SPRING 2021:  We have been working on the CHOICES Unit from January to the present.  Many Tuesdays we were getting snowed in, or too cold and the schools closed.  Now its finally nice enough to go out.  In the CHOICES Unitwe have studied 7 Decision Making Principles (DMP).  We learn how to apply them, looking at scriptural examples, acting out different scenarios.  We emphasis how the decisions we make -even small ones- can change the course of our lives and affects those around us.  They are working on memorizing Romans 12:1-2 and 2 Peter 1:21 to discuss the "What Would Jesus Do" when we make decisions.   We are now going to apply these DMP to how to choose the right horse and the right time.  The first step is learn all you can about horses, horse care, take riding lessons for at least a year to discover if you're serious about owning a horse.  We will talk about how a horse should fit a person's skill level, finances, family, time availability and more.  There are very many questions to ask about a horse you plan to buy.  We will talk about the horse's conformation and look at the horse closely for any past injuries.  No one wants to buy a horse to ride with injuries that will prevent it.  We plan to have a vet out to demonstrate a pre-purchase exam.  We will talk about where the horse will live, at home or a boarding stable.  There is much involved in horse ownership and we try to cover it all!

AUTUMN: IN SEPTEMBER WE CELEBRATED 2 OF OUR CHCLUB #1 GIRLS WHO GRADUATED!!!  CONGRATULATIONS TO MILLIE M. & LAURA EMILY M. !!!  Graduating from a CHClub is a huge accomplishment, Because it is a 4 1/2 to 5 year discipleship program. I will give you an overview of some of the things these girls and other graduates from our Whitewater club has accomplished!    ☆ Each new member first completes the Truth Unit, which has our pledges, Salvation Scriptures to memorize, a clear presentation of the Gospel and the PROJECT is to fill in the parts of the horse worksheet.  ☆ Over the years each girl works to complete 16 regular Units, -12 are required and 4 are elective. These Units teach members about the Bible and living a Christian life, combined with horse information and activities that match the theme, principles or topic directly from Scriptures.

☆ When the Units are completed a member is considered a Jr. Leader and for at least 1 year is to work independently to complete the Leadership Unit. The CHC Inc. LEADERSHIP Devotion studies what Jesus and the Gospels teach about His Way to live Life which is opposite of the way of the world.  They memorize and do a study of Luke 9 “Take up your Cross and follow me” passage which she memorized   Luke 9:23 “Then He [Jesus] said to them all, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’”NIV®   The Jr. Leader also memorizes Romans 12:1-18!
☆ MEMORIZING SCRIPTURES is a HUGE part of all the CHC Inc. curriculum which includes to learn the meaning of the Scripture. There is power in the Word of God and when we hide it n our hearts the LORD will “Quicken” or bring it back to us in our times of need!  Over the 4 to 5 years the Graduates have memorized approximately 87 Scripture verses, plus meaningful praise and worship songs and other important, helpful information.                                                                                                                              ☆ A big part the year's assignment was do the Devotional Book; “The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leaders Day” by John Maxwell. This book applies his 21 Laws of Leadership to people in the Bible who exemplified them or were a “bad” examples of them.            ☆ Each Jr. Leader also completes the Leadership DVD course by John Maxwell called “Developing the Leader within You” this is an adult business leadership training course with the principles based on the book of Proverbs.  John Maxwell is a powerful, yet entertaining speaker the Jr. Leaders so far have all said they enjoyed his teaching and have applied it!                                             ☆ IN PROJECT/ACTIVITIES 2 requires that the Jr. Leader commits to being Jr. Leader of HOLY Character for at least 1 year. The are to “cheerfully” fulfil assignments given her, Lead a club Devotion, develop & lead a Scripture memory activity, help with horse activities, Plan and do an event and be an all around helper LOOKING for ways to help!                                                                  ☆ One of the last things we ask Jr. Leader's is to write a (publishable) Essay  answering the question: "What has CHC Inc. club meant to Me!" It It is always a GREAT JOY to me when I have girls who stick with our CHClub and do the work to become a Graduate.  IT IS A REAL LIFE ACCOMPLISHMENT and I am so proud of Millie and Emily!  

Our September CHClub #1 Awards Ceremony was for 2 CHClubs.  One with the newest girls doing the CARING Unit and the girls who did the RIDING CUES Unit with me.  I'm so thankful to have Ms Linda A-H. & Ms. Jen M. helping me, along with the two Jr. Leaders (the ones graduating.)  I love how Ms. Jen had each of the girls demonstrate the different things they learned about grooming a horse.  They used Foxy Lady our 29 year old sweet & gentle Mustang!  They recited their memory work that reminds us all how God truly cares for all of us.  I had our RIDING CUES girls demonstrate each of the things they learned this summer, from proper mounting/dismounting, learning the different riding cues with lunge line work.  And some of the girls did matching patterns.          This Autumn we continued with 2 CHClubs because 6 more girls wanted to join CHClub #1.  Again Ms. Jen stepped up and taught the CARING Unit at her place and I worked with the rest of the girls here at HFR on the COMMUNICATION & CUES Unit.  In the  COMMUNICATION & CUES Unit we really focus on communication.  In the Bible Devotions, how God desires to commune with us from the beginning, throughout the Old Testament times using priests & prophets.  Jesus opened the way for every Believer to commune with God! They memorized John 3:16.  We studied the LORD'S Prayer and they also memorized John 14:26.                 With the horses the girls learned: how horses communicate with their body language, there is order in a horse herd and how we need to be alpha in a herd of you and the horse!  Each girl learned: lead a horse confidently, to round pen a horse to achieve "join-up" and to lunge a horse.

SUMMER of 2020  What a year it has been.  Fear is mantra the enemy is spewing at us from many directions!  BUT we know that our God reigns!  He is in control, He is our protector!  We need to be alert and praying those Scriptures that speak of God's protection!  The pandemic has brought several girls  asking very good questions about the end time events and how what is going on fits in.   As always pointing them to the Scriptures... the ones they have memorized and new ones about praying God's protection!

