Paint Horse Show and a Quarter Horse farm in Palmyra called; "Cornerstone Reining Horses", where Marianne gave us a wonderful talk about quality Quarter Horses and also told the girls to really seek the Lord for direction in their lives. She was a true blessing.

Fall of '07:  we are working on the CREATION UNIT.  This unit takes a look at God's creation and the factual evidence for special creation. The Devotions study; the two belief systems of our beginnings -Theory of Evolution or Scientific Creationism, also the fossil record, the falsities of the supposed "horse evolution", flood geology, the geologic clocks that show a young earth and the missing evidence for the supposed "evolution" of man. God created man in His own image and there is no real evidence to the contrary! We will review many of the creation scriptures that give glory to our Creator God. The girls have to fill in horse; skeletal, muscle and organ systems. They are to learn about and practice some horse massage methods and horse stretching exercises for our "hands on" projects. They are memorizing Genesis 1:1, Colossians 1:15-17, as well as a praise & worship song that has to do with our creator God. They will be reading the book of Genesis. It is a unit that answers a lot of questions youth have about our beginnings and gives them solid facts that refute the evolution taught in our society. We are all looking forward to our annual Autumn horseback ride. They usually choose to go to their favorite place Fantasy Hills Farm! Pray for a fun & safe ride!