Author: joell

Unique Venture Brings Horseback Riding, Camping and Surfing Experience to Autism Families

It all started at a coffee shop in Half Moon Bay.  Rupert Isaacson, founder of the HorseBoy Foundation was sipping tea and chatting with Joell Dunlap, Executive Director of Square Peg Ranch before heading out to do an intense training with a dozen autism specialists, parents and therapists at Square Peg Ranch.

 

“I’ve always had this dream” said Isaacson while stirring his tea “The work we do with autism kids and horses – we know the reason it works is because we are getting these kids moving in rhythm and in a way that connects them to the natural environment. Right?   If it works with horses, it will work getting these kids in the ocean and taking them surfing. We just need to find people that know how to get these kids in the water safely”
Dunlap smiled, pulled out her phone and made a call to Half Moon Bay Surf Club’s middle school coach Rocky Raynor.  Within minutes a meeting was set up, the dream was now an idea and plan was in motion to make it a reality.

 

Meanwhile, in Wilmington North Carolina, Jack Viroel was planning the 3rd annual trip to India. Why?  To take 60 orphaned street children and teach them to surf of course.  IndoJax Surf Charities has been offering surfing to disadvantaged populations for years. When the phone lit up with his old friend Rocky Raynor’s name, Jack answered eagerly to hear what his west coast friend was up to. “I’m talking with these folks that do work with autistic kids and horses and they want to incorporate surfing.” said Raynor.

“When do we start?” was Viroel’s reply.

 

India Surf Safari 2012 from Indo Jax Surf Charities on Vimeo.

Since then, Jack has travelled to HorseBoy’s central location outside of Austin Texas to see what HorseBoy is all about.  An instant meeting of minds was apparent with Isaacson and Viroel. “Rupert and I hit it off immediately and realized there was a lot of common ground between horses and surfing when dealing with children with special needs.”

Back in Half Moon Bay, Rocky Raynor and Joell Dunlap started laying the plans for the camp.  A beautiful camping spot was found, volunteers lined up to help, the local authorities were notified about which beach the surfing and possibly riding on the beach would occur.  Dunlap submitted a proposal to the Jan, Mace and Samantha Siegel CARMA Foundation to help fund food, travel and camping expenses for the event and was thrilled to find out it was approved in early June.

On July 21 through July 23, several local autism families will camp in the coastal hills.  The whole family, siblings and parents alike will participate in riding horses under the care of HorseBoy and Square Peg instructors. There will be opportunities to share music and food and art throughout the camp.  On Tuesday, July 22, they will travel to the famous Surfer’s Beach just north of Half Moon Bay for a day of surfing, also for siblings and parents as well.  The idea is to give the families something special and challenging to do together as a family and to live for a few days as a community that supports them and each other.  HorseBoy Foundation has run scores of these camps with horses in Texas, in the UK and in Canada but this will be the first to offer surfing as well. Square Peg Foundation has been offering a riding program to autistic kids on the Coast and surrounding areas since 2004.  The Half Moon Bay Surf Club has been encouraging local kids to surf and to excel in school through their innovative programs since 2009 and IndoJax – well they’ve been tirelessly offering the magical surfing stoke to kids all over the world.

Other organizations have pulled together to help make this dream a reality as well.  Local equestrian leader Carl Hoffman has offered his coastal horse camping spot to the effort for less than cost.  The HMB Fire Department wants in on the fun too and plans to bring an engine for the kids to explore.  Musicians, cooks and restaurants keep calling to offer their services to make this camp something special.

The financial support of the Jan, Mace and Samantha Siegel CARMA Foundation makes this possible.  The Siegel family has provided unparalleled support to CARMA since its inception in 2008 and the Jan, Mace, and Samantha Siegel CARMA Foundation is dedicated to funding unique and innovative ways of supporting racing’s retired stars.  CARMA has been funding accredited Thoroughbred aftercare facilities since 2008 and has been impressed with the work that Square Peg Foundation of Half Moon Bay has been doing with their herd of predominantly ex racers. “CARMA is pleased to be involved in this exciting program using off-track Thoroughbreds.  Joell has put together an exciting group of organizations for this event and we are glad to be a part of something that brings horses and kids together,” said CARMA Executive Director Lucinda Mandella.