Our CHClub here in Whitewater GREW, so much so that we split into TWO CHClubs.  The CARING Unit with the new girls and the RIDING CUES Unit for the girls working there way to graduating.  The CARING Unit the members learn the basics about caring for a horse:  grooming, hooves, health, feed, a quick overview of keeping a horse, and how to do mini health checks on a horse.          The Bible Devotions cover:  God's care for us, how he is our Good Shepherd, how to care for others and ourselves in a balanced way.  The RIDING CUES Unit studies all the riding aids and cues and how to properly put them together.  Each riding cue is matched up with topical Bible study!  We do this Unit in the summer so we have more time to practice what we've learned!       

We have two girls Millie and Laura Emily who will GRADUATE this Autumn at our Awards Ceremony!     We are also celebrating 20 years of doing CHC Inc. ministry at the same time.  So mark your calendars:  Sept. 19th at Hidden Falls Ranch 

 

2020 This Winter to Spring we have been working on the DESIGN Unit.
In this Unit we learned some amazing scientific facts that show intricate design features support that our God is the God of DESIGN! We discussed how scientists have a belief system. Belief in God or belief in the process of evolution (or a mixture of both).  Scientists who believe in evolution believe that given enough TIME, chance and GOOD mutations accounts for an animal changing into another kind of animal. But we studied the facts about mutations.
1st They are random, they just happen and they don’t happen because they are needed.
2nd Mutations are VERY rare.
3rd The biggest problem of all is that mutations are 99.99 % harmful
We commonly call a bad mutation a birth defect, like a calf born with 5 legs, a horse born blind.                                                        We looked at several animals that defy any notion of evolution: such as the design features of: the giraffe, gecko, Bombadier beetle (he would have continually blown himself up while trying to evolve!)  And today's technology has given us access to even more amazing design features!  We even examined the amazing design features of a motor mechanism in a single cell, called Bacterial Flagella. It has a long whip-like tail that is built and operates like a motorboat motor, but its better, for unlike our boat motors... it can stop instantly and reverse.

Horses have a special design to their feet/hooves. Beneath the frog of each hoof is a pump-like system that helps pump blood back up his long legs to the heart to help with circulation, because a horse’s heart could NOT do it on its own. Also the horse’s cannon bone has a hole to let nerves and blood vessels pass through. You would assume that this is the weak point in the bone but it is NOT. Instead it has an elliptical design and fanned out bone reinforcement to give it extra strength and support.

Our club discussed how different horses are built or designed to excel at different horse sporting events or activities. Big draft horses for heavy weight pulling contests.  The long lean muscles and necks and build of Thoroughbreds for racing horses,
– warm bloods a combination of hot blooded horse and cold blooded draft type who excel at dressage, and jumping.   We discussed a whole list of horses and activities!  The girls chose to do a report on a specific horse breed or a horse sport; both with an emphasis on the design in the horse's conformation that helps them excel in their given area.
For PROJECT 2 We took quite a bit of time studying horse conformation learning what features help a horse excel in a certain sport area. We also learned what type of conformation to look for if you want a smooth riding horse and what bad conformation to avoid that will cost you money with Vet and farrier bills.

Our Devotions also studied how God is the designer of History!  We studied an overview of the history of Israel, His plan for Esther of the Bible and how God has a design for every Believer’s life too!  Just as their memory verse says in:
Jeremiah 29:11-13 “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’ ”NIV®

We took a look at Job’s difficulties, We know that they came from the devil, but God set the boundaries.  Job went through many terrible things and never cursed God, in fact He came to know God in a more personal way.  Afterward God gave Job a double blessing when the trouble was over.  We talked about deserved and undeserved suffering.  And what the Bible teaches about successful suffering!

So much to learn from God's Word that can help us through life's difficulties!   We thank God for His Word and His presence!

 

2018 to 2019  This Last Autumn we studied the CHARACTER OF GOD UNIT.   In this Unit we studied what the Bible teaches us about the many amazing charaster traits or attributes of God;  His omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, sovereignty, love, faithfulness, mercy and compassion, glory, the names of God and SO much more.  We applied how learning about the characteristics of God builds our faith and trust; that HE has our lives in HIS very capable hands and we can trust Him no matter what is happening to us or around us.  We also studied the Parrelli Horsenality® information, which taught us about four main horse personality types AND how we should train our horses according to their personality type to get the best results and the least amount of frustration.  The girls chose several horse breeds to discover what its general personality/character was like, by having people fill out a short survey.  Then we tallied up and discussed the results.  Their Bible reading was Isaiah chapters 1 to 48 and the book of Daniel (a man of great integrity even in terrible circumstances).  The girls memorized:  Isaiah 55:8-9, Micah 6:8 and Isaiah 40:28-29 NIV® “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”    We examined this verse to learn how the attributes of God help us as believers.  HE IS the Everlasting Creator God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, faithful in his love as He cares for and strengthens us.  This is great news for everyone!                                            One PROJECT was to visit one of the breeds we chose to survey.  We went to "The Horse Quarters" in East Troy, WI and visited with Jamee Bornstein, who now trains National Champion mini horses.  Even though it was Wisconsin cold, she very graciously took the time to share her mini's with us.  We all loved Cherry as she did a showmanship type trail class routine for us, ending with only a verbal command to go to the mailbox and see what was inside.  She walked over, opened up the mailbox and ate the treat that was waiting for her there!  Jamee also had another mini horse do some inhand jumping and another pulling a cart.  We had a great time and learned a lot about mini horses!  Thank you Jamee Bornstien!

 

2018  Last Summer we completed the TRANSITIONS Unit and this was the year we went to the Kentucky Horse Park 3 day event PLUS we toured the Ark Encounter! ad018 Last summer we worked o

In the TRANSITIONS Unit we learned a transition is a change or passing of one thing or condition to another.  Every life is full of changes or transitions.  There are everyday changes, small or large changes, season of change, life decisions, unexpected changes,  difficult and heartbreaking changes.  We learned about what God’s Word says about navigating through the many types of changes and transitions of Life.  The Bible is full of helpful Scriptures that can help you stay in peace, wait on the LORD and stay stable thru the transitions that will be a part of every life.  We talked about having that Close Connection with Christ, love Him as your Savior, but also spend time seeking to know Him better.  Then we taught that having Correct knowledge of what the Word says that can help you and then you need Correct Living... that is apply what you have learned when "stuff" happens!  The girls memorized some of the best Scriptures that can help them live victoriously through the changes.  2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” NIV®                                                                 And  Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” NIV®                                                                                                                                                                              A TRANSITION as it applies to horsemanship is also: a change, small change or big change, a change of direction, a change speed OR a change of gait; as in an upward transition or a downward transition. 

