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It was a bright sunny day on July 22^nd as eleven youths, two YCDC employees, and one excited parent pulled up to the ranch. With birds singing from their treetop perches and the whinnying of horses in the distance we all felt at ease. And then, there was a snort. This snort was followed by more snorts, resulting in some excited snorting. You would guess pigs, right? Well, you guessed wrong. We looked down towards our feet and saw it. It was not a pig, it was not a rabbit, it was Broccoli. Broccoli is a resident of the Harding Heights Ranch in Upper Oasis and he is a dog that has one heck of a snort. We were up at the Harding’s to take a tour of the farm, enjoy some lunch, and have the chance to hop on some of their horses. This day at the Harding’s was one of the many free activities the YCDC is offering youths age 13 to 18 this summer. For many of us, this would be our first time getting on a horse and we were definitely all excited to have the opportunity to get so close to these big and beautiful four-legged creatures. But before we jumped on the horses we had to have a tour. First impressions are important you know, and we needed to be properly introduced to everyone.
Our first introduction happened to be to some very soft and furry animals: the rabbits! Fortunately, we were also able to meet their tiny four week old babies who are so cute you just never want to put them down! We also met some feathered friends who are neighbors to the rabbits. The pigeons were very welcoming and insisted we meet their youngsters who are just getting their big bird feathers. Next we met Buttercup and Daisy, two black bellied Barbados sheep, and Puck and Patch, the two giant Clydesdale horses used to pull sleighs full of children in the winter and wagons full in the summer. We were also formally introduced to each of the thirteen other horses that are proud to call the Harding Heights Ranch home as well as one spirited mule and one happy renter. Oh, and don’t forget the peacocks and the chickens!
Now came the time for us to really get to know four of the horses up close and personal. Tarry, Cody, Holly, and Lucky were very kind and let us brush them and even clean their hooves, all on the first date! We also saddled them up and then hopped on with some much needed guidance from Shauntelle LeRose (Harding) and Irene Harding, and some assistance from milk crates for those of us who are vertically challenged. It was a short ride with the horses being led by Shauntelle and Irene, but it was definitely a great introduction for those of us who had never ridden a horse before. It’s a lot more work than you think it is!

As the time to go home grew near it was clear that we had all had a great time, and some of us were definitely reluctant to leave the farm behind. But the YCDC has lots of events happening this summer, so no one will be bored for too long!

Thank-you to Shauntelle and Irene for their hard work and big hearts!