We have joined five charities, 30+ volunteers, local businesses and government agencies together to serve autism families.  This is the very spirit of community and unity.

Please check back regularly for photos and stories of our shared adventure.

 

Links for more information:
HorseBoy Foundation www.horseboyworld.com
Square Peg Foundation: www.squarepegfoundation.org
Indo Jax Surf School: http://indojaxsurfschool.com/outreach.php
Half Moon Bay Surf Club http://hmbsurfclub.com/

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for more information or to schedule an interview with any of the above mentioned organizations, please contact Deborah Rod at Deborah@everyonefits.org

 

Well, you asked for it and here it is.  Another chapter from my work in progress.  The goal was to have a first draft completed by the 4th of July.  I’m not sure that I’ll make it, a few characters are screaming for attention.  But I’m going to try really hard.  Below is a chapter featuring one of my favorite characters ever – Peter Stone, a retired jockey living alone in a trailer house not far from the track.  Personally, I love Peter. I hope you enjoy.

Luke’s manic tail wagging, happy howls and clumsy leap from Peter’s couch erased all the madness of Ann’s last couple of days.  She bent down and folded his head into her arms as he lavished kisses on her face and throat.

“Well Missy, ain’t it good to be loved?” said Peter from his couch.

Ann wasn’t able to get up from the floor amid all of the dog love she was receiving. In between giggles, she managed “How are you feeling Pete?”

“Fine as frog hair, darlin’.” He grumbled.

“Frog hair?  Frogs don’t have hair?” She panted, pulling herself up from the floor and gently pushing Luke away.

“You can’t see frog hair because it’s too fine.”  Pete laughed in between wheezes.

Ann smiled at the old joke.  Pete laughed harder at his own jokes than he did at the jokes of others.  It was endearing to her.  She loved it when Pete would crack up telling her a joke that she had told to him recently.

“Well, we’d better get moving unless you want to be late to your doctor’s appointment.”  Ann said.

“Don’t hafta worry about that.  I done gone and canceled that meetin’ with the saw-bones.”  said Pete.

“Why would you do that?”  Ann asked.

“I’m tired of bein’ poked and prodded like an old pin cushion.  Those doctors and nurses treat you like you was nothin’ but a piece of meat.  No dignity.  So I fired ’em.”

“What about your prescriptions? How will you get the medicine you need?”

“I figure that pills never did much for my Donna, she died anyway, so what the hell can they do for me?”  Pete looked at Ann defiantly.  “Nope” he continued “I’m too old to cure, you just leave old Pete be.  I’ll be allright, don’t you worry your pretty little head.  Luke and I talked about it all night and he agrees.”  Pete reached out and stroked Luke’s silky long ears.  Then he reached into the folds of the couch and produced a bag of ginger snap cookies.  “Want one?”

“Pete” said Ann shocked “You know you have to watch your sugar!”

“Listen missy, I spent 31 years of being a rider and watching my weight like a hawk.  Can’t eat this, gotta purge that.  No butter, no salt on my meat.  When I quit ridin’ I ate like a king and every bite tasted like a treasure.  It’s the same here with these goddamn cookies.  Three years with watching my sugar and taking insulin and worried all the time.  These cookies have never tasted so good and I aim to eat ’em and eat some more if I goddamn feel like it.”

Ann sank to the couch next to him and put her hand on his hairy wrist.  “Oh Pete, I’m just worried about you.  That’s all.”

Pete wouldn’t meet her gaze, he turned to watch the Dodgers on the television make a seamless double play.  “Looks like the boys might have a good year after all.”

“Pete, we need to talk about your health.”  she pleaded.

“Why?” he asked.  “Why can’t we talk about baseball?  Or take the dog for a walk in the sunshine?  Or figure out your terrible love life?  Why do we need to talk about my health?  Let’s laugh and have some coffee, or pick a Derby horse together and just forget about arthritis or blood sugar levels or bowel movements!  Can’t you see that I’m tired of all this crap?”

“I’m sorry Pete, it’s just that”

“Don’t be sorry girlie, just shut up!”  Pete’s hands were shaking and so was his voice.  The Dodgers were up and there were now two men on base.  Both Pete and Ann turned silently to watch the game.  They both sorted out their thoughts in silence until the commercial break when the TV erupted loudly into a commercial for adult diapers.