In  Project 1 & 2  we taught the girls how to fine tune and refine their ground work and riding abilities, to make riding a horse a united partnership. A Close Connection; we worked on rhythm and balance exercises on a lunge line.  We taught them Correct knowledge on how to strive for smooth transitions on the ground, going over poles and halting or changing gaits at a cone AND learning how to ride the horse using "pre-cues" and riding cues to get correct, consistent smooth transitions.

This Unit teaches more advance riding cues, so at our annual camp out we gave the girls more time in the saddle to practice their transitions.  We made it fun by putting together some drills that combined several different transitions and did this for their parents at the Sept. Awards Ceremony.

This was the year we took the girls to the Kentucky Horse Park to watch dressage, cross country jumping and stadium jumping in the 3-day event named the Champagne Run.  Besides all the great park museums and demonstrations.  The most amazing thing was on the way down we went to the Ark Encounter... WOW!!!  This is the most amazing demonstration of the truth's of God's Word enacted, the science and common sense approach to prepare to live through a worldwide flood with thousands "kind" of animal

And is it HUGE!  It is built with the actual dimensions from the book of Genesis.  And its HUGE!!!
SO worth the cost to get in.  The girls were truely engaged in reading and checking everything out!  In Spring we did the CREATION Unit so somethings were familiar, but the team that did this Ark Encounter really did an amazing job!

Last Autumn we did the HORSEMANSHIP Unit.

The HORSEMANSHIP Unit is a study of how to live a life of excellence in every area, because we serve and represent an excellent God.  We learned the difference between being lazy, doing things with mediocraty or with excellence... even when no one is looking. They memorized several verses the first verse teaches us that everything we do we should do it " as unto the Lord."  Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”NIV

Three of the Devotions taught us what good horsemanship is and what good sportsmanship is from a Christian viewpoint.  Devotion #2 gives an overview of all the different horse activities.  The girls voted on the two horse venues they wanted to explore.  Hailey chose the Mounted Games, we were thrilled to see the World competition at the Kentucky Horse Park in 2015.  We had fun picking several games, but we mostly walked thru them.  Some of the more expirience riders trotted thru some games.  Watching videos on-line where the riders galloped thru the games were so impressive it humbled us all!  The other horse activity they wanted to explore was Hunter jumping.  We took them through the very basics;  riding at two point, looking ahead and keeping your eyes up, how to aproach a (pretend) jump.  We had such a warm Autumn we practiced quite a bit.  Katie R. from UWW came out to help the girls with the practices, she was a great help too!  The picture below is Millie practicing 2-point.  The girls worked on improving their riding skills by looking at pictures of themselves and picking out what needed work.

We learned living a life of excellence at your school, work and having spritual excellence.  The last Devotion was about my favorite King in the Bible, good King Josiah.  One of the Project/Activity was to go though the Book of Proverbs marking a 'D' for all the verses that taught about diligence, and mark an 'L' for verses that taught about laziness and its results.

It was a fun and informative Unit to do and we all enjoyed it.  We pray the impact of what the Bible teaches about excellence, diligence will impact their lives from this day forward.

SUMMER 2016   

This time I decided to do something different with the RIDING CUES Devotions, after the first Devotion we did several of the ones that taught the different riding cues.  It helped the girls learn most of the riding cues early in summer so by the camp-out in August they started to put it all together in the pattern they would ride for their parents at the Awards Ceremony and Demonstration.  The Devotions of this Unit are topical studies that relate to the different riding cues in some way.  The different "Hands of God" related to how to properly use your hands as you ride the horse.  The correct position and use of your legs correlated with a study from the book of Proverbs; "Where Your Feet Should and Should Not Go."  We used their first memory verse to put it all together. ☆ Psalm 119:9-11 “How can a young person stay on the path of purity?  By living according to your Word.  I seek you with all my heart;  do not let me stray from your commands.  I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” NIV® 

The other memory verse went along with the Devotion about; how you need to think ahead and look where you plan to go as you ride a horse. Then we studied what the Bible says about our thought life and also how our eyes need to be fixed on Jesus, especially in times if difficulty. They memorized: ☆ Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The girls chose to camp out in the woods instead of by the house and they all enjoyed themselves even though we had a big storm go through around 3 a.m.. Three of the girls never had camped out before and they even loved it.  The camp out was fun and it gives each girl more ride time than they can get taking turns during club meetings.  

The Awards Ceremony and demonstration went great, we had beautiful weather!  Each girl rode a pattern at their riding ability and did quite well.  Foxy Lady, our horse for beginners, had a big workout, Aleysia, Carissa, Eva and Kara did a good job on their patterns. Emily on Fiesta and Emelia on Leo did a good job on the Intermediate pattern.  Two of the girls, Abby on Leo and Millie on Foxy Lady both had more riding experience were joined by Hailey on Jhenhi, (a girl who helped us in club while finishing up another Unit) along with our Jr. Leader Alyssa (on Fiesta).  All four girls liked the idea of doing a quadrille that had all the maneuvers they learned.  They picked out the drill exercises and we put them together in a nice quadrille.  It went great even though they didn't really have a lot of time to practice.  It was a fun way to show parents all the girls have learned this summer.   After the Demo we handed out their charms they earned and also some special awards for attendance.  We always have a fun time eating a potluck picnic together, getting to know the families of the girls.  The picture is all the girls eating together.

Summer went too fast!  But we have learned more of the Word of God and we pray it takes root in the girl's lives! 

Spring and Summer 2016 Overview:

This spring we were working on the DESIGN Unit!  In this Unit we learned some amazing scientific facts that support that our God is the CREATOR God! We discussed how scientists have a belief system. Belief in God or belief in the process of evolution (or a mixture of both). Scientists who believe in evolution believe that given enough TIME, and GOOD mutations accounts for an animal changing into another kind of animal. But we studied the facts about mutations. 

