The Programs
(Below is an interactive map of the BYR facilities and grounds. Click anywhere on the map and then drag side to side to change the angle.)
General Sessions:
OFFERED: Beginning of June – End of August
DAYS: Monday and Friday Mornings – 9am and 10:30am
TIME: 90 minutes (Session scheduling opens May 15th. Please call to sign up.)
AGES: 7 – 18 (Younger siblings are welcome to come along and play in our Kiddie Corral.)
WHAT IS INVOLVED: Each week we have a different character quality as the core for our general sessions. As our volunteer mentors go through the various phases of a session (described below), they interact with kids on how horses display that character quality, how God displays it, and how we can each be displaying it in our daily lives.
When the kids arrive we pair them up with their Mentor
and the duo starts the 90 minutes off with a 15 minute
chore. Our goal for this time is to break the ice, to
encourage the kids to think of others by serving, and to
give them some ownership of the ranch by investing in it
as they build, clean, organize, etc.
After the chore time, the Mentor / Kid team will
go and pick their horse for the day. The time
after that varies wildly. Some kids who come out
here just need time to heal in silence and all they
want to do is brush the horse. Others can’t wait
to get on the horse and ride. And for those who ride,
there is both individual instruction time, and a time
to participate in a group game. Whatever the situation
may be, our trained volunteer Mentors work to bring
hope, encouragement and healing to every visitor who
comes to the ranch.
MINT (Mentor IN Training) Program:
FOR THE GIRLS:
OFFERED: Beginning of June – End of August (along with occasional activities year round)
DAYS: Wednesday mornings, 9am-12pm and either Monday or Friday mornings, 9am-12pm
TIME: 3 hours Wednesday and 3 hours Monday or Friday
AGES: 12 – 14 (Junior MINTS), 15 (MINT Challenge), and 16 – 18 (Senior MINTS)
WHAT IS INVOLVED: This is a more in-depth mentoring program that is only joined through invitation from the ranch.
(If you are interested in having your teen join this group, please call us!)
The youth involved learn more in-depth horsemanship skills and knowledge;
learn more about the God who designed them with a purpose; and learn to
serve others at the ranch. 
Wednesday mornings are spent working
toward accomplishing their horsemanship goals such
as knowing how to longe a horse, learning to use all of
their riding aids, negotiating trail obstacles, riding with
confidence and skill at various speeds, etc. This day involves
an hour on horseback in a group lesson. The Monday or
Friday mornings are spent learning God’s word – through
Scripture memorization, and Bible study; doing work projects
at the ranch; helping with Kiddie Corral and General session
games, and generally having a whole lot of wholesome fun with their peers.
Mustangs Program:
FOR THE GUYS:
OFFERED: Beginning of June – End of August (along with occasional activities year round)
DAYS: Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:30pm
TIME: 2 hours Thursday
AGES: 12 – 18
WHAT IS INVOLVED: This is a more in-depth mentoring program that is only joined through invitation from the ranch.
(If you are interested in having your teen join this group, please call us!)
This program is led by volunteer men from the surrounding communities.
This program is essentially like the gal’s program, but the
format is very different. Three out of four weeks each month
are devoted to horsemanship and Bible study time.
They spend roughly an hour working on their
horsemanship goals and finish off the evening with an hour
around the campfire – learning about and talking through
character qualities needed to be a godly man.
Once a month the guys take a break from the weekly routine
and work together to do a big service project at the ranch –
doing things like putting up fence, maintaining the grounds,
or building various items for the ranch, etc.