“Ah hell.” said Pete disgustedly as he got up and went to the kitchen, dragging his bag of cookies with him.

“Hey, while you are in there, can you make us some coffee?” Asked Ann with a hopeful smile.

“Too goddamn hot for coffee now.” Grumbled Pete.  Ann sighed, not sure what to say next.  “But I got some coffee ice cream in the freezer.”  Pete grinned from the kitchen like a naughty child.

“That sounds great!”  Sighed a relieved Ann.

Pete, Luke and Ann spent the next two hours locked in flowing conversation, jokes, stories, nostalgia, junk food, a win for the Dodgers and laughter.  It was food for the soul for all three.  Looking at her watch, Ann regretted that she would have to break the spell and bring them all back to reality.

“Shit Pete, it’s four o’clock, I gotta get back to the barn for feed and medications.”  Then Ann ventured a risky move “Do you want to come with me?”

Pete wasn’t ready for the question and he sucked in his breath, retreated into the couch cushions and seemed suddenly very small and frail.

“Shit honey, I ain’t been to the track in a month of Sundays.  I couldn’t go.  Nah, you go on honey, I’ll keep Luke here with me.”

Ann pushed a little harder “C’mon Pete, I’ll only be there for a couple hours and then we’ll be back.”

Pete looked at his hands, flexed his swollen, arthritic fingers and winced. He wiggled his purple toes in his worn leather slippers. He exhaled loudly and looked Ann directly in the eye “Sweetie, I appreciate the offer.  I really do, but I figure the track is done with me, and so I ought to be done with the track.  You go along, I’m feeling sleepy.  I’ll keep Luke here and we will take a good long nap.”

Ann felt heavy and sad.  The worst part was that she knew it was true.  Racing consumed your life, destroyed your body, paid off sporadically and picked your pocket constantly. The racing game threw out champion horses, talented riders, brilliant trainers or wealthy owners just as quickly and cruelly as it did penniless gamblers, crooked jockeys, junkie grooms and assorted lost souls.  The track never forgave, but it always forgot.  Ann knew that she had spent her whole career working harder, going the extra mile, grinding away to achieve respect in the game and yet she too, would be forgotten in an instant when she could no longer ride.

“Let’s check your blood sugar before I go.”  Ann offered.

“Now pumpkin, you and I both know that I’m off the chart with all the crap we ate today.  Why the hell do you want to rub it in?  I ain’t planning on running a marathon this afternoon, I’m just gonna curl up here with this ol’ hound and sleep it off.”  Pete yawned and rubbed his rheumy eyes and dismissed Ann with a raised eyebrow indicating that the conversation was over and it was time for her to go.

“Are you sure you want me to leave Luke?”  Ann asked.

“Yup.  He’s a lot better company than you or this damn TV – ya see, he knows when to shut up.”  Pete winked and smiled as he pulled the old quilt over his shoulders and settled down into the couch.  Luke jumped up and curled behind Pete’s knees.  Ann walked over and patted Luke on the head and then quickly kissed Pete on the forehead.  “Don’t go smoochin’ on an old man little pretty” Pete mumbled with his eyes closed “You just might get more than you bargained for.”

Both Pete and Luke were snoring as Ann grabbed her keys and headed to her car.

Many of you know that I’ve been working on a fiction project for the last few years.

This last week, friends and family made it possible for me to sneak away to a secluded beach in Mexico to work on my project.  The timing couldn’t have been worse – I had so many things going on at Square Peg and the last thing I wanted to do was to leave my students and horses not to mention my sweetie on a self serving trip – but I did.

Our group was treated like royalty by the staff at Villa Violeta with amazing hospitality, first class meals and handmade margaritas….. Each morning, I’d get up early, grab a cup of coffee and hide in a spot overlooking the Sea of Cortez.  I was visited by lizards and birds and even a squirrel on the sunny deck where I worked.  The frigate birds soared overhead and the fishermen waved from their boats as they passed by.  It was as idyllic a place as I can ever imagine.  I was so far removed from my regular life.

But I was there to work. I issued my challenge to our supporters to help me get this project wrapped up and I’m proud to say that I’m ahead of schedule.

I promised a preview of the work and I’m here to deliver.

Below is a short chapter from Gallop Girl All Rights Reserved by the author, Joell Dunlap May 2012.