1st They are random, they just happen and they don’t happen because they are needed.
2nd Mutations are VERY rare.
3rd The biggest problem of all is that mutations are 99.99 % harmful
We commonly call a bad mutation a birth defect, like a calf born with 5 legs, a horse born blind.
We looked at several animals that defy any notion of evolution: such as the giraffe, gecko, bombedeer beetle (he would have continually blown himself up while trying to evolve).               Of course we studied the horse:Horses have a special design to their feet/hooves.  Beneath the frog of each hoof is a pump-like system that helps pump blood back up his long legs to the heart to help with circulation, because a horse’s heart could not do it on its own.  Also the horse’s cannon bone has a hole to let nerves and blood vessels pass through. You would assume that this is the weak point in the bone but it is NOT.  Instead it has an elliptical design and fanned out bone reinforcement to give it extra strength and support.                                                             For PROJECT 2 Our club discussed how different horses are built or designed to excel at different horse sporting events or activities. We took several club meetings learning about horse conformation as it applies to what horse breeds are built to excel in the different horse sports and activities.  Like big draft horses are used for heavy weight pulling contests. The long lean muscles and necks and build of Thoroughbreds for racing horses.  We also learned what type of conformation to look for if you want a smooth riding horse and what bad conformation will cost you money with Vet and farrier bills. 

 In PROJECT 1 The girls filled in a chart featuring many different types of saddles designed to fit the many different types of riding.  Hidden Falls Ranch had several types of saddles to see.  
In PROJECT 3 each girl was to do a report on a certain breed of horse and what it excels in OR a report on a certain horse sport and which horses do the best in it.                                                  We used the MidWest Horse Fair to visit many different types of horses and horse activities.  We also enjoyed Cowboy Church with John Lyons Sunday morning.  See the pic of us with John Lyons.

Our Devotions also studied how God is the designer of History; He had a plan for Esther of the Bible and God has a design for every Believer’s life too! Just as their memory verse says in:
Jeremiah 29:11-13 “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’ ” NIV®  

The last Devotion was a look at the terrible troubles Job suffered through and how he did complain but He did NOT curse God!  We knew the troubles were from Satan and that God set the limits to his evil attack.  Job did have a powerful encounter with the Lord Himself and God answered him with an amazing survey of the creation God designed.  Plus, Job saw his nasty, harsh friends humbled before him.  Job did receive a double blessing for his trouble.  The Devotion ended with a discussion of the difference between; deserved and undeserved suffering and how to hold on the the LORD and His Word through it all.

This summer we are working on the RIDING CUES Unit and are proud to congratulate Alyssa C. for completeing all the CHC Inc. Units necessary; SHE is now a Jr. Leader doing the LEADERSHIP Unit.  We plan to see her graduate early next summer.                                                                                                       

Summer and Autumn activities:  The most exciting thing our CHClub #1 did was a trip to the Creation Museum and to the Kentucky Horse Park.  We watched the Champagne Run - a three day eventing competition AND we watched the World Mounted Games Association competition.  So we saw cross-country and stadium jumping and dressage THEN we saw the Mounted games and were there to cheer on team USA...who won!!!

 We had a great time! I was especially blessed to meet Paula C. of CHClub #4 from Ohio face to face.  She is a truly kindred spirit, pouring her life into girls to help them grow in Christ!

This summer we did the IN TRAINING Unit.  We learned how Horses need to be IN TRAINING to be their best AND RIDERS are also IN TRAINING to be able to do their best.
The IN TRAINING Unit teaches
#1) How both the horse and rider need to do certain exercises to get in good physical condition. The girls were doing Mount-up jumps, core and leg strenghthening exercises and ankle stretches to help them keep their heels down.
#2) Repeating some basic riding exercises will improve the rider’s physical and mental capabilities, improved: balance, position, better timed riding cues, independent hands, to be pro-active rider not defensive; all so they can excel in their riding skills
#3) Horses IN TRAINING also do exercises that improve their strength, balance, straightness and responsiveness to riding cues, smooth transitions and more.
Many of the same exercises will help horses in different types of riding disciplines.
Circles, serpentines, walk / halt transitions, figure 8's and more
We started with ground exercises; first we taught the new girls how to: lead, do hip-overs and turn-on-the haunches. This helped them to understand how to cue a horse properly and helps them to recognize how the horse responds to cues.  It is good review for the horses to respond to the cues quickly.

At the Awards Ceremony in Sept. the girls each demonstrated the exercises by putting them together in a pattern they rode together in drills.  The newer girls did drill duets and the four of the more experienced girls did a quadrille.  

In our Devotions we talked about how Christians should grow-up and mature as Believers. To do the things that exercise our Spiritual life, one important thing is to read and memorize Scripture. Two of the verses the girls memorized that teach us about growing as Believers were:
1 Timothy 4:7 NIV ®“...Train yourself to be godly.                                                          Colossians 2:6-7® “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your life in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and over flowing with thankfulness.”

The Bible Devotions in this Unit taught how God made each human a spiritual being, with a soul, living in a physical body. Also every person has a place within them that is either empty or void OR if they have asked the LORD JESUS into their heart HIS Spirit fills their heart with His Holy presence!
We studied some of the basic Christian terminology we hear as Christians, but do we really understand it.  Examples are: The “God space,” the "flesh or OSN", sanctification and being sanctified, refining fire and more.
We learned that every person has a soul that is made up of the mind, will and emotions. Every person is born with a sinful nature which is also referred to as the Flesh or OSN...It’s our selfish nature the “I want, I think, I feel and what about me” inside of each one of us.
Then we talked about the sanctifying work of God, that is, how God can change willing Believers from the inside out, through His Word and the Holy Spirit.  Our thinking needs to be transformed and renewed by the Scriptures we read and memorize.
Just as a horse needs to be trained to think and control his reactive, emotional instinct to flee, Believers need to learn and train their mind and emotions to respond to fears and temptations God’s way and not react in the “flesh.”
The good news is that the LORD helps us in every way, All we need to do is ask! He takes responsibility for our sanctification, we are His workmanship and it is His work in us, we just need to cooperate with HIM. Just as it is stated in their memory verse: 

