Meet Us

Founders – Greg & Abby Bozard

It was fall 1994, with one daughter in college and the second in high school, Abby arrived at the conclusion; it was the perfect time for her to activate a long suppressed desire to engage in riding lessons. Knowing that she would feel better if she had the support of her husband Greg, she packaged the idea as “something they could do together”. Little did they know this was would be a journey of change for them both, this change would ultimately lead to the formation of the non-profit organization: Valley Trotters Youth Ranch.

So… in October, 1994 Abby secured the necessary agreements and enlisted the services of a local stable and trainer to help her fulfill her dream… formal riding lessons. The networking opportunities that existed at the stables opened the door for the first horse purchase, a 4-year old Thoroughbred gelding; his beauty was matched only by his name “Going to the Show”.

 

God was directing a metamorphosis…

By October, 2000 the Bozard’s now owned four horses that fostered a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction as they instructed a handful of youth and young adults on the basics of riding and horsemanship. As the number of students steadily increased Abby & Greg were not aware that God was directing a metamorphosis that would take eight years to complete. Because the couple nurtured their relationship with Jesus Christ, they could sense that He was at work, He was doing something special in their hearts, but what exactly was it?

This question is best answered by an excerpt from a January 2009 newsletter that was sent to their family members and close friends.

 

Excerpt – Bozard Newsletter January, 2009

…Abby and I experienced a “life changing” event during 2008 and we wanted to share it with you. It all started a few weeks before Easter, 2005. Abby received a phone call from a local rehabilitation center that specialized in working with children’s physical & emotional disabilities. They were in the planning stages that would result in a spring celebration for their clients. Their plan focused on treating the disabled kids to a private party, a party that would give them close association with fun things but would also offer emotional & physical benefits. They invited us to bring our horses and provide an environment for the kids to experience the therapeutic movement of a horse while in motion. As the pleasant telephone interview drew to a close, a voice on the other end asks …“so do you think you are interested?” As I recall, Abby was tempted to reply with a YES, but elected to respond with “we’ll get back with you in a few days, we would like to pray about this. Will that be ok?”

 

Our minds were spinning with the paralyzing “what if” questions…

We were interested but also apprehensive. Our minds were spinning with the paralyzing “what if” questions. You know them, what if “they don’t like us”, what if “the children are frightened by the horses”… worse yet what if “someone gets injured.” Quickly, we realized those feelings were seeded by fear and fear does not originate from our Heavenly Father! As we began to gain peace and reassurance, it was the Lord’s gentle reassuring voice that lovingly reminded us of the prayer we offered each time we added to our Equine herd. “Lord we dedicate the purchase of these awesome creatures to You, may You keep them in good health and may we use them in a way that brings glory to your name.”

We arrived at the venue with plenty of time to set-up. It was a carnival style celebration complete with face painters, inflatable monuments, i.e., rock walls, giant slides, moon jumps and a DJ, with a monster sound system and finally our horses, four of them. The organizer, not knowing that Equine are sensitive to sound had carved out a place for us adjacent the DJ station. Sometime during the 30 minute set-up I believe I commented to Abby that we might have some challenges with the sound. Her response returned as a mighty word of faith; “God didn’t bring us this far to leave us.” She was right but what neither of us knew was where God was about lead us.

 

We realized that we were not leading but being led…

We had a plan, one of our volunteers would help the kids up and into the saddle we would then lead the horse carefully around the oval shaped course, return to the starting point and reload. Our plan worked well and for the majority of the evening all four horses were used to carry the precious cargo that is so special to our Lord. Not long into the evening we realized that we were not leading but being led. God was leading us through a portal where we had never traveled, seeing things that we had never seen, asking us to do things that we had never done.