Enrique closed the lid on the medicated mud, wiped his hands on the towel hanging from his back pocket and used the wall to steady himself as he stood up in the stall.  Mercy Street’s legs were slathered in cooling mud and wrapped in clean cotton pillows.  He’d have to come back in and paint the  bandages with a sauce of habanero and cayenne pepper to keep her from chewing them off overnight.  He patted the petite mare and she danced sideways, snorting and blowing.  She wasn’t the friendly type.  He laughed quietly and scratched her withers. She submitted to his touch and even leaned into him so that he could dig into her perpetually itchy shoulders. Both satisfied, he ducked outside the stall door and made his way to the equipment room to fetch the pepper paste.  His eye was drawn to the empty stall where the dead filly Chayah Khofesh should have been.  The stall was clean and bedded, the straw fluffed and the hay net full.  Enrique pictured her powerful frame and curious face as it was this morning before her workout.  She’d had some promise and she was easy to be around.  She had a habit of peeking around her hay net, curious to see what was happening in the stall next to her.  He’d liked her for that curiosity and he missed her now.

In an industry where sentimentality is a luxury, Enrique was a wealthy man who spent lavishly.  He knew the quirks of each horse and he indulged them whenever possible. Each animal was a treasure of personality.  Some made him laugh, some made him wonder.  All of them made him a man satisfied with his work.  He knew that horses would come and go, some naturally, some tragically and  he cherished the time he had with each one.  When it came to people however, Enrique was thrifty with his emotions. He was an island of a man who preferred his own quiet company.

He fished a peppermint out of his pocket, fed one to the barn goat and one for Vaya Con Dios who quietly lifted the candy from Enrique’s callused palm and crunched it between giant molars.  “Che old man.”  He rubbed the silky nose and headed back to work.

Things would change at the barn and things would stay the same.  He had a good crew, with a couple of exceptions.  Most of the guys showed up on time and did their jobs well.  A couple of the hot walkers were on notice for laziness.  Only one groom worried him, his head groom had travelled home to Mexico for a holiday and had sent his cousin to cover his job in his absence. Enrique had an instant dislike the the cousin.  Something about his way with the horses unsettled Enrique.  The man had skills and wasn’t afraid to work, but he had a shiftiness in him that made both Enrique and the horse wary.  He’d keep an eye on him and ask around for some good guys needing work.

He’d worried about the Boss talking to Roxy Ayers about galloping.  Enrique remembered a time when all of them were much younger and romance was on the menu for Jude and Roxy.  But now he was a big shot trainer and Roxy had aged in a hard edged sort of way.  The notion of them being together now was laughable. Both were acting professionally and Enrique hoped that things would work smoothly.  The barn was poised for a good year with some decent running stock and some up and coming hopefuls and if, just if they could keep The Big Horse, Leo III from destroying himself or some unfortunate human, great things could happen. Enrique had his doubts that Leo III would do well without Ann.  He had worked around female riders for most of his career and he knew that some of them were good, most of them were out to prove something and none of them had the talent that Ann possessed.

Normally,Enrique felt that women  interrupted the flow of a barn.  Most women created chaos somewhere or drama.  They needed too much attention, or demanded respect they weren’t willing to earn. Most women you wanted too much to protect.  Enrique had to admit that he did have protective feelings about Ann but he never let on.  He knew it would just confuse Ann and they had their jobs to do. Enrique thought about visiting Ann in the hospital, but he had no idea what he would say and he didn’t like the idea of seeing her laying in any bed.  He liked thinking of her as strong and capable and laughing in her special way.  Yes, he did feel protective of her. If only he would have waited until later to get the filly to the track – she wouldn’t have been at the wrong place at the wrong time.  If only he would have put that little cholo rider on her back, then Ann wouldn’t be laying broken in a hospital right now.  None of it mattered of course and nothing would change the way things were.