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 NIV® “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”

Believers are IN TRAINING: they need to grow in the real knowledge of Him through prayer and grow in the knowledge of His ways through God’s Word, the Bible.
This Unit provided some “SPIRITUAL VITAMINS” They are brief portions of Scripture verses we called: Vitamin A; these verses describe who we are in Christ,
Vitamin B; taught us... “Since I am in Christ, By the Grace of God...” an example “I have been justified, completely forgiven and made righteous."  
Lastly, VITAMIN C are “Twenty Cans of Success"  “Why should I be discontented when I, like Paul, can learn to be content in all my circumstances.”
The girls were to read a portion of the “Spiritual Vitamins” several times a week.  And memorize 10 of them.                                                                                                                           Our Devotions also talked about how even trouble and trials are used by God for our spiritual training and growth.  We identified the Believer’s three main enemies [ The World, Satan and our own Selfishness],  Lastly we studied how to use the weapons of spiritual warfare from Ephesians. And how to pray on the armor of God; belt of Truth, the breastplate of +R, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, feet shod in Gospel of peace and sword of the Spirit.

They read the Books of Joshua and Judges.  We studied how Joshua was IN TRAINING for leadership after Moses went to be with the LORD.  The last project was to memorized the song “Refiners Fire.”  Our summer camp-out was rained out, so we had a camp "in"!

Summer, as usual, went by too fast! The CHC girls worked hard to learn about how to use each of the riding cues taught in the RIDING CUES Unit. The Devotions followed more of topical Bible studies that correlated with each of the riding cues. We started with an overview of the basic terminology and the ways a rider interacts with their horse. The Bible Devotion did an overview of the basics of Christianity using the CHC Inc. Pledge: “Having accepted Jesus as my Savior, I will follow Him and obey His Words with His help. I will love the Lord Jesus, my family. Be kind to others and to horses.”© While Christians ask Jesus into their hearts to be their Savior, we emphasis that we will follow Him and what the Scriptures teach with HIS help, for we cannot do it on our own.

Next, we taught the girls the correct riding position and why it's important. The Devotion studied our new position in Christ and some of the amazing benefits of being a Christian.  Then the girls learned about the other riding cues and how to use them and each riding cue had a  Devotion that did a topical Bible study of that subject in some way.  We started with the use of the rider's seat for  balance and rhythm in the saddle and the use of three seat positions to cue the horse.  The Devotion taught how we need to seek a well-balanced viewpoint of what the Scriptures teach as we study the Bible using the whole counsel of the Word of God.  We taught them how to use a concordance, a Topical Bible and online Bible study tools to look up verses to study a subject.  For Project 3 the girls choose to study what the Bible says about who to choose for your friends and companions. They were surprised at what many of the Proverbs taught about who should and should not be a close friend. The next riding cue was the use of the legs (feet) and the three leg positions.  This went with the study of: Where our feet should and should not go.  The Proverbs had a lot to say about this subject.  We then talked about how to cue a horse with gentle,  independent hands and the topical study was about the many Hands of God.                                          We then talk about using our head: to think where to ride, when to stop, how fast or slow to go etc.  Next, using our eyes and how important it is to look at where you go. Then we talked about using our voice or a clucking sound to cue the horse.                                                                                                                                                           In the Bible study we discussed how we all need to, think about what your thinking about, to think before you speak and to fix our eyes on Jesus and His Word. To go along with this the girls memorized: Hebrews 12:2 “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer [author] and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” NIV®

We tried to make time in each meeting for the girls to practice using all the riding cues together in the correct way. Some of the new girls struggled at first putting it all together, as do most new riders, but by the end of summer they improved quite a bit.  People who dare to say “Riding is easy...you just sit on the horse” is oh-so very wrong. You really need to multitask on a moving animal with a mind of its own. Of course we use gentle horses, but horses do have a limit to their patients and at times when the horse is tired of a child not using the reins properly will walk to the gate and ask to be done. {I get the “look”}  Over-all, Foxy Lady, Fella and Fiesta were quite patient in teaching the new girls to ride. 

The first day of our summer a camp-out was rather wet, so after our devotion time and pizza supper we watched "Secretariat" which didn't finish until 11:15 pm.  The girls asked to sleep in the tents since it stopped raining and the tents were dry.  My gracious, brave chaparones said yes so the girls finally settled down to sleep.  The next day was nice and the girls were able to practice their riding cues and patterns.

 We had a beautiful day for the Awards Program in September.  The girls each rode a pattern at their riding skill level to show their parents what they had learned.  Two of the more experienced girls rode a duet drill. The girls recited their memory verses as I told the parents all the things the girls studied in the Devotions.  After handing out the charms and awards they earned  we all visited and had a nice potluck supper.

 

 

 

Halleluia! Thank you Lord SPRING is finally here!!!   Once again we had a great time at the Mid West Horse Fair this last April!  All of us really enjoyed Crystal Lyons for Cowboy Church!!!  We all went to a round pen demonstration with Ray Ainsworth that fits in the new Unit we just started.   His demo was a perfect fit, we watched how his body language communicated to a young filly and we saw her body language communicate her submission.  

Our Club just started the COMMUNICATION & CUES Unit.  We have already learned about how horses communicate with each other in the herd using their body language (the head, eye, neck, tail, legs and body tension).  We discussed how God made horses to live in herds with a herd hierarchy to keep them fed and safe; there is the stallion, the boss mare and each horse has a position within the herd.  Even a group of domesticated horses in a pasture have a hierarchy or pecking order from the alpha (boss) mare or gelding to the beta horse at the bottom. Then we talked about how a horse reads our body language and how we need to use the body language of a confident leader.  To fulfill PROJECT 2 we are teaching the girls how to pay attention to what they are communicating to the horse they lead and ride.  We are teaching them about natural horsemanship in the round pen.  Round penning a horse is NOT running a horse until its tired enough to ride and it is not a "macho" control thing.  It is listening to a horse's communication as you speak to him with your body language that you are the boss mare in this herd of two.  A horse is actually more comfortable knowing who is in charge and where he fits in the herd.  In a herd whoever controls the feet, the food and the space is in charge, so that is what a person does in the round pen.  After seeing several round pen demonstrations each girl will learn to do it herself.  The girl has a training stick to turn the horse left and right as she watches to see if the horse's inside ear is turned toward her, is the horse moving in the direction she has chosen, if the horse turns she is to turn him back, she doesn't let him eat any grass around the edges or let him charge toward her in any way.  She is looking for the horse to show he is ready to submit to her leadership by cooperative turns, a lower neck, and licking with his mouth. The aim is to achieve "join-up,"  that is when the horse chooses to join up her as the leader.  It is a special feeling when a horse joins up and follows you around the round pen with no rope attached.

