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• About Gary
• About CJ
• About Dan
• About Vita
• In Loving Memory: Grace
 



When I first started coming to the farm I knew I needed help but I never dreamed that I would also make a friend. Working with Grace gave me the confidence to try new things at school and to express myself better with my family and my friends.

-Alumna

Amazing Grace

Once in a while a spirit comes into your life and changes you forever. Sometimes that spirit is human. For us it was Grace our beloved Thoroughbred mare.

She came into our lives at a time when Grace greatly needed a home and Linda needed an equine partner. We had known her for several years and admired her from afar but she had, in the way horses often are, been removed from our barn to another home several years earlier. So we were surprised to learn that Grace was for sale and that she was considered "crazy" by many people who had spent time with her. Having known her for several years we knew that there was nothing "crazy" about this beautiful animal and that she was hurting if others thought those things about her.

So Grace came to live at Deer Ridge with old friends who loved her and wanted only the best for her. Not long after that Linda was injured in an accident and sidelined from riding for the better part of 18 months. That left Grace, to her delight, to be turned out to pasture and given a much-needed respite from years of regular training and stall confinement. She thrived. When the time came to go back to work she repaid that kindness a hundred fold.

Without Grace, Linda would not have ridden again. Aging bones break easily and fear can do a lot to undermine self-confidence. Slowly but surely the affectionate love and compassion that Grace shared convinced Linda to give it a try. Not once did Grace ever take advantage of that vulnerability. She reminded Linda that healing often comes quietly in a relationship between friends who ask no more than to be valued and shown compassion.

Two years later it was Grace's turn to need healing. She suffered an injury that would not heal no matter how hard we tried or what we did to help. Finally with no other alternatives before us, we consented to surgery. To the horror of all concerned, Grace died following the procedure. Our hearts broke wide open.

We lost a friend of the highest order. Our herd lost a companion and member of their select group. Many clients lost a therapist that was wise, gentle, and compassionate because she knew what it felt like to be misunderstood, and not have her true value recognized. She was able to convey to others who had suffered that the wisest course is to let go of anger and resentment, trust that kindness can be repaid with kindness, and that trusting others can be worth the effort. All who knew her were saddened by her loss.

Today we are grateful that she entered our lives and brought us such gifts. Her spirit lives on at Deer Ridge and we feel her presence daily. We dedicate this work to her and we are sure that when the time comes for us to follow her, she is waiting for us on the "other side of the gate".