Enrique passed by Leo III’s stall and noticed that he’d emptied his water bucket completely.  Whether he’d drunk it all or whether he’d kicked it out of the bucket was anyone’s guess.  But no racehorse, especially one as talented as Leo III ever went without fresh water and so he slipped inside the stall, fended off the vicious teeth of the chestnut monster and ducked out quickly with the empty water bucket in hand.  He washed the bucket clean of any straw or dirt and filled it being careful not to let the hose end droop into the water.  Doctor Connor had been adamant that not only did the horses never share a water bucket again, but that immersing the hose into a water bucket was a sure source of disease spread.  He’d primed all of the grooms on the practice and he’d had to keep a close eye on one of the lazier grooms lest the barn be beset with another raging respiratory infection. He fished another peppermint from his pocket and let Leo III see it.  His sharp ears heard the cellophane noise and perked forward.  Enrique was not fooled, he tossed the peppermint expertly into the horse’s grain bucket to distract the animal while he re-affixed the filled water bucket to the wall.  Leo III dove for the peppermint and savagely rooted around in his grain bucket to find it.  He attacked the grain with and open mouth and crunched hard, feed dripping from his lips.  Enrique chuckled appreciatively. Aggression in a racing colt the size and breeding of Leo III was not the horse’s fault.  It was the product of hundreds of years of racing breeding and a wholly unnatural environment.  In the wild, Leo III’s rogue behavior would be so over the top that the herd would banish him to perpetual bachelorhood. Instead, if he continued to race as well as he had, he would retire to the breeding shed of a beautiful farm where his every whim was attended to and mares would come in from the world over.  But if they couldn’t get his feet to harden up, Leo III would be just another failed and unrideable ex racehorse with a lovely pedigree and nowhere to go.  Enrique looked at the pale saucer shaped feet and sighed.  Supplements, special glue on shoes, training only on the dirt track and racing only on choice grass courses or wet and cold muddy tracks, acupuncture – it seemed they had tried everything and now he would have to manage this beast without Ann.

It’s a foggy Sunday morning when I turn into 11631 San Mateo Road,  at the bottom of Hwy. 92, and slow down to quickly punch in the gate code, then wait for the cast iron black gate to swing open. At 10:30 in the morning, my paradise begins when that gate opens. Nestled in Canyon Creek EquestrianCenter, upon a small hill, is where my heart and passion live, and where I’m my happiest. As I drive in, I see  familiar horses in turn out, and of course, Lola the barn dog comes to greet me, tail and body wiggling, along with her sloppy grin and big brown eyes staring me straight in the face. I rush up the hill, as I am already a few minutes late. My trainer is there tacking up Django, our naughtiest but cutest pony, for the morning lesson, which she asks me to assist her with. On Sunday mornings, a young woman comes to the barn to ride. she has severe medical conditions and is about the size of asmall child, which means Joell needs to ride with her. I needed to lead Django as sometimes he can be a handful and tends to get a little antsy. As we were walking around, I tended to daydream and think about my life, and I got to thinking about the past few weeks. Schools been insanely tough and I’ve been dealing with an exorbitant amount of stress lately, but then I just thought about how lucky I am. I hav ethe best friends in the world, a wonderful support system, and I have already found the thing that makes me undeniably happy: being at the barn.

Some people wait their entire lives to find their passion and still never find it, while me, being a 16 year old teenager, can drive 15mins and have all of this in front of me. Even in the worst mood, just seeing my awkward but totally lovable boy can make me crack a smile because, c’mon, it’s Fran. Our barn family always makes me laugh too because we’re just spontaneously crazy sometimes, which takes me away from my usually very scheduled and organized life. But most of all, teaching and helping the kids always gets to me, because about 8 years ago, that was me, and I realize how much everything has changed and how much I’ve matured and learned. NowI’m the one that rides five horses a day, gallops up hills bareback, ponys horses, and is jumping courses.I’m the one that’s there four and five days a week over summer, helping with everything all the time.

I just realize that even though pretty much everything is changing, and my life is completely different, and that sometimes it’s insanely tough, I really love it, because it’s wonderful. Django stops, and I realizethat the ride is over. The young woman gets off and I help her feed Django about a whole small bag of carrots which makes me laugh. We walk up the hill, giggling about what a moocher Django is, and get ready tomake a plan for the day.

I really am lucky.

I want you to take a look at: Square Peg Foundation – Where Everyone Fits – You Should Write a Book! | Grassroots Fundraiser 

Vladamir Nobokov’s Humbert Humbert was a murderous, narcissistic pedophile. Christopher James Hooker is a schmuck.  Humbert Humbert is a fictional character and Hooker is real. Unfortunately, there are more similarities between the two than differences.  Both preyed on the soft flesh of  children to feed their insecurities and their twisted passions. It could be argued they shared a need for control and dominance.  Each had their fill of an adult partner that challenged and befuddled them. Both were handsome and charming.