We apply this to how the Lord Jesus wants to be our leader, we may toss our heads, look away at other things we think are more important, even as Believers we don't keep our ear tuned in to what our Master desires.  The Holy Spirit works with us and draws us so we will choose to trust and follow the Lord, to "join-up" with Him.  Still, at times we go off on our own wrong path, but God brings us back to the "Round pen" to bring about a change of attitude and guides us on to the best path for our life to fulfil our God-designed purpose.  How much it delights the Lord when we choose to trust Him with our whole heart and life!

In this Unit the girls are memorizing two verses in the book of John.  They will read John and Numbers in the Bible.  In the Devotions we will learn how God desires to commune with the people He created in the Old Testement times on to right now.  We will learn that prayer is simply conversations with God; thanking, praising, sharing our hearts and lives with Him and making requests for others and oneself. There is a special study of the many things the Holy Spirit does for us and in us too.

May you all give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus, He is the best Master to follow.   

 

WINTER NEWS FROM THE WHITEWATER CLUB #1!    

Winter seems to be here to stay.  The first week of March and its 5 degrees and a snow storm expected!   Please Spring come soon!!!
CHC Inc. article by Noelle Larson; CHC Inc. graduate alumni and co-leader.
Greetings fellow horse-lovers!  It is my privilege to write to you for the first time, on behalf of the Whitewater Christian Horse-Lover's Club Inc. I
have been personally involved with CHC since it's conception in year 2000, first as a member and later as a junior leader. Although my college experience brought me to the East Coast for a few years, I have been blessed to serve with the group again upon my return to Wisconsin. What a great experience it has been!
This past December, the Whitewater CHC had a great time finishing up their Creation Unit and studying how the fossil record supports the history
of God's creation of the world found in the book of Genesis. We participated in a demonstration of Equine Massage and I think that our horses have greatly appreciated a few of our new skills!  The girls also had a lot of fun at our Christmas Sleepover.  It is a big deal for some of them to take responsibility for things like preparing food, setting up a "sustainable sleeping arrangement," and helping to feed the horses in the morning. Although it definitely felt pretty chilly (5° or so), they all did a great job helping out and I think it was good for them to get more involved in the care of the horses they love. Later that morning the girls had lots of fun riding bareback and practicing emergency dismounts in the snow!   See the pictures.

Since the start of the New Year, our CHC club has been working on the Wisdom Unit and studying why the things God has to say about different subjects really matters as well as how to study and search for answers in the Bible. The girls are learning how to use an exhaustive concordance as well as modern
technologies, such as Internet Bible study tools, to learn the original Hebrew or Greek words used, their full
meaning, and even how to pronounce them. The girls are currently reading through the book of Proverbs and marking a "W" next to any verses mentioning wisdom or wise and an "F" next to any verses mentioning folly or fool.  Proverbs really has much to say about wise and foolish living! The girls are also working hard at memorizing *2 Timothy 2:15*, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth." NKJV

On a personal note, I would like to tell you about how my involvement and leadership development in CHC helped prepare me for success in college as well as leadership in my campus Christian group.  Tangibly speaking, several of the Bible study skills, Bible history, and even several of the verses that I learned in CHC helped me stay grounded as I adjusted to living on my own in a very liberal environment. If I had questions about God's viewpoint on certain subjects, I felt equipped to know how to find it and start applying it to my life. These skills became especially relevant for me when I started leading a women's Bible study with one of my peers. Our group members were women with real lives and sometimes very difficult questions about morality, scripture, lifestyle issues, and how to rest in God's peace in the midst of our turmoil. On several occasions, my co-leader and I searched the scriptures together in search of many of these answers and helped our group members hide God's Word in their hearts.

Less tangibly, but no less powerfully, I truly believe that God used CHC to help shape my character development and teach me to love the presence of God. As a growing horsewoman, I found going on long rides to be a very rewarding way for me to engage with God's creation and talk with Him about things in my life. I
learned that God really does desire good for me, and just like I have to train and discipline my horse for his own safety and wellbeing, God sometimes has to discipline me, too.  When I have my horse do a hip-over, or pause before walking through the arena gate, it isn't because I am angry with him or desire harm for him; it's because I love him and need his attitude to be in calm submission before I'm ready to go out on the trails. Knowing that God often interacts with us in that way, too, has really helped me be at peace in the midst of difficult or frustrating moments that probably feel a lot like a "hip-over" does to my horse. I  have learned that I don't have to understand "why" things happen the way they do because I can trust the heart of the One who sustains and directs my life through the power of the Holy Spirit.  I believe that this message is the heartbeat of Christian Horse-Lover's Club Inc. and has the power to transform people's lives, just as it has transformed my own.I would like to share one of my favorite verses with you. It describes the how the Holy Spirit transforms and renews our minds, empowering us with the ability to understand God's will in our lives. My life may feel stressed, or even "chaotic," at times, but I can always rest assured knowing that God's will for me is good, pleasing, and perfect. That is a promise I can hold on to!  *Romans 12: 1-2* "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve whatGod's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." NIV(R)

A note from Kim:  Noelle is a great example of how CHC Inc. helps to disciple Christians.  She has been a huge help this past year and we all greatly appreciate her!    Kim

SUMMER and AUTUMN of 2013

This summer went so fast and full of CHC fun.  This summer I did two CHClubs, our regular girls CHClub did the TRANSITIONS Unit and I also did a boys CHClub and we did the RIDING CUES Unit.  I have worked with girls for over 25 years so doing a boys club was a big step in faith. I have been pleasantly surprised at this great group of boys, they are quiet, respectful, helpful and follow along in the Devotions quite well. The verse they memorized was perfect for these young men.  Psalm 119:9-11“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word.      I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” NIV®

In the RIDING CUES Unit Devotions we learned about the correct riding position and about a Believer's position in Christ.  As we studied th different riding cues, the Devotions were topical Bible studies that correlated with the cues, such as; balance and the use of our seat with how a Believer needs to search the Scriptures to find God's balanced viewpoint, the use of our leg and feet cues with many of the Proverbs that were about where our feet should and shouldn't go and as we discussed the use of our hands holding the reins, we studied the hand of God. We talked of how important it is for a rider to look where you plan to go, then we discussed how Believers need to fix our eyes on Jesus.

