Greetings once again, my dear friends. It’s time to look back at the past week at Mercy Spring Ranch.
This was one of the hottest weeks that I have ever spent on the ranch. With temperatures well above 100 degrees each day, all of the sessions had to be cancelled. It felt strange to have a summer week without any children to play with on the ranch.
Miss Mo did all that she could to keep us cool. She put umbrellas by our feeders at mealtime to keep the sun off of us while we ate. When the temperatures peaked in the afternoon, we would get squirted down. Our goal was simply to get through the day until the sun went down.
With the intense heat, we kept our physical activities to a minimum. This gave me more time for personal reflection.
I thought about how much I enjoy working with the children each week. It brings me great joy to see how they can learn to trust me as we spend time together. I am a lot bigger than they are, but each week spent together makes me less scary, and more like an animal friend. Hopefully this will help them overcome other fears in their lives, as they learn to trust others like they have learned to trust me.
The children are quick to show affection to me by petting me and rubbing me between my shoulders (my withers). I like how the children call me by name, and whisper in my ear that I am their favorite horse. I wouldn’t mind if they shared this information with Ladyhawke and Connor, but I guess that they do not want to hurt their feelings. It will remain our little secret.
There are days when I want to devote my time to my music, my modeling career, or my writing. But then I see the faces of the children, my heart melts, and I am all theirs for the day. That is what it means to be a horse at Mercy Spring Ranch.
The temperature finally cooled off on Saturday, and the ranch was filled with students from River Oak Grace. They spent part of the day pulling weeds and making the ranch look great. They also got to give the horses some needed attention. We are grateful for all of their hard work.
Well, that’s all for now. I look forward to the children returning this week. I miss my little friends.
Happy Trails,
Gimli September 12, 2022