 

My point is not to start a witch hunt.  There are many thoughtful and mindful teachers and coaches working hard and respecting the role of mentor to young people.  They derive great satisfaction in earning the trust of the young people that look up to them and they even become better people when they know that a child is watching them for an example of the kind of adult that they aspire to be.

 

But the reality is that there are Humbert Humberts and Christopher Hookers working with our youth.  Right now there are men (and possibly women, but I don’t have any experience with female pedophiles, so I won’t address them) working in schools looking at your kids with malicious intentions. They will find the sensitive ones, ones with higher than average intelligence who yearn for someone to understand the turmoil that is the adolescence of a sensitive child. Some of these girls don’t have fathers to rely on and some have outstanding fathers. Some of these girls will be popular or outgoing, some will be bookish or shy.  The one thing these girls all have in common is that they are looking for a mentor worthy of their trust.  Teachers and coaches who are trained and employed to guide our children will become their confidantes and  in that intimacy of trust, the Christopher Hookers of the world will strike time and again.

My high school history teacher is one of these men.  For many years, he sought out this sensitive and clever child.  Again and again he found her.  He looked for the proud and intelligent ones, so that when it was over, they would go quietly in shame and keep their stories to themselves.  Their families would be quiet as well, just grateful that their independent daughters had escaped, young enough to heal the damage and all the wiser in the end. Yet their silence enabled him to repeat his crimes time and again.  I know of several high school students he had sexual relationships with, because I was one of them.

History shows examples of powerful men demanding nubile lovers. But our society and our laws forbid it.  Why?  Because that 15, 16, and 17 year old child is exactly that – a child and she must be protected by both society and by law – especially in school. She needs to learn to manage her sexuality in a way that is healthy for her, for her community and her partners, while she learns personhood, responsibility, and who she is and who she might be. She will make mistakes but they are her mistakes to make and she deserves adult advisors  she can trust.

Great teachers and mentors are pivotal in a young person’s development.  Each of us has been affected by that amazing teacher, a kind neighbor, a fantastic relative or some other adult that we could admire and model our behavior after.  If we are lucky, we have had several of those people in our lives who took an interest in us and pushed us to achieve.  We gave those people our most precious gifts; our admiration and our trust. The importance of that relationship and the value of that trust are immeasurable.  Because of this, a violation of this trust on the part of the adult is not just immoral, it is criminal.

My old teacher must be close to 70 now and I’m a happily married woman in my 40’s.  I’m almost exactly the age now that he was when we were together.  If I picture myself pursuing one of my 17 year old students in a sexual manner, I’m never tempted, only baffled.  I understand that he has now raised some teen girls.  I wonder if he thought how he would feel if his daughters were victimized by the adults that they trusted.

Forgiveness means not letting this bother me anymore. My history teacher did have real feelings for me and that I know now that I was, and am worthy of a man’s love and affection.  With time and thought, I’ve forgiven myself and in some ways, I have forgiven him.  It was far from easy. But if in this writing I can and convince one parent to follow her suspicion and counsel her daughter before it’s too late, one school board member to mindfully investigate a story and bring an abuser to justice, if I can bring peace to one young woman who was drawn in by someone who violated the trust of the student/teacher relationship, if I can affect the thinking of a coach who finds himself falling for a minor student and cause him to pause and  and change his course of action, then this post has been successful.

Teen girls may seem sophisticated and sexual and clever, but they are children and they deserve the chance to learn and explore in a space safe from a trusted adult’s insecurities and neuroses.

The teacher or coach is hired to mentor,  guide and teach the children.  That breach of  a sacred public trust must be punished severely and that man’s shame be made public to protect against the eventuality of future victims. As a society, we must honor childhood and protect it.

A very public shame on you Christopher Hooker.  I actively despise your misuse of  children’s trust.  If you are found guilty, may our justice system see your acts as criminal.  My wish is that your children will find mentors who will inspire them and that those mentors respect your children’s trust in a way that you failed to do.