They also memorized Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”NIV®

I was reminded of the difference between teaching a girls club and a boys club when we were  discussing Western reining; I asked, “Why would a cowboy need one hand free?”  They all chimed in “To shoot his gun!!!”  After we all had a good laugh I asked again, “Why would a COWboy need one hand free?”  Then several boys gave the answer I was looking for; “to rope a cow!”

Most of the boys came to the camp out by the water falls.  We cooked our brats and hotdogs over the campfire and introduced them to campfire cooked banana boats. Mr. & Mrs. H., my husband Robin and Chris T. all helped to make the camp out successful.  The boys had lots of time to practice riding a pattern at their level using all the correct riding cues and seated in the proper position.  We even took time to ride in the morning so I could check off their riding requirements.  Since summer went by so fast we had one meeting start extra early so we could finish more Devotions and then we had a fun time playing some games on the horses.  The boys have really worked hard to complete their Bible reading too!  They read Luke, Romans and 1 & 2 Thessalonians. The last project is to choose a Bible study topic and look up verses to find a balanced view point and write a summary of what they find. 

What I really enjoy seeing in both CHC Inc. clubs is how each new rider starts out nervously hunched over with a death grip on the saddle horn and legs curled up – which changes to– riding in the correct position, head up, heels down, hands low and their confidence shining through by the end of summer.  Just as it is great to see their soul's get filled with the Word of God and answer their sincere questions about the Lord and what pleases Him. Like, the Lord delights in those who revere Him and puts their hope in His unfailing love.

Girls CHCLUB:  We had a good size club doing the TRANSITIONS Unit this summer.  The Girls learned the definition of what a transition is: a period of change from one condition or place to another. The devotions covered how life is full of many types of change that everyone goes through; from seasons of change to small daily changes to big changes to sudden dramatic events that completely change the direction of your life.  To often when sudden or difficult change happens people react with out-of-control emotions.  We discussed what the Bible says about how to go through transitions; to trust in the Lord, to stay peaceful and stable in the transitions.

T do this first , we need to have a close connection with Jesus by spending time in prayer, building a close relationship with Him. Second, to have correct knowledge and thinking from the Word of God to help you learn what the Bible says about your type of situation (you can't use what you don't know!).  To learn to think as the Scriptures direct you to think, not according to your feelings or think what ever falls into your mind.   Put these together for correct living, that is, to live a godly life.  One of our memory verses gives us clear direction and a wonderful promise to help us to stay in peace:  Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” NIV®   This verse not only tells us what not to do; do not be anxious, but also tells us what to do; pray, present your requests, to be thankful, then it promises that the peace of God will guard your heart and mind.  In another memory verse the LORD also promises to give you peace:  2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”NIV®

The horse activities in the Transition Unit are about how to improve ones riding skills by focusing on making smooth transitions from one gait to another. They learned to have a close connection with the horse; moving with good rhythm, balance and a go-with-the-flow motion matching the horse's movement by doing some lunge-line exercises. To be a better rider we also discussed how important it is to learn correct knowledge and thinking. We taught them how to use pre-cues to make smoother transitions. We examined the order in which a horse puts his feet down; at the walk, trot and canter.  Then the riders learned to feel how their hip lifts on one side when the horse's back leg pushes off and their hip drops when the horse's hind leg is reaching under them. They applied what they learned to practice correct riding. Each rider practiced a riding pattern that fit their abilities.

The girls also had a nice camp out here at the Hidden Falls Ranch by the waterfall. The camp out gave the girls extra time to practice riding a pattern at their skill level which included several transitions.  The third Project the girls did was learn a song that spoke of staying in peace and trusting God in all circumstances. They are reading the book of Jeremiah and Lamentations. These two books are about Israel in a major time of transition, because of their continual idol worship and rebellion against God, Jeremiah warns them of impending discipline from the Lord. Babylon would conquer Israel.  Our devotions gave an overview of Jeremiah’s message and we talked about back-sliding; what it is, how it can happen to any Believer and how the Holy Spirit draws them back to Him.

Sept. Awards Ceremony:  We had our biggest ever Awards Ceremony ever in September for we had both the girls and boys CHClubs demonstrate to their families and friends what they learned this last summer.  Each rider did a pattern they have practiced.  It was a bit windy, but everything went well.  It is great to see them handling the horses, putting into action what they have learned and even better to hear them confidently reciting Scriptures and joyfully receiving their awards for what they have accomplished.  I did an overview of the Units each club completed.  Then we had a big potluch/cookout and visited with everyone.  The LORD has blessed this summer and we are thankful!

 

 

 

 

Spring 2013  What a Wisconsin winter, one week goes from almost 50' to 9' within 2 days and it seems like spring has refused to come to Wisconsin at all!

 Our CHClub is working on the Character of God Unit. In this Unit we are studying some of the character traits or attributes of God. The girls are learning what some big words mean, like omnipotent (all powerful), omniscience (all knowing), omnipresent (exists everywhere), immutable (never changing) and more! Learning about the character traits of God not only helps us to be amazed at how great and awesome our God is but helps us to trust Him.