 

A conversation between two friends…

I distinctly remember the moment it happened, eleven year old Jamie was carefully lifted out of his wheelchair and placed gently into the saddle. Other than his open eyes there was no indication of life in his disfigured frame, no facial expression, no sounds, no movement, nothing. He was one of the severely handicapped kids. He appeared to be completely helpless. I wondered if the volunteers would be able to support him from the left and from the right as we walked the oval. Almost immediately, after Jamie was secured in the saddle, I noticed a subtle change in his upper body posture. As I began leading Voorslag, our gentle Arabian Gelding, the evening sounds were interrupted by a feathery nicker. Was this 1,000 pound gentle giant trying to communicate with Jaime, I thought? Again, the sound waves were stirred, but this time it was Jaime. In his own way he was communicating with Voorslag through a rhythmic but non-descript mumble; he was laughing, repeatability. As I turned to look, Jaime was smiling and laughing and reaching out as if to stroke the soft black mane of his new friend. There was a short but important conversation that took place that evening, a conversation between two friends. This was the moment Abby & I became aware that God was leading us on a special journey that involved both kids & horses. Collectively, we knew the Lord was inviting us to accept a homework assignment of learning the special love language that exists when a gentle horse is introduced to a willing child.

 

No child is ever left behind or lost in a crowd…

Since that visit between Voorslag and Jaime we have taken seriously the challenge to learn more. We have explored, researched and learned that many of the Rio Grande Valley youth have challenges; a few have needs which are unique and special like Jaime’s. While most are subtle and less evident than Jaime’s, they are still important. Through our research we found an organization that actively demonstrates the healing power that exists when a horse and a child meet. Since 1995 Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch crystalpeaksyouthranch.org has been meeting the needs of kids & youth in the High Desert of central Oregon. The foundation program of CPYR is unique in that it pairs one child, one horse and one leader for each session. No child is ever left behind or lost in a crowd. The “one on one” learning environment is dedicated to restoring the heart, soul, mind, and strength of the kids. Each child is unique and separate, coming to the ranch for his or her own special needs. Those individual needs are identified by the staff and a tailored course of action toward healing is created. This is faithfully accomplished for every child…free of charge.

 

Neither of us knew how profound this visit would be…

Continuing our homework assignment to learn more, Abby and I visited CPYR the first week of June, 2008 during their information seminar. In our minds we thought we had prepared for this clinic; we had listened to a very moving and powerful radio interview between Focus on the Family’s Dr. James Dobson and CPYR founder – Kim Meeder. Additionally, Abby completed the reading of Kim’s first book “Hope Rising.” In a broad sense we had invested many hours of research and review to prepare for this much anticipated clinic with CPYR Founder, Co-founder, and staff. It was with great expectation that we traveled to Bend, Oregon to learn about their passion for serving kids. How they did it, the way they started, the do’s and the do not’s of forming a nonprofit tax exempt 501 (c) 3 corporation, the style and condition of facilities that would be necessary to host this important mission. We were not fully prepared for what we were about to experience. Neither of us knew how profound this visit would be.

 

Every child has needs…

Aside from the beautiful landscape of snow covered mountains to the near west side, and lush green irrigated hay fields scattered about the rural areas of Bend, we found additional beauty within the hearts of those who welcomed us at CPYR. Over the next few days we would learn through a diverse and well organized series of lectures. For descriptive purposes I’ll divide them into three groups. 1) Dedicated to the care of our Equine partners, there were lessons on proper hoof care, feed and nutrition, general care and Veterinary care. 2) Regarding the formation and maintenance of the organization there were tips and guidance in forming the right organization, with the right content, for the right purposes. 3) For the subject and most important reason for us being there “the Kids.” We learned that every child has needs, some are physical; others emotional, and still others are physical & emotional as was the case with Jaime. We had not forgotten Jamie or the impact he made on our lives. I was reminded of him once again as Kim Meeder was addressing the 250 visitors during one of the sessions, she was telling the story of when it happened to her… that moment in time that she will never forget!

 

A “Life Changing” chapter in our lives…

It was the combination of these two experiences that has truly birthed a “Life Changing” chapter in our lives. With the still vivid memory of the interaction between Jaime & Voorslag and the collective learning experiences we gathered while at CPYR we have made the commitment to provide a place of hope for kids and their families. Abby & I are honored to be the Founders of a newly formed nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of kids & horses in the upper Rio Grande Valley.

Valley Trotters Youth Ranch – Birthed December 8th, 2008.