 

Joell Dunlap

Executive Director, The Square Peg Foundation

Www.everyonefits.org

 

It’s been a couple of weeks since the amazing event at The Montalvo Center for the Arts. I’m still swimming in a sea of gratitude for the Herculean efforts of Heart of Silicon Valley, the heroic abilities of Jan Holland Malcom, who has had my back in every major event in my life for the last (gulp) 30 years. We had the services of the splendid heart of Peter Finch and the talents of Megan Slankard, Claes Clem, headliner band LUCE and our friend Nichole Schumacher.

There are so many more folks to thank, most especially the 250+ folks who showed up for the party and the concert, the sponsors including Gordon Biersch, Dio Deka, Sarah’s Vinyard and One Brick Volunteers, Martin Ranch Winery, Thor Audio Solutions and Party Helpers. Our volunteers were stellar and the event was a rousing success.

 

A few folks have asked us to publish my short presentation, it follows:

 

“Against some very expert advice – I’m famous for disregarding good advice. In fact, Square Peg EXISTS because Darius and I ignored the advice that it couldn’t be done. So I’m leading with the bad news: The bad news is that I’m going to ask you for money.

The good news is that I’m not going to bore you by explaining our methods and philosophies, I’m just going to tell you a few stories about why you need to support Square Peg.

You’ve heard Max tell his story. I never get tired of hearing Max speak, which is a good thing, because Max speaks A LOT! ;-) But seriously, Max is never happier than when he is helping other people. Max doesn’t just impress me, he’s my friend, and he inspires me.

 

On Tuesdays we spend time with three little boys who happen to be African refugees. They’re orphans and suffer from PTSD. Two of the three have learning difficulties and show tenets of autism. What these boys have seen, we can’t imagine. What’s important is that they boys and they are bursting with boy energy. Rather than force on them the finer points of equitation, we need them to feel powerful and able. We put bareback pads on three of our trustiest horses and Greg, Sigourney and I hopped on and put he boys in our lap. We had the rowdiest, squealing, gallopingest game of tag on horseback our arena has ever seen!

This summer, we finally got a chance to work with the SAGE Project, a program doing outreach for sex workers. We did a day trip for their youth program. Spend a minute with that thought: It’s just what you think: Trafficked. Child. Sex workers. Seven girls came out and we paired them up with seven of our best volunteers. Because there are no accidents, it was interesting to find that our seven volunteers almost exactly matched the ages of the girls from the SAGE Project. Each volunteer had chosen a horse she loved and she worked individually with the girls formerly from the streets. One on one, the volunteers taught the girls how to groom and saddle and ride the horses. There were peals of giggles and at the end, there were tears and hugs. For three hours, these girls got to be just silly girls learning a new skill.

Each of those seven teen-aged volunteers came to be over the next few days and told me how affected they were. Their worlds were larger and more compassionate and open for the experience. This, even by Square Peg standards was a good day.

In August this year, we turned out for our first unofficial match as a interscholastic polo team. We were to play against Cal Poly’s team. They showed up with beautiful horses, shiny tack and team jerseys. We didn’t even have matching shirts. Square Peg with our rescued and donated horses trounced our opponents 16 to 4!

In November, we started working the Horse Boy Method. If you have seen the movie or read the book you know it’s founders, an autistic child named Rowan and his dynamic parents, are amazing. We’ve never worked with a method before. We felt like an island that ignored really good advice and breaks rules; it’s been successful. But now, the doors that we had cracked open were now blown off the hinges! We have the tools to train our horses in collected gaits and movements we thought were only available to world-class dressage horses and now we offer these joyful movements to our kids. The results have us just plain giddy.

You see, when you train a horse, not with the intention of winning ribbons or of re-selling the animal to the highest bidder, but instead, if you train him to carry a child who can’t speak for himself, a child who might have forgotten what joy is, if you can train that horse to bear those children into an adventure, anything is possible.

 

 

We have so much more to tell you and so much work to do. Call me, write us a note, or plan a visit. I’m certain that you will never meet harder working people than the staff and volunteers at the ranch. Your pledge goes directly to services to rescued horses and kids who know what it’s like to be a Square Peg. Please come along on this amazing ride as we continue to change the world, one horse and one child at a time.”

 

Enjoy Bammy winning Luce’s hit song performed for Square Peg’s benefit here:

 

So much gratitude to all who made this day and the miracle we call Square Pegs possible!