 We are also looking at the different personality traits of horses using the Parrelli Horsenality® chart.  The day we planned to do some horse evaluations it poured buckets of rain, but the girls did the surveys with several of the horse owners here at Hidden Falls Ranch Boarding Stable.  On two other days with decent weather we were able to do some horse observations, once in the cold and snow and once in the mud (See pictures)! We watched how differently the horses reacted to new objects; a large exercise ball, a purple sled and another time a large cardboard box. The horses really showed their “horsenalities!” Starlight bolted and stayed a long distance away from every object introduced and even whirled away when she was way out in the pasture, while Josiah, Jhenhi and Foxy where more curious. Josiah loved the ball and started playing with it, but he was fearful of the big box. Jhenhi wanted to play with everything, in fact she was the only horse in the upper heard to approach the box, and after she started play with it Foxy came forward to check it out too. The playfulness shows the “left-brained extrovert” Horsenality® type and the fearful insecurity shows the “right-brained extrovert.”  When Noelle put the box in the lower herd Fella just walked over to see what it was, so did Gabe, but he was definitely more cautious. When Preacher (a Tennessee Walker for sale) saw it he came right up to the box and started messing around with it.

According to the Perrelli Horsenality® chart, discovering a horse's dominant personality trait helps a trainer and rider to deal with the horse's strengths, weaknesses and needs. With the playful personality, you need to keep things moving and interesting, these horses are the easiest to train because they are smart and love to interact with people.

Seeing Fella be so calm was a big change from when he first came to the ranch 9 years ago.  He'd been abused and was especially fearful of men and was suspicious and resistant to any rider. I worked with him and helped his new owner, Noelle (12), learn how to deal with his little routine of resistant moves.  I told her she needed to be firm and consistent, but loving. We had to be very patient to teach him anything new. Now we know his personality trait is the “right-brained introvert” whose main need is “comfort”. Well, in one year Noelle's love changed him considerably, even our veterinarian noticed the difference. (Although Fella still eyes the vet with suspicion!)

The other CHC Projects are: to learn a song or write a poem that mentions at least six of God's characteristics, to take part in a field trip to see different horse breeds and their different personalities and do horse surveys. We will then compile the surveys we took and see how different breeds may show certain personality traits more than others. The girls Bible reading is a large part of  the book of Isaiah and the book of Daniel. Most of the girls have completed their memory work, the following verses present several of God's attributes, can you pick them out? (Check out CHC on Face Book for the answers.)  Isaiah 40:28-29 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORDis the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” NIV®

This verse even encourages us to realize, because of His love and mercy He wants to strengthen and empower us! So when you are worn out and weary of the way things are going ask for His strength and power to help you, I know I do every day. Seek Him and be encouraged!

 If you would like to know more about Christian Horse-lover's Club Inc., or if you know a Christian horse person who might be interested in starting a CHC Inc. club in their area, please check out the rest of our website or see us on Face Book or call Kim at (262)-473-5624

 Summer 2012

We are so thankful our Chc Inc. club in Whitewater had such a great summer doing the TRUST & TRAILS Unit!  We did our devotions first and then went out to work with the horses.  Each girl learned how to "Lunge for Respect," A Clinton Anderson ground work exercise to gain the respect and trust of a horse.  We used the exercise to lunge a horse between the fence and a barrel, getting the horse to accept a tight space.  In July, my husband Robin , set up an obstacle course for the girls to take the horses through.  First we had them do a walk through to look at the obstacles and then they rode through or over them.  These activities taught the girls how to deal with a horse when a new and scary object begins to make their horse nervous.  The practce activities also helped each girls build a relationjship of trust with their horse by calmly helping the horse to understand when his rider says "It's Okay!"...means It really is OK!  The girls and their horses went over a tarp, a pile of branches (which some horses tried to eat), a pile of logs, mock railroad tracks, a bridge and yes...the horse eating mailbox!!!  Funny how upset some horses can get by a mailbox!   The other exercises were riding a safe distance from each other, rider's communication, to pass each other safely and learn other mahneuvers used on a trial ride such as an emergency stop.  

The girls memorized Proverbs 3:5-6 and Psalm 20:7.  The devotions studied these verses as well as, a look at following God's will.  His general will, that which is in the Bible and God's specific will, which each Believer must seek the LORD to discover what God's plans are for them.

More to come.

Spring 2012

Our Whitewater CHClub worked hard to complete the CHOICES Unit this Spring so they could receive thier charms at the Awards Ceremony in June.  We had a great day for the Awards Ceremony.  It was quite hot so we stayted indoors to give the parents an overview of the PRAISE & THANKS and CHOICES Units.  We sang two praise songs and the girls recited the CHC Pledge and their memory verses.  

Afterwards, we went out to the round pen where the girls demonstrated the Project/Activity they worked on in the PRAISE &THANKS Unit.  Alyssa I and Alyssa C. took turns helping each other practice posting on Foxy Lady.  One girl lunged Foxy at a trot while the other practiced posting and then they swithced positons.  Mikaela worked on several projects and chose to show us how she works with Fella to stand still for mounting.  It took a while and some patience from Mikaela, but finally Fella stood nice and still while she mounted.  

We had a fun and successful trip to Freedom Fest in Janesville, WI.  We set up a table and brought Foxy Lady for people to pet.  She was such a good girl, even when the roller coaster started and the big red fire engine parked right next to us!  We did something extra special, with my daughter Amber's help, we be-friended two sweet young girls from the city and took them on the rides and ate lunch with them.  We talked to many people to get the word out about CHC Inc., hoping to find a Christian horse-lover willing to start a CHC Inc. club in Milton and Janesville.  We definately met many horse-crazy girls.

This summer we are having fun doing the TRUST & TRAILS Unit (one of my favorites!)  We have several new girls who've joined this summer, so I have been working with them to quickly teach them the basics of riding.  The whole club is working on some ground work exercises that teach the horse to trust them, to think and not react wildly.  They are also learning the one-rein emergency stop, calm down cue and the hip-over.  Each girl must be able to do these manuevers quickly before they are allowed to go on a trail ride.   I am so grateful for my two helpers this summer, Geena and Jaylene!

We have a camp out planned to practice and do a short trail ride and in August we plan to go to the Southern Kettle Moraine Horse Park in Palmyra WI.

We will tell you more of our adventures soon!